Running on one of the best manual treadmills — like the Grit Runner from Tru Grit — can help improve your running form and burn more calories than running outside or on a motorized treadmill, thanks to its self-propelled design that requires you to power every step. (1) Plus, it’s just really fun to feel like a hamster on a hamster wheel, right? For this Tru Grit Runner review our team put this treadmill to the test, seeing how this budget-friendly machine held up against all types of home workouts.
Alongside our tester, who’s put a range of top manual treadmills through their paces, we’ve consulted certified personal trainer and BarBend expert contributor Amanda Capritto for her insights on the value of a manual treadmill like this one. This review uses the BarBend equipment testing methodology to provide a clear picture of how we test each product we review. We think that if you’re looking for a manual treadmill but are working with a limited budget, the Grit Runner may be the right fit for you and your bank account.
Tru Grit Grit Runner
Tru Grit Grit Runner
This self-powered treadmill stands out with six levels of resistance — the highest of which works to replicate a sled push. The frame is forged from commercial-grade steel and aluminum, and the battery-powered LCD display tracks time, distance, calories, speed, and tempo.
Main Takeaways
- This manual treadmill is best suited for walking, jogging, and running. Our tester didn’t appreciate how noisy this treadmill was when sprinting.
- Unlike typical manual treadmills, you can adjust the resistance on this treadmill.
- Our tester took their interval training into their yard since this treadmill doesn’t need electricity (hello, eco-friendly).
Tru Grit Runner Specs
The Grit Runner from Tru Grit — although, it’s often referred to as the Tru Grit Runner — is a manual treadmill that features a 60-inch long by 19-inch wide slat belt. “A comfortable running deck for walking is 16 to 20 inches wide by 50 to 55 inches long,” says BarBend expert contributor and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto. “For running, and especially sprinting, you’ll want a deck of 20 inches wide by 60 inches long.”
Since your forward-moving inertia propels the slat belt backward, you won’t need electricity like you would with one of the best treadmills. Your own two legs are powering this puppy. The running deck has a curved design, which can align with a more natural stride than a motorized treadmill allows, helping to improve your posture and running form and limit impact on your knees and joints. (2)(3)
“The tech on this tread is… well… it’s limited, to say the least,” says our tester. Attached to the front handlebars is an LCD monitor that provides basic stats like distance, pace, speed, calories, watts, time, and interval training modes.
There’s also a resistance lever, unlike anything we’ve seen on any other manual treadmill, that allows users to adjust their intensity. “When I cranked this up to level six, it felt like an uphill hike and reminded me a little of a sled push,” says our tester.
While the $2,495 price tag might not necessarily feel like a budget buy, it’s one of the least expensive manual treadmills on the market (we’ve tested options that cost $7,000). While we’re big fans of a budget-friendly price, it’s worth noting that this treadmill doesn’t feel as durable or well-built as other high-end options. “The belt and bearing system feels sturdy and well built,” says our tester. “But there’s a good amount of plastic on this build that I’d be concerned about breaking over time.”
Who Should Use / Who Shouldn’t Use Tru Grit Runner
To buy or not to buy: that is the question. To help you figure out if this manual treadmill is the right buy for you — or perhaps if you should take a look at the best treadmills for running instead — the following are who we think would and wouldn’t benefit from adding this fitness equipment to their home gym.
Recommended for:
- Athletes who want a manual treadmill but can’t go over a $2,500 budget
- Users who are looking to primarily walk or jog on their treadmill
- Crafty folk who don’t mind rolling up their sleeves to tackle maintenance on their gym equipment
Not Recommended for:
- Anyone with limited space
- Athletes who would like to sprint on their manual treadmill without waking their family and their neighbors
- Individuals looking for advanced tech features like integrated programming as is typical on the best treadmills with screens
Our Experience Training With the Tru Grit Runner
If you’ve walked into a CrossFit gym, chances are you’ve come across high-quality manual treadmills — they’re even becoming more and more popular in commercial gym settings. They provide users with the typical benefits of treadmill training, plus can be easier on your joints, improve your posture, burn more calories per mile, engage a wider range of muscle groups, and simplify sprint training. (2)(3)(4)
Our team has tested almost 50 treadmills, so we know a thing or two about what to look for in these machines. Additionally, our tester has used the Grit Runner, on and off, for about two years, and the following are their big takeaways from their training.
