SportsArt Fitness

Treadmill Offers Wide Belt, High Speed Options
by Tim Dreiling

SportsArt 3110 Treadmill
The SportsArt 3110 Treadmill occupies the flagship position in the SportsArt home treadmill line. We had one of these beauties in our office for an extended wear test, conveniently, during the cold and dark days of late winter.

The 3110 features a big 3.0 hp motor, which drive the belt to speeds ranging from 0.1 to a blazing 12.0 miles per hour. I never did tweak the speed all the way up to full power for fear of flying off the back of the machine and breaking through the office wall into the hallway.

The belt is nice and wide, and as long as most commercial models found in health clubs. The belt is roomy enough to inspire confidence as you increase speed and incline.

The incline range is broad, from 0 to 15 percent grade. If you are in training for Pike's Peak or some other mega-uphill race, one of these would certainly help you along.

The machine is equipped with full handrails, meaning the rails are not only in front of you but also wrap partially on each side. I like this type of handrail, as it adds a feeling of security. Importantly, the handrails are spaced far enough apart so they do not interfere with a normal gait and arm swing.

As far as electronics goes, the 3110 features five preset workout programs, the ability to add two custom programs, and a nifty feature that lets you use your heart rate monitor to control your workout.

The 3110 works with Polar transmitters, and I found that the treadmill had no problem picking up the signal from my Polar heart rate monitor. I didn't experiment fully with this feature, but it seems the 3110 has enough capability to satisfy even the biggest techno-freak who uses a HR monitor.

I saw no drawbacks to the SportsArt 3110 except that it didn't provide the ability to run downhill (negative incline). But most treadmills in this price range do not offer that feature.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the SportsArt 3110 is $2,499. For information, visit www.sportsartamerica.com.