TRUEFORM RUNNER vs TRAINER
A Comprehensive Analysis - Build & Function
Welcome to the world of TRUEFORM. Curved Non-Motorized Treadmills. TRUEFORMs feature the shallowest curve on the market, only 2.5” (6.35 cm) between the high and low points. This, together with our Responsive Belt Technology™, are proven to dramatically improve performance by reducing impact stress and asymmetry, increasing efficiency, and reducing the risk of injury.
Both of these Get On and Go treads are simple and user-friendly for all ages and skill levels, and ideal for team events and relays with no complex electronics and no top speed. Users will burn over 40% more calories on a TRUEFORM.RUNNER than on any motorized treadmill and over 30% more calories on a TRUEFORM.TRAINER.
Choose from the rugged "built like a tank" RUNNER and customize it with your choice of running surface, color, and design, or choose the lighter-weight TRAINER, still a workhorse of a treadmill, but more compact to take anywhere – inside or out!
Performance, Endurance, and Resilience come from TRUEFORM.
Learn more about the differences between the TRUEFORM.RUNNER and TRUEFORM.TRAINER with this video by TreadmillReviewGuru!
THE TRUEFORM.RUNNER™
Build Quality: Overbuilt like a tank, and-crafted in Connecticut, USA, the iconic TRUEFORM.RUNNER is the bedrock of our collection and will take anything you throw at it up to 700 lbs (317 kgs) walking, or 450 lbs (204 kgs) running at top speed. The outer frame and covers are formed from a single sheet and hand-welded from 7 gauge (4.5 mm) steel, with formed steel handrails and uprights.
The textured powder coat finish has a zinc-plated undercoat and the frame with an industry-leading 20-year guarantee. Turned and tooled solid aluminum pulleys, polyurethane with steel radial belts, fiberglass reinforced nylon under treads, and 106 sealed steel ball bearings complete this beast. The RUNNER comes with a standard tread of bonded Kraiburg® Thermolast Overmold Elastomer.
The simple, rugged, LED display, like the rest of the RUNNER, is practically maintenance-free, and built to last. Zero electrical consumption translates to significant savings for club owners.
Customization: The RUNNER is the only Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill to offer customization with your choice of running surface, color, and design. With the TRUEFORM.RUNNER you can train on sports-specific surfaces in shoes (elastomer, turf, or track), cleats (turf), spikes (track), or go barefoot (elastomer, turf, or our Naboso® Proprioceptive Surface). Why would you train or warm up on a surface that does not match your field of play? With the RUNNER you don’t have to compromise.
How does it feel? Running is part of just about every sport from basketball, football, track & field, crossfit, triathlon, to gymnastics and tennis and FORM. is the building block for performance, endurance, and resilience. FORM. is, and always has been, our FOCUS. To TRUEFORM. those words are not a slick marketing phrase, picked up from our competitors along the way, it is our raison d'etre - our reason for being. That focus is built into our RUNNERs through every phase of engineering design, manufacturing, and testing at our manufacturing facility in Connecticut, USA.
Under traditional, machine-assisted acceleration, a runner tends to fall forward, perpetually trying to chase the belt, and running more "quad dominant" with less focus on the posterior. Not only does this lead to poor form, but through that an increased likelihood of injury. With some other curved non-motorized treadmills, a curve of 6.5” to 8” (16.5 to 20 cm), allows the runner to move faster in an easier fashion since gravity is assisting with the movement downward once the foot plants.
All TRUEFORMs have an innovative very gentle curve of 2.5” (6.35 cm) inches from the lowest part of the curve to the highest point at the front and rear. With the TRUEFORM.RUNNER you focus on what's beneath your feet, keeping you in better dynamic balance, often lost when trying to keep up with a belt.
With a slightly heavier feel than the TRAINER, or any of our competitors, the RUNNER forces you to run a little slower than you might on similar curved treadmills; focusing on time on the machine, not distance traveled. Running for time instead of distance is how the heart rate-based endurance community trains, and it is the difference between exercising for long-term health versus short-term fitness.
At the same speeds as outdoor running, training on the RUNNER is actually more work, since it results in more muscular recruitment, more CO2 production, more lactate producing, and is more metabolically and aerobically taxing. Studies demonstrate that this increased performance continues when you get off the treadmill and run on the road or your field of play. For more fat burning effects, it is recommended to run long and slow and you will use up to 40% more calories using a RUNNER than any motorized treadmill, and approximately 10% more than on the TRAINER.
At the same time, runners will feel less impact stress (g-force stress) than running on a motorized treadmill or outdoors. The runner is required to be in balance at all times, leading to constant core recruitment. Training on the TRUEFORM.RUNNER results in less stress, more effort, moving better in balance, and moving under properly positioned load to support your own bodyweight. Run strong and stay injury free!
THE TRUEFORM.TRAINER™
The TRUEFORM.TRAINER is also a non-motorized treadmill with a gently curved running surface and is a rugged, quality-built solution to any gym or sports facility. Just like its big brother, the TRAINER is designed to be virtually maintenance-free and great for the environment - no electricity needed.
The TRAINER is a Get On and Go Workout. Simple and user-friendly for all ages and skill levels - and ideal for team events and relays. It offers a budget-conscious alternative to the USA hand-crafted RUNNER and its lighter weight and compact size make it easy to move and maneuver for indoor and outdoor competitive sporting events. Want to take your TRAINER up a mountain? No problem, we’ve done that!
Build Quality: Make no mistake, the TRUEFORM.TRAINER is still a workhorse of a treadmill, with its steel frame construction and heavy-duty, impact-absorbing slatted running surface it can handle users up to 400 lbs (181 kgs) running at top speed! When TRUEFORM first introduced running to the CrossFit community we were asked for a lighter-weight version of our RUNNER. Our engineers were up for the challenge and, together with our partners in South Korea, they value-engineered the TRAINER. The TRAINER features an inner frame of formed and welded 7 gauge steel, and handrail uprights formed from 6” (15 cm) steel tubing. The molded polymer and thermoplastic elastomer treads run on 112 sealed steel ball bearings. Its lightly textured black powder coat can be customized with decals on the covers and uprights. The LCD battery-operated display can be paired with the Polar heart rate monitors.
How does it feel? With the same gentle curve of 2.5” (6.35 cm) from the lowest part of the curve to the highest point near the front and rear, the Trainer, like it’s big brother the RUNNER, features the most gentle curve on the market and the proprietary Responsive Belt Technology® reacts to every subtly in your movement – balance, posture, hip position, foot strike and more – creating a more natural treadmill running surface and experience than other motorized or non-motorized treadmills. The TRAINER's belt responds to your pace, allowing you to go from a walk to a jog, to a sprint, to a stop – instantly. You will immediately feel when your body is not in the optimal position for running or walking. The runner has to be in balance at all times, improving core strength. Although you will feel the difference immediately, both on and off the TRAINER, long-term use of TRUEFORM treadmills has been proven in studies to promote better movement patterns improving overall health and wellness.
Running on the TRAINER results in less stress, more effort, a 33% higher calorie burn than motorized treadmills, more balanced movement, and running under a properly positioned load to support your own body weight, all while reducing the risk of running injury. Run strong and stay injury free!