Budget Treadmills - Gold’s Gym 480

Of course I shop at Walmart – in this day and age who doesn’t?  I just don’t normally advocate buying major pieces of fitness equipment from the big box store.  Now I won’t say that I haven’t bought any fitness equipment from this retail giant, they do have good prices on jump ropes and such, but the vast majority of my Walmart purchases come at Christmas time from the toy department.  That being said, I have found one “diamond in the rough” so to speak when it comes to pieces of fitness equipment larger than that will fit into your pocket from Walmart – the Gold’s Gym 480 Treadmill.

The Gold’s Gym 480 can be had for under $400 online and can be delivered right to your door for a startlingly low shipping cost.  This is a very reasonable price for a motorized treadmill with this amount of features (albeit limited by some standards) and, though I’ve tried many, I can’t seem to find another motorized treadmill in this price range that feels as though it could hold up to the 480.

I’m far from what you would classify as a big guy, standing at around 5’11” and weighing in at a mighty 175 lbs, but this treadmill seemed to handle the force I generated even when I turned on the gas a bit.  The 50” deck isn’t huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it accommodated my stride well.  As with any piece of workout equipment, I imagine that folks who are exceedingly tall might have some issue with comfort in terms of stride length - if you want a treadmill that will comfortably accommodate a 6’4” frame, you’ll probably have to invest in a much more expensive unit than this.

I felt absolutely no creaks, cracks, groans or grumbles from the 480 while working out on it and to me, that’s pretty impressive from a treadmill in this price class, especially having felt what I have from other similarly price units.  The unit is easy to set up and the entire process of selecting workouts, adjusting speeds and adjusting incline is user friendly. 

Is this the best treadmill on the market, with the best warranty and the most pre-programmed workouts and exciting features?  Absolutely not, but it is the sturdiest, most comfortable and most functional treadmill that I’ve found for a price this low.  If you are looking for a budget treadmill for your home gym, the Gold’s Gym 480 is certainly worth a look in my humble opinion.