I'm old, fat and out of shape! There's a fitness room in my community, and I have a friend that walks with me, but we never get out the 4 days a week we say we are going to do!
So, I looked around and checked out what is available for professional quality treadmills that won't take me to the bank! The LifeSpan TR 1200i Folding Treadmill really fit the bill!
Hopefully the LifeSpan TR 1200i Folding Treadmill may take me from the sedentary lifestyle I've lived the past few years or so to at least being able to walk uphill without feeling like I'm having a heart attack! Everyone says I bought a clothes hanger. I hope not!
I've had cheaper treadmills that were 100% manual, so the LifeSpan is a treat! This thing is so automated that I may actually be able to build some stamina and maybe even lose a pound or two!
When it arrived, The 2 guys brought it on the deck. I figured I would unpack it and roll it into its final space. If I had sliding doors, that would have worked out perfectly for me, but I have French doors on my deck, and the treadmill was too big to roll through the door opening.
Plan B
I set it on it's side and manhandled it into the kitchen area where I could put it upright again and roll it into position. I did so much exercise getting the thing into place on Friday, that other than testing it out for a minute, it sat until Saturday.
It's nice, it is not terribly unattractive. We arranged it so it wasn't a hazard, and we could still use it easily. It is built like a rock. Even the plastic pieces go together with a feeling of strength and rigidity. There are a couple of covers that are not rock solid, but they don't have to be. I had one piece that didn't fit properly, but with a bit of coercion, I got it seated and screwed down properly.
The unit claims a 300 lb. maximum, so I will be pushing it to it's limit at my current 274 lbs. After I've had it a while, I'll try to add something to this review.
----
OK. It's been only a few days, but on the good side, the treadmill doesn't yell "Hey whale, get off!!!!"
It is dealing with my 274 pounds of sedentary fatness with some serious respect!
I'm still playing with the variable heart rate program that so far does not appear to work correctly, but don't read anything into that. I have a close setting for the upper and lower heart rates, so I need to test maybe a wider range.
My wife is amazed at how quiet the LifeSpan is.
Other than that, this is by far, the best grand I've spent on myself in a long time. I'm kind of hoping I actually lose a pound or two in the mean time. I quit smoking 9 years ago and gained 60 pounds and never could get rid of them!
I'll be back at least one more time to toss in a longer term comment about the unit.
October 15 - After emailing support, it turns out that the variable heart rate program was running correctly. It takes your input a bit "literally". Say you want a high rate of 135 and a low rate of 120 for 20 minutes. If you never hit 135 for 2 minutes, the treadmill will continue to "try" to get you there. Even if it takes the entire 20 minutes. Same thing on the low end. If you never hit the low rate for 2 minutes, it will stay slow until you do, or the time runs out.
This is not ideal, I'd like to see a different algorithm used, but it is easy enough to set a high rate a bit lower than what you want and a low rate a bit higher. It appears to work better that way.
I will probably switch to the constant heart rate program in the future.
This is still one quiet, well built product. I still recommend it highly. The online support wasn't bad for me, but I didn't experience any hardware failures, so I can't comment on how they would be in that situation.
October 23
After a couple of emails, LifeSpan CALLED me at home to discuss my problem. After trying a few different high and low rates on the variable program, it appears that the program is working correctly. I think my ranges were too close or too far apart. I guess experimenting is the best thing to do with that program.
I have to say their support people are really nice! They called me a second time to see how things were going and to tell me what they tested on their end. I probably wasted more of their time than necessary, but they sure delivered top notch service!
October 27
I weigh 266! I haven't been under 270 in a LONG time! I've knocked off 8 pounds doing 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
| Brand | LifeSpan Fitness |
|---|---|
| Color | gray;black |
| Item Weight | 204 Pounds |
| Material | Plastic |
| Maximum Speed | 11 Miles per Hour |
| Special Feature | Incline, Fold Up, Lcd Display, Programmed, Shock Absorption, Heart Rate Monitor, Dock for Ipod |
| Recommended Uses For Product | walking, jogging, running |
| Target Audience | Adult |
| Maximum Horsepower | 2.5 Horsepower |
| Maximum Incline Percentage | 15 |
| Assembly Required | Yes |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Power Source | Electric |
| Number of Programs | 21 |
| Control Program Name | Weight-Loss |
| Included Components | Treadmill |
| Metrics Measured | Heart Rate |
| Product Benefits | Provides a quiet and space-saving treadmill experience with a heavy-duty motor, adjustable incline, and 21 training programs, backed by a lifetime warranty. |
| Maximum Weight Recommendation | 300 Pounds |
| Deck Length | 56 Inches |
| Deck Width | 20 Inches |
| Frame Material | Plastic,Steel Frame |
| Screen Size | 20 Inches |
| Input Power | 100 Watts |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 70.25 x 54 x 33 inches |
| Package Weight | 113.4 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 70 x 33 x 54 inches |
| Brand Name | LifeSpan Fitness |
| Warranty Description | 1 year warranty on labor, Lifetime warranty on frame and motor, 1 year warranty on parts |
| Model Name | LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | LifeSpan |
| Part Number | TR1200i-2015 |
| Style | Treadmill |
| Sport Type | Exercise & Fitness |
