Bowflex Treadmill 10 Review: A Flex Or A Flop?

Dimensions/Storability

The Bowflex Treadmill 10 is a bulky machine, much like the below photo of the Treadmill 22. Its dimensions are 85″ L x 39.6″ W x 65.3″ H. You will need extra space around the treadmill for your safety. As for the required ceiling height, Bowflex recommends the user height + 21 inches. We recommend giving yourself a few more inches (check out our proper ceiling height blog post) so that you have ample room for running or skipping at the highest incline. 8.5’ should be an appropriate ceiling height for a 6’0” runner.

The Treadmill 10 has a pretty low profile of just 10” high from the floor to the top of the side rails when the deck is flat. It isn’t the lowest step-up height; 8” is what we’ve seen from some brands of treadmills of this size, but it should be sufficient for use in most homes’ ceiling heights.

The folding deck is very convenient, though, because the Treadmill 10 is long and takes up a good amount of floor space.

When folded, the Treadmill 10 shrinks to dimensions of 44.5″ L x 39.6″ W x 70″ H. To appropriately fold up the deck, it says to decline it fully in the manual. We’ve folded it up declined and at a flat 0% grade, and the deck folds up much more compact when declined. This is probably due to the design of the deck.

Instead of the front rollers being tucked under the motor hood like many other models, the rollers are exposed, and there’s a slight gap.

This gives the deck the ability to hinge when it’s inclined, declined, and folded up. To move the T10, you’ll need to tip it back to engage the transportation wheels. As I mentioned, it is hard to move to keep that in mind.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

The Treadmill 10 has a touchscreen and the option to stream subscription training content. Here’s what comes with a subscription to JRNY.

JRNY Overview

JRNY is the subscription content that comes enabled on Bowflex equipment. When you purchase the Treadmill 10, JRNY comes free for the first year. After the first year, a monthly fee is required to access all the content. You can use the T10 without JRNY, but here’s what you get with the subscription.

JRNY is a fitness platform that features structured workouts tailored to you, trainer-led video workouts, outdoor-filmed routes, and streaming from 3rd party apps. Starting with the structured workouts, JRNY has what they call “adaptive workouts.” These consist of preselected speeds and inclines for you to follow along with. It’s suggested that JRNY’s fitness assessment be taken. This way, the adaptive workouts will adjust to work for you and your fitness level. As you progress, they adapt with you, too.

There are several adaptive workouts to choose from with JRNY. Also, this is the Treadmill 22’s screen, fyi.

When you take the fitness assessment, you are also given a burn rate. This is shown in a meter at the bottom of the screen, along with your other workout metrics like speed, distance, and time. Parts of the meter are highlighted so you can try to move the needle to be in this section as you work. The idea is to help keep you at specific intensities during workouts.

The indoor trainer-led classes are filmed in a professional studio.

These feature an instructor who guides you through a workout. These aren’t of the same quality as Peloton and iFit, but they’re a nice option if you like having guidance during your workouts.

The Explore The World workouts let you do just that, explore the world. These feature a camera that moves through various locations around the world. The camera even slows down, stops, and speeds up when you do on the treadmill. These don’t have an instructor that takes you through the location, like iFit, but if you want to keep your workout structured you can pair it with an adaptive workout.

I love that JRNY allows you to stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Disney+. All you need to do is log into your existing account on each of these apps and start watching while you use the Bowflex Treadmill 10.

We get asked a lot if watching shows and movies on treadmills with touch screens is possible, and it is on the T10.

The option to stream from these apps is only available during manual mode and adaptive workouts. Another entertainment option to use during these modes, as well as the Explore The World routes, is music streaming. JRNY uses radio-esque music streaming of preselected playlists of songs that are split into different genres.

The music plays in the background of your workout. Unfortunately, music isn’t integrated into some of the workouts, like the trainer-led videos, but we appreciate that JRNY offers a wide range of entertainment content.

Onboard Workouts

If you don’t want to subscribe to JRNY, that’s totally fine. Subscription content on a treadmill isn’t for everyone and you shouldn’t have to pay an additional fee on top of the treadmill if you don’t care to take trainer-led workouts or stream from Netflix on said treadmill. Manual mode as well as some onboard workouts are available without a subscription to JRNY.

The onboard workout programs include 5k distance, 8-minute intervals, 16-minute intervals, endurance, stairs, strength, heart health, fat burn, and calorie burn. These workouts have preset speeds and inclines for you to follow along while you exercise.

