The Guardian - Life & Style • Feb. 5, 2026, 10:15 a.m.

Whether you’re chasing gym quality on a budget or a fancy folding model, accelerate your training with our expert’s pick of the best running machines • The best running shoes, tried and tested by runners • The best running watches Although the treadmill has been around since the early 1800s, when it was once used to punish prisoners (sounds about right), it didn’t become a common feature in the home until the late 1960s, when William Staub unleashed his PaceMaster 600 on the US public. Where they were once a simple rolling deck, treadmills today are often glossy pieces of interactive tech.

Many now offer on-demand, real-time workouts (pioneered by Peloton) and the latest blockbuster movies via streaming services.

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