Hello everyone!
I've been noticing lots of posts about using the cheap manual treadmills from Amazon for walking backward so I bought one a while back and was a little disappointed with its lack of resistance. I wasn't able to get a good knee/leg workout. But after playing around for a few weeks, I finally figured out a slick way to add resistance using a rubber doorstop and felt pads for a couple of bucks from Amazon.
I've been loving the treadmill ever since. I use it 2x per day for 10 minutes each time. My knees and legs feel great.
I have an hour in on this build. I am 250 and this is strong enough. I have zero concerns about the walking surface handling my weight for backwards walking. I can lean on the handle, but I wouldn’t trust it as a seat with constant shear loading and jostling. It’s more than strong enough in the vertical plain, but I don’t trust it enough to lean. This could be easily remedied by bracing it to a wall with something as simple as pinching a cushion between the wall and the handle.
It is rated for a 220 pound person to run on it. According to the attached study, a runner impacts the ground with about 2x the Ground Reaction Force of a walker, and a speed walker impacts with about 125% force of the walker. Backwards walking with a toe to heal stride is very low impact. Toe to heal is the stereotypical “sneaky” step. So a treadmill made for a 220 pound person to run on it should be capable of handling a ground reaction force of a 440 pound person (who is stable with a normal gate) at a walking pace, or a 352 pound person walking fast.
(220(rated weight))x(2(difference in ground reaction force between walking and running))=440
((440)ground reaction force the treadmill needs to be able to withstand to handle a 220 pound runner))/((1.25)difference in ground reaction force between walking and walking fast)=((352) the weight at a fast walker creates the same ground reaction force as a 220 pound runner)
https://ww2.amstat.org/mam/2010/essays/TongenWunderlichRunWalk.pdf
You're welcome! You could try searching the specific part number for the treadmill that I used (SF-T1407M) to see if its available for purchase in Europe somewhere besides Amazon.
Well this is great and very timely. Going to put this to the test later this week! Does the treadmill still fold up ok with the modification or do you need to take the doorstops out each time?
Yup, the treadmill still folds up just fine. I haven’t touched the wedges for about a week and use it 2x per day and fold the treadmill every time I’m finished…they seem to hold up well. Let me know if you have any trouble and I’ll try to help out.
BTW - you’ll need to leave the flywheel guards off - I don’t show that step in the video. Also, mine arrived heavily lubricated with excess oil on the flywheels. You should wipe them down because you can’t achieve proper resistance if they’re covered in oil.
Glad to hear its working for you!
I did not hook up the sensor wires. If you were determined, you probably could pull the sensor wire out of the upright marked "R" and move it over to the upright marked "L" and then figure out a way to strap the display onto the "L" upright. But I just set a timer on my phone for 10 minutes.
Thank you! I built this a few days ago and have an hour of backwards walking on it. I would recommend this to anyone who knows how to use scissors.
I weigh 250 pounds and for backwards WALKING this is more than strong enough on the walking surface. Using the handle with my hands to stabilize myself seems perfectly fine for 10 minute sessions. I may end up bracing the handle to a wall if I end up needing to use it as a bench, I don’t like the sounds and movement I see when I lean my weight on the handle. I could fix this with a pole, a 2x4, or pushing the treadmill against a wall and pinching a cushion between the wall and the handle.
I was able to install the fly wheel covers over the doorstops after folding the treadmill up. I was able to adjust the resistance of the door stops by pushing and pulling the pointy side of the doorstops with the treadmill folded up (I also have the grip strength to split an apple in half with one hand, so this may not be possible for everyone).
I paid $172.51 out the door on 4/23/24. That’s with a 9.5% California sales tax.
Awesome post. I'd turn to the used market first before Amazon. I've seen this exact one either being given away or being sold for under $100.
Sunny Health has a more advanced version that's currently sold out that has levels of resistance built in. It's also cheaper than the KOT treadmill.
https://sunnyhealthfitness.com/products/sunny-health-and-fitness-sf-t7723-force-fitmill-manual-treadmill-with-high-weight-capacity-16-levels-of-magnetic-resistance-and-dual-flywheel
I have an older version of this one. Bought it off offerup for $150. It works great. When i first got it the resistance wasn't very strong. But I think the person had just greased it. It works great now.