There are also a couple of Explore The World routes of different locations available to take without a subscription to JRNY.

Console

The 10” touch screen is where you’ll access JRNY, the onboard workouts, manual mode, and track your workout metrics. The screen obviously isn’t very large like the Bowflex Treadmill 22, but it should be adequate for viewing the content on the screen. We’ve used other comparable treadmills with 10” touch screens, like the NordicTrack 1250 and ProForm Pro 2000, and we’re able to navigate and see them just fine, so you should be able to see the T10’s screen, too.

The Treadmill 10 console features a 10” touch screen versus the 22” screen on the Treadmill 22 that you see here.

Although the T10 isn’t as tall as the T22, the screen sits up fairly high on the console, so users shouldn’t have to look down at it too much. If you’re tall, you’ll still probably look down at it, but not as much as other models with lower-positioned touch screens. The screen should tilt up and down slightly, too.

As far as adjustment buttons, the Treadmill 10 has the same buttons as the Treadmill 22. I think this layout could use a little work. The numbered buttons on the center of the console are convenient, but since every speed and incline/decline level isn’t available, they make adjusting to specific settings less streamlined than other treadmills, like NordicTrack models.

For instance, quickly adjusting to 6 mph is a little clunky because there isn’t a number 6 button. As much as I like having these buttons for adjusting, I wish there were more of them.

There are buttons on the front and side handles to adjust the speed and deck grade. The right handles are for setting the speed, and the left is for the incline and decline. When I’m using the Treadmill 22, I used the buttons on the front handles next to the pulse grips the most because they’re conveniently placed.

The switch buttons on the side handles feel a little sticky to use and sometimes require me to push them twice to change the belt speed and incline of the deck.

The speaker is front-facing and should be plenty loud. It is smaller than the speaker on the T22, however. The fan appears to be the same as on the T22 so we expect it to be powerful, yet tiny.

Other components that are the same on both Bowflex treadmills are the oversized cupholders, storage tray, and device rack.

If you need water or other small items nearby, you have plenty of room to do so. Under the screen is a textured area with a ledge at the bottom (above the quick-touch buttons) to put your phone or tablet. Your device should stay put here; at least, our phones did when we put them on the T22.

The T10 is Bluetooth enabled, so you can pair it with Zwift for more content and training options. You’ll just need to pair and stream Zwift from your own device.

Check Best Price

Build Quality

In our testing, we found the T22 to be built like a tank, so we expect the T10 to feel and perform similarly. Considering the T10 comes with an impressive 400 lb weight limit and the same 15-year frame and motor warranty as their premium model, these are good indications that we’re right.

Based on the specs and features, the Bowflex Treadmill 10 is very similar to the Treadmill 22.

Frame

The Bowflex Treadmill 10 is about the same weight as the T22 at 323 lbs versus 336 lbs. It’s also the same length and width. This is a large treadmill and it’s also heavy, so it’s important to keep that in mind for your home. I’ll get into folding and moving it in the functionality section below.

The frame design is a little different than what we typically see on treadmills.

On either side of the deck, the steel frame forms triangles where the uprights connect to the frame on the floor. I think this was intentional on Bowflex’s part because triangles are the strongest shape. It’s stable, especially considering the weight of the treadmill, too. Console shake is commonly found on other treadmills that have a touch screen attached.

We don’t experience any shake on the T22 so the T10 should be just as steady, if not more so, because the screen is smaller. The steel crossbar under the storage tray below the console most likely helps make the screen, console, and treadmill, in general, feel more stable, too.

The Treadmill 10 doesn’t have upper handles like the T22. However, you don’t need them because the deck doesn’t incline as high. The lower and side handles should offer plenty of areas to grip when you need balance.

Motor

The one area that is a little bit of a mystery, is the motor size. Bowflex doesn’t include treadmill motor sizes on their site. In our research and testing of the T22, it’s said to be 4.0 HP. It feels comparable to other treadmills with this sized motor. The Bowflex T10 could also be 4.0 HP, at least that’s what it’s said to be by others online, but it’s difficult to know for sure.

On midrange and lower-end models from other brands, the motor sizes are typically smaller than the premium models. If this is the case for the T10, we’d guess the motor is anywhere from 3.0 to 4.0 HP. Probably closer to 3.5 to 4.0.