Training Capabilities
Walking, jogging, and some running on the Grit Runner is where this machine shines. The curved deck promotes an optimal mid-foot and toe strike, and our tester thought the bidirectional belt felt relatively smooth and controlled through their strides. While the LCD display won’t pair with wearables like a heart rate monitor, it can track your speed, time, distance, calories, and total miles — and a big note here is that you’ll need to go through each specific tracked metric and reset it after your workout since the display doesn’t reset on its own. Tech capabilities earn a 2 out of 5.
However, my favorite part about working out on some of the best curved treadmills is how simple it is to do sprint intervals. Unlike on motorized treadmills, I don’t have to wait for my speed to adjust because my pace dictates the speed of the belt. While sprinting is totally possible on the Grit Runner, our tester was annoyed with the noise his sprint workouts caused. “This is the loudest manual treadmill I’ve tested,” he says, “But I really only notice the noise get loud when I’m sprinting.”
Resistance Adjustments
While manual treadmills are great because you can typically take the speed up to however fast you can move those sneakers, these machines don’t tend to offer speed or incline adjustments. However, the Grit Runner is the first manual treadmill we’ve ever seen that allows the user to adjust resistance. “The resistance offered here is really cool,” says our tester, who mentions that upping the resistance makes his workout feel like an uphill hike mixed with a hint of a sled push.
This adjustment lever is located on the right side handrail and provides six levels of resistance you can play with. “If you want the belt to slow down after a sprint, you can even up the resistance to slow things down,” says our tester. For this, adjustability earns a 4 out of 5.
Size and Portability
“Non-motorized treadmills tend to be large, but this one feels extra wide,” says our tester. “This was fine for me because I have a ton of space in my garage gym, but for anyone in an apartment or with limited floorspace — oh boy, I don’t know if this is for you.” The Grit Runner takes up 18.42 square feet, which is about half the size of a queen-size bed. (5) If you’re currently looking around your apartment, muttering, “Oh no, they’re talking about me,” give our list of the best treadmills for apartments a look.
“They have this sleek plastic shrouding wrapped around the treadmill, but it takes up extra room and can get in the way when I’m trying to move it around,” says our tester. There’s a dedicated transport handlebar on the back end of this treadmill, which makes tipping it up onto its transport wheels fairly easy (reminder, you’ll need to roll this treadmill since it weighs 415 pounds).
However, our tester was annoyed with this machine’s overall portability. “When you tip the treadmill up, parts of the plastic body touch the ground, which makes rolling it around a bit of a headache,” they say. Portability earns a 2 out of 5.
What to Consider Before Buying Tru Grit Runner
“You might think, ‘A treadmill is a treadmill,’ but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” says BarBend expert contributor and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto. “Well, of course, all treadmills ARE treadmills, but there are many different types of treadmills and factors to consider.” As such, we’ve rounded up the top considerations when it comes to nailing down the right machine for you.
- Training Capabilities: “Any treadmill can suffice for walking and maybe light jogging, but not every treadmill will perform for running, sprinting, and hill training,” says Capritto. If you’re looking for a treadmill that’ll better support sprints or hill training, you may want to consider one of the best incline treadmills instead.
- How Much Can You Spend?: $2,495 is a lot of money, and you may balk when we say this is a budget-friendly manual treadmill. However, consider if you’re willing to spend more because for an extra $500 you can get a more durable and better-suited-for-spriting option like the AssaultRunner Pro.
- Manual vs Motorized: “I love how [manual treadmills] encourage me to maintain good running form and feels more like running outdoors,” mentions Capritto. However, you’ll need to consider whether you’d prefer to propel yourself on the tread or have a treadmill with a motor that propels the belt for you.
- Size: “Check the overall length, width, and height of the machine in its assembled position,” urges Capritto. “And triple-measure your space to make sure it will fit!”
Tru Grit Runner Vs. Competitors
To assist you on your quest for the right manual treadmill for you, we’ve put together a chart comparing the Tru Grit Grit Runner against some of the top competition. The Bells of Steel Wooden Residential Manual Treadmill is another budget-friendly model that carries a smaller footprint and is more portable than the Grit Runner. The AssaultRunner Pro — one of the best commercial treadmills we’ve tried — will cost more, but it’s a model that our testers like for its performance and tech capabilities. However, the Grit Runner’s lifetime frame warranty beats out the competition.
[Related: AssaultRunner Pro Review]
Ordering and Assembling Tru Grit Runner
When ordering from DICK’S Sporting Goods, shipping will cost you an extra $400 or so, depending on your location. However, at the time of this writing, the cost of this manual treadmill had dropped to $1,999.99, so you’d still save some from the original total cost. Additionally, you can have this treadmill shipped to a local DICK’S for free in-store pick-up.
