I want to give the Woodway Curve a special shout out because it is a treadmill unlike any other. The Curve “breaks all the rules” because there is no motor and no buttons. It is manually powered by you, the user.
The Woodway Curve has made a name for itself having been used by NFL Professionals and a bio chemist preparing to climb Mount Everest though it is also a favorite at local fitness clubs.
See For Yourself
Words don’t do this treadmill justice. Below are two videos that fully explain the awesome power of the Woodway Curve. Grab a sandwich, sit back, and marvel.
Allow me to elaborate on a few of the highlights of the Woodway Curve.
1. No Motor
Is a motor-less treadmill better than a motor powered treadmill? I say, “Yes.” Here’s why:
- Quiet. No motor means you won’t wake the baby while you jog in the next room. Most home treadmills are really loud which is one of the reasons people don’t like treadmills in general.
- Maintenance is Next to Nothing. Treadmills and their parts can take a beating, but they tend to need to be replaced from time to time. I just went over a scenario where a man had to replace the motor on his treadmill 2 times as well as the treadmill belt and the motor control boards. With the Woodway Curve, you don’t have a motor to replace. You might have to lubricate the treadmill from time to time but that’s not very hard at all and will not cost you anywhere near the price of a whole new motor or worse, two new motors.
- Better Workout. You’re going to get a killer workout with the Woodway Curve because you are the motor. The movement of the belt is directly effected by the effort you exert. You can get an awesome workout from other great treadmills that have motors, but it’s just not the same when you’re the one powering the machine.
For this reason, the Woodway Curve is best suited for high endurance athletes and very serious runners.
2. Bio-Mechanically Correct
This is especially important for those serious athletes that heavily rely on their fitness training. As mentioned in the video above, the design of the Woodway Curve forces the user to run with a perfect posture while also decreasing stress on areas of the body that experience stress with regular treadmills.
They have seen great speed gains on and off the Curve because of its unparalleled design.
Con: Not to be used for longer distance.
The Woodway Curve is a speed athlete’s treadmill, not a distance athlete. With that in mind, here is an example of the type of exercise you would want to perform on a machine like the curve (source):
90 second Interval Protocol:
- Walk 15 seconds
- Jog 15 seconds
- Run 10 seconds
- Strong Run 5 seconds
- Walk 15 seconds
- Jog 10 seconds
- Run 10 seconds
- Sprint 5 seconds
- Decelerate and Rest for 30 seconds
- Repeat 10 x
At Runners World, users agree that the Curve is NOT a distance treadmill saying:
In my opinion, the CURVE has great benefit when training 2 qualities in recreational/competitive runners: stride efficiency & pace improvement. Both of these attributes have been siginificantly improved after just a few sessions on the CURVE in our running population.
I dont think it should be used (nor does WOODWAY intend it to be used) for longer distance – 3, 5, 10, etc mile runs.
Conclusion
The Woodway Curve is a remarkable treadmill because, if for no other reason, it has no motor and still provides the user with a great workout which is what all treadmills want to do. It’s too bad the Curve costs 8,000 dollars because were it affordable, I would have one in my house right now.