With this range of motor sizes, the Bowflex T10 should handle heavy use like long-distance running, well. 3.0 to 4.0 HP motors are the sizes we recommend for running.

The Bowflex Treadmill 10 goes up to 12 mph and has a 15% incline and -5% decline. This is an impressive decline range that helps add to your training options. The 15% incline isn’t quite as high as the 20% on the T22, but a 15% grade is still challenging and effective for engaging your posterior muscles.

It’s hard to say for certain if the T10 is as quiet as the T22, but it most likely has a low noise output. The incline/decline is especially soft on the T22 (to the point where you can barely hear it over the drive motor) so we assume the T10 will be quiet, too. It’s because of this that the T10 should be appropriate for most home spaces when it comes to noise.

The -5% decline might not seem like much, but it is noticeable and more so than what most other declining treadmills offer.

Deck

For folding treadmills, this is usually the largest-sized deck we see. It is 22” wide and 60” long. In our testing, we’ve found this to be plenty large for all running strides so users should be able to run if not sprint on the deck.

The deck, along with the frame and console, appears to be the same as the T22 on the T10.

The cushioning is pretty firm underfoot. It isn’t as soft as treadmills from NordicTrack, which have some of the softest cushioning we’ve tested. Instead, the cushioning feels closer to Sole treadmills.

The cushioning in the deck most likely feels the same as the Treadmill 22, considering the decks are the same.

If you have joint discomfort and pain, you might want to look into a model with softer cushioning; however, if you like to run on firmer surfaces, this is a good pick. It certainly feels softer than running on pavement, and it has shock absorption to help lessen the impact of running.

Warranty

The Bowflex Treadmill 10 comes with a nice warranty. Bowflex includes a 15-year frame and motor warranty, five years for mechanical parts, one year for electronics, and two years for labor. Set up isn’t the easiest because there are a lot of parts, so having 2-3 people for assembly is a good idea.

Should You Buy the Bowflex Treadmill 10

The Bowflex Treadmill 10’s features are best when used with an active JRNY subscription. When you are using it, a 10” touch screen enabled with JRNY gives you plenty of options for streaming. You can choose to take a trainer-led class, explore outdoor locations, and even log into your Netflix and HBO Max accounts to watch your favorite shows.

The incline range is great for hikers, trail runners, and incline trainers. It ranges from -5% to 15%. This treadmill is powerful enough to support walking and running and has a speed range of 0 to 12 miles per hour. However, it is not a very cushioned treadmill, which may be a pro or con, depending on your running style and preferences.

The inclining/declining deck folds up to save you some room while you’re not using it. The T10 is a large and heavy treadmill with a unique frame that makes it feel like a tank.

Check Best Price

Bowflex Treadmill 10 Q&A / FAQ

Does the Bowflex Treadmill 10 work without a subscription?

Yes! The Bowflex Treadmill 10 can be used manually without a JRNY subscription. However, the Treadmill 10 has many more features with an active subscription. The apps and training content can only be accessed through JRNY.

How much horsepower does the Bowflex Treadmill T10 have?

Bowflex is very secretive about their treadmills’ horsepower. We believe that the Treadmill 10 has a 4.0 HP motor or close to it because of its performance. The Treadmill 10 is powerful enough to support everything up to daily long-distance running.

What is the difference between the Bowflex T10 and T22?

The main difference between the Treadmill 10 and the Treadmill 22 is the screen size. The Treadmill 10 predictably has a 10” touchscreen, while the Treadmill 22 has a 22” touchscreen. Additionally, the Treadmill 10 is capped at a 15% maximum incline, while the Treadmill 22 inclines to 20%.

Is your Bowflex Treadmill 10 review a paid review?

Our Treadmill 10 review is not a paid review. In most cases, we receive a treadmill for free from the brand we are partnering with, but the brand does not interact with reviewers further. We are not compensated for these reviews, and we work with the most popular home treadmill brands, so you can be confident in our information.

We partner with Bowflex, Sole, Horizon, NordicTrack, and ProForm, to name some of the top brands we have tested. We developed a rigorous review process independent of the treadmill brand. Our opinions and test results are all our own.

So, how do we make money? Glad you asked! You’ll find links to products on our website and in the reviews we write. Beyond giving you a convenient place to check out a product’s price, these links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of them, we will receive a commission. There is no added cost to your purchase to pay for our review services! It’s a win-win situation.

Check Best Price