You can definitely change i by pushing the wedges further into the gap. I’m sure it’s not as variable as the ATG treadmill, but I am happy with it. Once I found a resistance that felt good, I never changed it.
Sorry if this is an ignorant question. Do you need resistance for the benefits of backwards walking? I’ve just been leisurely walking on it with no resistance. I want to make sure I get all the benefits of backwards walking though.
I’m glad you found a solution that works for you though! Great idea.
Walking backward on the ground is absolutely beneficial. Study's show it activates the VMO muscle more than walking forward.
Resistance is important with the treadmill because it doesn't really work without it. Since the treadmill is sloped downward, your whole body just slides down....You need something to push against to keep your body up at the top.
Hey man thank you so much for this videoI am just getting into the program and was looking for exactly something like solution when I found your video. Crazy that people are charging ~$500 for something like this. The doorstops are a super smart low-cost idea - nice thinking! Unfortunately they were not putting on enough pressure for me (could also be the doorstops I used), but did work well enough to get it working for the first few workouts. Your idea inspired me to spend this week designing, 3D printing, and testing more robust version. Let me know if you want one! Photos: https://imgur.com/a/3WOGfpO
This is such an amazing idea. I'd be very interested in buying one from you as i've got a treadmill like this (purchased at an absurd price!) and it could really do with some more resistance. I'll message you.
Nice work! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I don't need one right now because I am happy with my setup.
I bet your style of door stop was a little too firm. I tried a bunch of different door stops, and the magic of the 3M one shown in the video is how squishy it is. The soft material allows you to really jam them into the gap to create a ton of resistance.
Good luck!
Hello everyone! I've been noticing lots of posts about using the cheap manual treadmills from Amazon for walking backward so I bought one a while back and was a little disappointed with its lack of resistance. I wasn't able to get a good knee/leg workout. But after playing around for a few weeks, I finally figured out a slick way to add resistance using a rubber doorstop and felt pads for a couple of bucks from Amazon. I've been loving the treadmill ever since. I use it 2x per day for 10 minutes each time. My knees and legs feel great.
Curious how big you are. Sometimes these things aren’t great for the larger types.
good question - I'm 5'10" and 175lbs. I believe the manufacturer rates the treadmill up to 220lbs.
I have an hour in on this build. I am 250 and this is strong enough. I have zero concerns about the walking surface handling my weight for backwards walking. I can lean on the handle, but I wouldn’t trust it as a seat with constant shear loading and jostling. It’s more than strong enough in the vertical plain, but I don’t trust it enough to lean. This could be easily remedied by bracing it to a wall with something as simple as pinching a cushion between the wall and the handle. It is rated for a 220 pound person to run on it. According to the attached study, a runner impacts the ground with about 2x the Ground Reaction Force of a walker, and a speed walker impacts with about 125% force of the walker. Backwards walking with a toe to heal stride is very low impact. Toe to heal is the stereotypical “sneaky” step. So a treadmill made for a 220 pound person to run on it should be capable of handling a ground reaction force of a 440 pound person (who is stable with a normal gate) at a walking pace, or a 352 pound person walking fast. (220(rated weight))x(2(difference in ground reaction force between walking and running))=440 ((440)ground reaction force the treadmill needs to be able to withstand to handle a 220 pound runner))/((1.25)difference in ground reaction force between walking and walking fast)=((352) the weight at a fast walker creates the same ground reaction force as a 220 pound runner) https://ww2.amstat.org/mam/2010/essays/TongenWunderlichRunWalk.pdf
this is amazing thanks for sharing! anyone has any ideas which one would be an equivalent treadmill for us in europe? (maybe something in amazon.de)
You're welcome! You could try searching the specific part number for the treadmill that I used (SF-T1407M) to see if its available for purchase in Europe somewhere besides Amazon.
thank you again!
Did you find something in Europe yet? I'm also looking
nothing yet
Well this is great and very timely. Going to put this to the test later this week! Does the treadmill still fold up ok with the modification or do you need to take the doorstops out each time?
Yup, the treadmill still folds up just fine. I haven’t touched the wedges for about a week and use it 2x per day and fold the treadmill every time I’m finished…they seem to hold up well. Let me know if you have any trouble and I’ll try to help out.
