Fitness Equipment Reviews

Curved Treadmill Head-to-Head:Woodway Curve vs Technogym Skillmill vs French CT80

The curved treadmill has a lot going for it. It uses more muscles than the standard electronic treadmill, requires more energy, burns more calories, helps you become a more efficient runner, and doesn’t tether you to a power outlet. When it comes to the curved treadmill market, there are some clear market leaders. In this article, we put three of the most popular brands head to head to help to you decide which one deserves to be in your home or commercial gym.

French CT80 Curved Treadmill

  • Crawler Belt
  • Fully shock absorbing
  • Precision bearing transmission system
  • 8 resistance levels
The French Fitness CT80 Curved treadmill is the latest addition to the curved treadmill market. This is a non-motorized zero energy consumption commercial grade curved running belt treadmill that makes use of some innovative features to enhance your running experience. It uses an elastic arc running deck along with the force of gravity and the precision arc design on the running surface to start, accelerate and decelerate your speed freely.
The CT80 features a creative crawler belt without running board design that ensures that there is absolutely no sideways deviation or waxing when you are working out it. This makes this an awesome choice for your High Intensity Interval Training workouts. The running also features advanced shock-absorbing technology to minimize the impact on your joints, especially those in the ankles and knees.
Maintenance on this curved treadmill is virtually non-existent thanks to the precision bearing transmission system. In addition, the top quality bearing system ensures zero drag and stick. That means that your running experience is much smoother. The slippage that is commonplace with regular running belts is a thing of the past when you run on the CT80.
The French CT80 also provides a sled push feature that allows you to get into a low driving position that simulates what you would be in when pushing a weighted sled in the gym. This puts more emphasis on your lower body and is great for developing explosive power.
The CT80 features a quality console that provides you with a running readout of such key training diagnostics as your time, distance, calories, and speed. There are 8 tension levels on this treadmill, which are controlled by a dial control.
The CT80 also features transportation wheels to allow you to easily move the treadmill around your workout space.
Your purchase of the CT80 is protected by a 10-year parts and 1-year labor warranty.

Woodway Curve Treadmill

  • Shock absorbent padding
  • Max user weight 400 pounds
  •  Optional 10-inch HD touchscreen
The Woodway Curve Treadmill is one of a series of 3 models in the Woodway Curve Series, the other two being the Curve XL and the Curve FTG. The Curve Trainer is the most compact of he them, being designed for general fitness enthusiasts of all fitness levels. The running deck on this treadmill is 17 inches x 56 inches. That makes it an inch narrower than the French CT80. That may not sound like much but it can make a big difference in terms of getting a free and natural running gait. 
The running deck of the Woodway Curve is generously padded for shock absorbency. The ⅜ inch thick cushioning will protect your ankles and knees as you run. This is a very sturdy treadmill that can support a maximum user weight of 400 pounds when running and 800 pounds when walking.
An LED display board is built into the monitor of the Woodway Curve treadmill to provide you with your essential training data. You can also have an optional 10-inch HD touchscreen to provide even more detailed diagnostics.
The Woodway Curve comes with a 10-year frame and belt, 3-year component, and 12 month labor warranty.

Technogym Skillmill

  • Adjustable resistance levels 
  • Dual handlebars for low drive training
  • More intense focus on calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quads
The Technogym Skillmill is a popular curved treadmill that sets itself apart with the addition of a resistance changing lever that allows you to change the intensity level of your workout. Technogym’s multi-drive technology drives this system. Resistance levels are adjustable from Levels 1 to 4. This is similar to the French CT80, which provides 8 levels of resistance. 
Another feature of the Technogym which sets it apart from most competitors are the dual handlebars at the front of the unit that add a sled push feature. The dual handlebars are ergonomically designed to allow for what is known as ‘low drive training.’ This puts you in the stance that a sprinter would be in at the start of a race or that you would be in when pushing a weighted sled around the gym. Running on a curved treadmill in this position allows you to get a more intense workout through the lower body, especially the calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

Which is Best?

Now that we’ve considered each of these curved treadmills individually, what can we conclude? Of the three, the French CT80 stands out as having the most user friendly features to ensure that you get a great workout. Only the French CT80 provides you with 8 levels of resistance adjustment. It is also the only of the three to feature a precision bearing transmission system to minimize maintenance and ensure the smoothest running belt performance.
Both the French CT80 and the Technogym Skillmill provide a sled push feature which allows you to maintain a low running profile that emphasis your glutes, quads and calves. However, the Woodway Curve does not offer this feature.
Another factor that is a huge plus for the French CT80 is the cost. The Technogym Skillmill will cost you, at a minimum, $9.675.00. Compare that to the $2,999.00 rrp on the French CT80 and you’ve got to wonder why you would go for the more expensive option. The only real advantage that the Technogym Skillmill has over the CT80 is that it has dual handlebars for low drive training. That, however, is a small advantage for a whole lot more money!
The French CT80 provides you with the best warranty cover. In addition, the level of customer support that you get from the team at French Fitness is stellar based on online reviews. That is more than can be said for Woodway and Technogym.

Conclusion

Running on a curved treadmill will provide you with a fantastic cardio workout while burning more calories and more intensely working your lower body. The French CT80 is the best value, highest performing curved treadmill among the three that we compared. We highly recommend the CT80 for your home of home or commercial gym’s cardio area.

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