When we ordered this treadmill through Tru Grit, our testing team had a difficult delivery process. “The box came banged up and I had to spend a good amount of time cleaning off dirt and debris before I could even put this treadmill together,” says our tester who gives delivery and setup a 2 out of 5. However, this may have just been a one-off bad experience. Once the treadmill was cleaned up — while some parts were heavy and may require a helping hand — our tester had no problems getting this home-use runner built.
Places to Buy Tru Grit Runner
You can order the Grit Runner from DICK’S Sporting Goods, Tru Grit Fitness, Scheels, Amazon, Bodybuilding.com, Fitnessgiant.com, and Fitnessfactory.com. Currently, it is not available at Walmart or Best Buy.
Brand Reputation and Customer Reviews
Tru Grit Fitness is a well-known brand in the fitness space, offering mid-range strength training home gym necessities from cardio and recovery equipment to barbells, dumbbells, bumper plates, and plyo boxes for box jumps. To get in touch with customer service, you can reach them by phone at (855) 850-4748, by email at support@trugrit-fitness.com, or by filling out a form on their contact page.
There are 94 reviews on the Tru Grit webpage for the Grit Runner, and most of them earned 5 out of 5 stars — in fact, there are no reviews with anything below 4 stars. However, since this is on Tru Grit’s site, it’s hard to say whether or not this is a curated view of reviews that the brand wants you to see or a true display of what customers think.
Warranties
When considering your options, BarBend expert contributor and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto recommends looking for a warranty that covers “10 years on the frame, at least 2 years on parts, and at least 1 year for labor.” This manual treadmill comes with a solid warranty, including lifetime coverage for the frame, and 2 years on the belt, tread, and monitor. For this, the warranty scores a 5 out of 5.
Final Thoughts on Tru Grit Runner
If you’re in the market for a treadmill that can add more of a challenge to your jogging or walking workout, the Tru Grit Grit Runner puts you in control of every step you take. The self-powered design and curved deck may be easier on your joints than a typical treadmill, and you won’t have to fuss with power cords and outlets since you’re the one powering the treadmill. (3)
While it costs $2,495, it’s a budget manual treadmill when compared to other models we’ve tested that can cost $7,000 or more. We’d recommend the Grit Runner for beginners looking to tackle walking and running workouts, but it may not be ideal for more experienced runners interested in really picking up the pace.
Tru Grit Runner FAQs
How much does the Tru Grit Grit Runner cost?
The Grit Runner typically costs $2,495.99.
Are non-motorized treadmills any good?
It depends on the type of training you’re looking to do. We like manual treadmills because they can help improve your running form, increase muscle activation since you’re propelling the belt, burn more calories per mile when compared to running on a treadmill or outdoors, and are ideal for interval training since you can quickly start and stop the belt. (1)(2)(3)
What are the cons of curved treadmills?
Many curved treadmills don’t provide speed or incline adjustments, so users are set in a fixed position with a fixed amount of training resistance. However, the Grit Runner allows for six levels of adjustable resistance to add some intensity to your training.
References
- Edwards RB, Tofari PJ, Cormack SJ, Whyte DG. Non-motorized Treadmill Running Is Associated with Higher Cardiometabolic Demands Compared with Overground and Motorized Treadmill Running. Front Physiol. 2017 Nov 14;8:914. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00914. PMID: 29184508; PMCID: PMC5694659.
- Hatchett A, Armstrong K, Parr B, Crews M, Tant C. The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle. Sports (Basel). 2018 Jun 29;6(3):58. doi: 10.3390/sports6030058. PMID: 29966259; PMCID: PMC6162380.
- Encarnación-Martínez A, Catalá-Vilaplana I, Berenguer-Vidal R, Sanchis-Sanchis R, Ochoa-Puig B, Pérez-Soriano P. Treadmill and Running Speed Effects on Acceleration Impacts: Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill vs. Conventional Motorized Treadmill. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 20;18(10):5475. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105475. PMID: 34065387; PMCID: PMC8160945.
- Hatchett A, Armstrong K, Parr B, Crews M, Tant C. The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle. Sports (Basel). 2018 Jun 29;6(3):58. doi: 10.3390/sports6030058. PMID: 29966259; PMCID: PMC6162380.
- Abbas, A. (2024, November 10). Standard Sizes for Various Types of Furniture. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/standard-furniture-measurements-1391374
The post Tru Grit Runner Review (2024): Our Expert Tester Walked, Jogged, and Sprinted appeared first on BarBend.
