It's not always easy being the owner of a large piece of electronic equipment. Most folks don't look at their fitness equipment that way, especially treadmill owners, but really, that's exactly what it is. And since you already put out good money for it(hundreds or even thousands of dollars) your owner's manual for that piece of equipment is your best friend. Ouch!
Am I going to tell you that you have to read your manual? Yes. Seriously, trust me on this. Going through it just one time will make sure your baby stays humming with as little glitches as possible for a long time to come. If you let that manual collect dust without ever reading it, look out.
For example, let's say you blow a fuse. Pretty simple fix, right? You just replace it with a new fuse you already have tucked away in your garage somewhere or in your toolbox for your car. Right? Wrong. You must use the fuse recommended by the manufacturer (as stated in the manual) to fix the problem or you risk damaging your treadmill. Yes, reading manuals is boring, but not reading them cost you lots and lots of money down the road. Sometimes the fix is so simple, easy and super cheap, if only you had read the manual.
Also, the treadmill needs to be grounded to an AC outlet to in order to minimize the risk of losing all the data that's stored on the onboard computer. Your treadmill weighs so much and has so much heavy steel that we sometimes forget it's a computer also. Treadmills these days have features that allow you to enter your enter training routine and workout data and save them right on your treadmill dashboard. You can lose this information just like you can lose information on any computer. You need to protect the AC to your treadmill like you would with your computer by guarding against potential power surges. Again, this is a simple and inexpensive solution that can save thousands of dollars and hours of heartache.
Reading the owner's manual will also provide you with lots important information that the salesman or trainer either did not or could not provide you with at the time of sale. Every treadmill is a bit different and they all have their own unique features, layouts, buttons, etc. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you will eventually figure things out just by using the machine! If you do that, you will surely miss out on a large percentage of the machines powerful features, simply because you were not aware of them.
For more health and fitness tips and insider advice on selecting home gym fitness equipment, visit FitnessArmory.com where we review all the latest products, like the Sole F63 and the Sole F80. We invite you to stop by and drop us a line if you have any questions.
Mark Warrington