$12 garage treadmill, worst workout gift ever

I grabbed a rusty treadmill from a yard sale in Akron for $12, figured even if it groaned I'd get some use out of it. Turns out the belt slips sideways every five minutes and the incline lever is stuck on max, so I basically ran uphill on a skateboard for 20 minutes. My knees feel like I went ten rounds with a boxer, but honestly it taught me more about pacing than my gym membership ever did. Anyone else score a "deal" that turned into a hazard? How do you test used exercise gear before you haul it home?

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fisher.charlie12d ago

honestly that sounds brutal but also kind of hilarious in hindsight, sorry. i once bought a rowing machine that sounded like a dying goose every time you pulled the handle, and the resistance knob literally fell off in my hand on day two. the thing about used gear is you never really know how beaten up it is until you're mid workout and something starts grinding or slipping. for treadmills specifically, i'd say give the belt a good yank from both sides before you even plug it in, and if the incline feels stuck, just walk away because that's a whole other headache. but yeah, that uphill skateboard thing? you basically got a free lesson in how much your form actually matters when the machine is fighting you, which is more than most gym classes can say. your knees might hate you now, but at least you've got a story that ends with you on the floor gasping instead of just another boring "i went for a run" post.