The History of Treadmills

You must be familiar with the treadmill exercise machine. The darling of home
and public gyms alike, treadmills are a popular and ever-present part of the
fitness landscape. But where did the treadmill originate? And how did it come to
be so popular and effective among fitness buffs and ordinary folks alike?

It all began with fitness equipment. Physicians, physical fitness instructors
and personal trainers have been chanting the same mantras for years: Get in
shape! Exercise can help you burn fat, increase circulation, build healthy
bones, create stronger muscles, increase self-confidence, fight high cholesterol
and many, many more benefits. With higher importance being placed on getting in
shape, the demand for fitness equipment grew. Fitness buffs needed a machine
that could give them the workout they were searching for with additional perks,
such as heart rate monitors, calorie counters and more to help them work out
smarter, not harder.

Along came the treadmill. The treadmill was actually invented in 1875 and its
original purpose was for power, not fitness. Agricultural farmers, needing
additional power sources on their farms, used a small manual treadmill run by
dogs and sheep for butter churners, while a larger one run by horses for power
threshing machines.

The year 1952 ushered in cardiologist Robert Bruce and staffer Wa