US Patent 10265566 Manual treadmill and methods of operating the same

A manually operated treadmill is provided that includes a treadmill frame having a front end and a rear end opposite the front end, a front shaft assembly rotatably coupled to the treadmill frame at the front end, a rear shaft assembly rotatably coupled to the treadmill frame at the rear end, and a running belt disposed about the front and rear shaft assemblies, wherein the running belt defines a curved running surface upon which a user of the treadmill may run. The treadmill also includes an incline adjustment system movably coupled to the treadmill frame for moving at least one of the front end and the rear end relative to a support surface, wherein increasing a height of the front end relative to the rear end and the support surface increases a running speed that a user can achieve on the running belt.