Features
- Powerful treadmill for the home with 2.75 HP motor, 12 MPH maximum speed, and 12 percent incline
- Cushioned walking/running surface area (20 x 55 inches); Softrak suspension deck reduces impact to joints
- 19 workout programs, including 6 time/distance courses, calorie goal, 2 custom programs, and pre-set 5k and 10k courses
- 4 Polar heart rate programs, with telemetry, grip and chest belt (included); folding convenience with SoftDrop technology
- 350-pound maximum user weight; 10-year warranty on motor, 10 years on frame, 1 year on electronics, 2 years on parts
- Dimensions: 21.00" h x 40.00" w x 126.00" l, 285.00 pounds
For those of you that do not live in North Dakota, just know that we get absolutely insane winters that last 8-9 months with sustained temperatures of -20 (not including the wind chill). While Lewis Black would classify this as a "national emergency," I call it "home." However, despite being able to tolerate the intense winters, I cannot go running during that time as jogging in 2 feet of snow is incredibly difficult if not dangerous.
Enter the Nautilus treadmill... and just in time for winter no less!!
I've only had the Nautilus treadmill for about three days now but I've already used the device heavily and have been greatly impressed by it's quality. After spending an hour trying to unpack the 300lb monstrosity by myself I finally got to see the highly digital layout of the treadmill itself. Unlike other treadmills I've owned the Nautilus has a full digital readout with control on the arm grips. The entire front panel is one large LCD screen with multiple readouts including heart-rate, exact speed, estimated calorie loss, incline, etc. This is somewhat standard on other lesser quality treadmills, but the Nautilus has a very easy-to-read blue and white LCD display that is quick to reference while jogging. Meanwhile, I can check my heart rate with the meter embedded in the metal grips, that measure your pulse while you casually grip the sides. This is very handy as most treadmills, I've noticed, require a clip-on pulse meter that becomes just another thing plugged into you.
Another thing I liked about the Nautilus was it's overall strength in frame and quality. Most treadmills cannot support much weight while the Nautilus can support 350lbs, which is good for me since I'm just over 300 (I'm also 6'5). I can jump around on the treadmill all I need and not have to worry about the device telling me that it is not a freight scale and demand I remove my gargantuan hide off of it like my Wii Fit does. Fortunately, the device comes with an extended frame warranty in case I do break it. Meanwhile, while I cannot truly objectively compare the Nautilus to other treadmills (I think I've used three in my entire lifetime), I can say that I do not feel as though I'm walking on pavement while maintaining a 5-7mph jog. I won't go as far as to say the belt is "ample," but it's certainly not concrete either. Plus, I do not have trouble with the supplied space given my height and proportionately sized long legs. This is a commercial treadmill and, as such, should have ample space (guess I did use the word, after all), for people of all kinds of heights.
The last set of features I liked about the Nautilus was the incline and just how fast the treadmill goes. My last treadmill could barely do the mile in under 10 minutes and could not incline without adjusting it from underneath with a ratchet set. With the Nautilus, I can go up to 12mp (a five minute mile), which, pretty much, is marathon speed. This gives any user, a high range of speeds from sluggish walk to Olympic speeds. I can recall spending the other night with my friends seeing how fast we could shoot M&Ms off the back with the treadmill at full speed. We didn't send them into the wall but it sure shot them out pretty darn fast. This may seem juvenile to many of you out there, however, I'm used to running outside only and the last treadmill I had access to was my parent's old clunker that had a max speed of 6mph... that and us guys were really bored the other day and had always wanted to try it (next time, we'll use raisins).
The Nautilus also can incline up to 15 degrees up bubble, which doesn't sound like a significant grade but it's incredibly wearing on anyone over extended periods of time. This is good since a good scenic hiking or running trail are in short supply for the good majority of us, especially if you live in the flat lands. If you want a real challenge, keep the incline on full as well as the speed and see how long you last. I lasted 10 seconds before I had to yank the emergency stop key out less I become embedded in the same wall as my M&Ms. Naturally, in case I do fall back too far the safety key (which should ALWAYS be clipped on to the user) will easily become unplugged and stop the machine.
All in all, I can see why many professional gyms use the Nautilus as their standard treadmills. Granted, I prefer running outside a LOT more than an indoor treadmill; however, when winter sets in I'm gonna be super glad I got this one. It's well worth the money!!
Update: After two weeks of prolonged use and now that it is snowing I've come up with a very effective exercise regimen that maximizes physical training and weight loss. I finally figured out how to program the track pre-sets to where it'll speed up .1mph after every minute until it reaches 6pmh and then steepens the grade after 15 minutes, and then slows down after 30 minutes. I'm trying to simulate the 4-mile hike I used to do around Mountain Lake on Orcas Island (Washington State) and it's worked out very well and all I have to do it hit pre-set 1 (there are over half a dozen) and off it goes. This treadmill continues to amaze me.
Peace out!
