Treadi the Luchador is officially in training! I bought the Reebok S 9.80 Treadmill and I will tell you a little about this treadmill and why I bought it during my first post.

First things first, Treadi (me) is currently weighing in at 222. This is more than I want to weigh. Also, cutting some pounds will help me perfect my flying wrestling skills and play soccer a little better. My goal will be to bring the 222 down to 190. In the near term I would like to set my first milestone at 215. I will track my progress with pictures and posts on this blog. I made a serious decision to change my Luchador name to “Treadi” in honor my training plan.

As for my training plan, it will consist of a 2 part plan:

1. Move More
2. Eat Less

Pretty easy right! As for moving more, I hope to do just that with my new treadmill (Reebok S 9.80). I don’t really love to run, but I love podcasts. Putting time in on the treadmill while listening and learning will be a breeze. As for eating less, this will be tough. I love food! Mexican food, pizza, and anything else you can think of might be considered my favorite food on any given day. Don’t even get me started on Coke and other fun drinks… I will just do my best to cut down my consumption of sugar pops and eat a little more fish.

So on to the Reebok S 9.80 Treadmill Review. I started online by looking for a sturdy treadmill (think 3 CHP/HP Motor). I also wanted to spend under $1000. With those factors mind I did what any good shopper would do and started looking online for reviews. We found the best review information in the best buy section at a website called The Treadmill Doctor. We figured that anyone who called themselves a doctor in a subject must know a thing or two about treadmills. The reviews were fun, fast and friendly and we encourage you to stop by the website.

After looking through the best buys at the Treadmill Doctor, I narrowed down my selection to 2 treadmills. It would either be the Reebok S 9.80 at Sam’s Club for $693 or the NordicTrac Commercial ZS at Costco for $999. Each were best buy winners, but I chose the Reebok S 9.80 because it had two major features I wanted (discussed later), was smaller and easier to negotiate / lift down a flight of stairs, and it cost less. If you are interested in the NordicTrac Commercial ZS at Costco, be sure to check out the forum over at Runners World. They really say it is a great treadmill at this price point. Do note that nearly the same model in previous years was called NordicTrac Commercial 1500. It is also worth noting that both of these treadmills are built by a company called ICON Fitness who produce quite a few of the treadmills at or around the consumer level price point.

As for the selection, I wanted soft cushioned deck and a powerful motor. With regard to the cushion, went off the Treadmill Doctor’s reviews and he gave both treadmills I was looking at a 7.5 (high) rating in this category. As for the power, I was happy to see that the Reebok S 9.80 had a powerful 3 CHP motor. This is probably the minimum any serious runner should consider. When considering CHP vs HP, CHP stands for Continuous Horse Power. The Continuous tells you the ongoing horsepower the treadmill will provide with the maximum weighted person on the treadmill (325lb for this treadi). So we are definitely good with power. For the record, Dr. Treadmill gave this treadmill a 7.5 power rating and said it had a beast of a motor. I am a buyer!

When I went over to the local Sam’s Club I told the lady up front that we needed to visit the Service Desk because I was not a member at Sam’s Club. After she pointed me in the right direction I made a few dekes and head fakes and darted straight toward the treadmills to have a look at the thing. Upon first look I was happy to see that it looked sturdy, professional, and the box was small enough for two people to carry. When I headed back up front to buy the treadmill, I paid the $693, state taxes and the $40 Sam’s Club Member Fee…oh well, maybe I can go back and buy that 10,000 Cheese Ball Canister later this year when we get tired of the treadmill. I did not add a warranty because I was satisfied with the lifetime warranty on the motor and frame and I am aware of the liberal return policy for broken items at Sam’s Club. Additionally, I paid with my credit card so I should be okay if anything goes totally wrong.

Once the I got the treadmill home, two people took it apart in the garage and carried the deck and parts down a flight of stairs with no problem. This is a treadmill where it pays to break it apart in a roomy garage (others are not). The carry was quick and it was tool time. It took me about 2 hours to put together the treadmill. However, this job would have been safer and quite a bit faster with 2 people. Most treadmills require two to four people to carry and put together, so I would call this a benefit to the smaller treadmill. As far as the building process goes, I would call it handy and hard. Handy because ICON does a nice job setting you up for success with ties, cord rope lines, and instructions to walk you through the process. Hard because it takes some strong hands to manipulate the provided Alan wrench in some tight situations. I stink at putting things together but the finished product was definitely worth the effort.

After standing back to look at the beautiful finished product it was time to give the treadmill a spin. I put on my wrestling gear, hooked up the plug in to a surge suppressor (as guided), and flipped on the switch. The first test run was for two miles at varying levels and speeds. The first benefit I noticed was that this baby flies. It is really quite fast at even the 6/half level (10 min / mile). The 12 degree incline system worked great. The buttons on the console were extra large and the digital statistics were useful and fun. I love the little turning road. Two things that really surprised me were the loudness of the MP3 speakers and the powerful little fan. I also liked the big cup holders. There was no wobble or rattle during the test run and the running deck was as cushioned as advertised. Lastly, the treadmill was actually much quieter than I expected. It was as quiet or quieter than comercial models at the gym.

As for things I was unsure about…there was a slight, unexpected belt noise that I think might go away with a little wear. I also noticed that if pushed, the frame / console will sway a bit more than a commercial model. I guess this means no practicing my flying kicks on or around the frame. When putting together, I thought it was a little harder than it should have been to wrench the console on the side rails, but this might be where two people would have saved the day. There are some running programs built in and an iFit Personal Trainer apparatus (no cartridges included). But I will plan on listening to podcasts while running on manual modes.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase after a few short test runs. The Reebok S 9.80 is fast, powerful and soft! It is really all that we needed and more for inside running. I agree with Dr. TM’s Best Buy Rating and encourage anyone interested in a great treadmill for around $700 to pick up this treadmill! It just be perfect to help me move more, now about that eat less thing…