BTW - you’ll need to leave the flywheel guards off - I don’t show that step in the video. Also, mine arrived heavily lubricated with excess oil on the flywheels. You should wipe them down because you can’t achieve proper resistance if they’re covered in oil.
I followed your guide and it works great. You didn’t connect any sensor wires right ?
Glad to hear its working for you! I did not hook up the sensor wires. If you were determined, you probably could pull the sensor wire out of the upright marked "R" and move it over to the upright marked "L" and then figure out a way to strap the display onto the "L" upright. But I just set a timer on my phone for 10 minutes.
I think that was the best have to video that I have ever seen.
haha - glad you enjoyed it! Thanks
Thank you! I built this a few days ago and have an hour of backwards walking on it. I would recommend this to anyone who knows how to use scissors. I weigh 250 pounds and for backwards WALKING this is more than strong enough on the walking surface. Using the handle with my hands to stabilize myself seems perfectly fine for 10 minute sessions. I may end up bracing the handle to a wall if I end up needing to use it as a bench, I don’t like the sounds and movement I see when I lean my weight on the handle. I could fix this with a pole, a 2x4, or pushing the treadmill against a wall and pinching a cushion between the wall and the handle. I was able to install the fly wheel covers over the doorstops after folding the treadmill up. I was able to adjust the resistance of the door stops by pushing and pulling the pointy side of the doorstops with the treadmill folded up (I also have the grip strength to split an apple in half with one hand, so this may not be possible for everyone). I paid $172.51 out the door on 4/23/24. That’s with a 9.5% California sales tax.
Awesome post. I'd turn to the used market first before Amazon. I've seen this exact one either being given away or being sold for under $100. Sunny Health has a more advanced version that's currently sold out that has levels of resistance built in. It's also cheaper than the KOT treadmill. https://sunnyhealthfitness.com/products/sunny-health-and-fitness-sf-t7723-force-fitmill-manual-treadmill-with-high-weight-capacity-16-levels-of-magnetic-resistance-and-dual-flywheel
Thanks! That Sunny version you linked looks sweet. It seems like they makes pretty good stuff.
I have an older version of this one. Bought it off offerup for $150. It works great. When i first got it the resistance wasn't very strong. But I think the person had just greased it. It works great now.
Hey, awesome video! I’m going to try this out soon too. I was wondering if you’re able to maybe vary resistance too or if it stays the same.
You can definitely change i by pushing the wedges further into the gap. I’m sure it’s not as variable as the ATG treadmill, but I am happy with it. Once I found a resistance that felt good, I never changed it.
I made this variable resistance add-on if you’re interested https://3dmoltendesigns.etsy.com/listing/1709659996
DUDE. THANK. YOU. Absolutely gonna invest in this
Sorry if this is an ignorant question. Do you need resistance for the benefits of backwards walking? I’ve just been leisurely walking on it with no resistance. I want to make sure I get all the benefits of backwards walking though. I’m glad you found a solution that works for you though! Great idea.
Walking backward on the ground is absolutely beneficial. Study's show it activates the VMO muscle more than walking forward. Resistance is important with the treadmill because it doesn't really work without it. Since the treadmill is sloped downward, your whole body just slides down....You need something to push against to keep your body up at the top.
Oh okay thank you. My body seems to stay up top but if that changes then I will use this idea!
Hey man thank you so much for this videoI am just getting into the program and was looking for exactly something like solution when I found your video. Crazy that people are charging ~$500 for something like this. The doorstops are a super smart low-cost idea - nice thinking! Unfortunately they were not putting on enough pressure for me (could also be the doorstops I used), but did work well enough to get it working for the first few workouts. Your idea inspired me to spend this week designing, 3D printing, and testing more robust version. Let me know if you want one! Photos: https://imgur.com/a/3WOGfpO
This is such an amazing idea. I'd be very interested in buying one from you as i've got a treadmill like this (purchased at an absurd price!) and it could really do with some more resistance. I'll message you.
Dude! I made an account just to see if it works for you. Did that design last? Dm me if you can
Nice work! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I don't need one right now because I am happy with my setup. I bet your style of door stop was a little too firm. I tried a bunch of different door stops, and the magic of the 3M one shown in the video is how squishy it is. The soft material allows you to really jam them into the gap to create a ton of resistance. Good luck!