Bowflex T16 Review | The Best Mid-Range Treadmill for Streaming Workouts?

Even as a long-time runner in the northeast, I am one who’s been reluctant to hit the treadmill until the past few winters (is it age or Coach Amanda finally convincing me it’s a stellar tool…we may never know!). Our review of the Bowflex T16 treadmill.

After spending most of last winter on the treads at my favorite local run studio, I was stoked to give the Bowflex T16 a try to see how new tread technology, ride, and overall experience stacks up.

As a triathlete, I have spent a lot of time on my trainer riding miles to nowhere on Zwift, so I am no stranger to grinding out the miles indoors.

In my opinion, a big piece of staying consistent with indoor training is working on ways to stay mentally engaged. If you agree, I think you’ll be pleased with all the options the Bowflex T16 has to offer.

Now let’s get into it!

Bowflex T16 Overview

After putting the Bowflex T16 through its paces, our team found plenty to appreciate about this connected treadmill. Right out of the gate, the build quality impressed us—the deck feels genuinely sturdy underfoot, with enough spaciousness to make even interval training feel secure.

If you’ve ever had that nagging fear of misjudging your footing during speed changes, the T16’s generous running surface should put those worries to rest. We pushed through plenty of high-intensity sessions and consistently felt confident accelerating in and out of intervals without second-guessing our placement.

The control setup is where Bowflex really thought about user experience. You can adjust both speed and incline either through the touchscreen or via the QuickDial controls, and having both options available means you can stick with whatever feels most intuitive during your workout. It’s a small detail that makes a real difference when you’re deep into a tough session and don’t want to fumble with controls.

That being said there is a small learning curve because you can really bump the speed if you dial too quickly. That’s probably why we mostly focused on the touch screen, but the dials are much closer so you don’t need to reach for adjustments.

Speaking of that touchscreen, it’s a standout feature. The display quality is sharp and vibrant enough to make entertainment a genuine option—whether you’re catching up on shows, scrolling through social media, or even reading through the Kindle app. For those of us who prefer a more stripped-down approach with manual or track workouts, there’s a tablet holder that lets you run your own apps while using the treadmill’s basic interface. It’s genuinely versatile in a way that accommodates different workout styles.

The included JRNY app adds another dimension to the T16 experience.

Whether you’re new to running or just looking to break out of your usual routine, the platform offers both treadmill-specific programs and full-body workouts. It’s the kind of feature that helps keep motivation high and workouts varied, which is always a win in our book.

If you’re a multi-user home you can have up to 6 individual profiles on the JRNY platform for personalized workouts and for tracking your progress.

Bonus: you can also have shared entertainment on the touchscreen. This means no chasing down the Netflix or Prime Video credentials. It’s just an easy switch between profiles done by just tapping the user icon without fully logging out.

No surprise the built in speakers aren’t fantastic. They do the job, but we haven’t yet tested an at home running treadmill where it was  a Dolby experience.

Touchscreen Display

I personally enjoyed the 16” screen. It’s easy to see and use with a great picture for streaming your favorite shows. Its sensitivity to touch was just right– not too sensitive but I also never felt like I had to really press the keys to get where I wanted while moving through different paces.

The screen is built in without the ability to make adjustments. It was the perfect height for me to watch while running and not feel disoriented, but this may be a different experience for a taller user.

As I mentioned earlier, there are buttons on the sides of the screen to increase or decrease the speed or incline which make a great option for those who may not prefer the quick dials or touchscreen options.

JRNY Review

I am not one to gravitate to trainer-led workout programs, but my experience with JRNY has been smooth so far.

With the ability to have workouts adapted to your fitness level and goals, this is an excellent option for those who are looking for engaging workouts or who are new or getting back into a routine.

There are also options to explore the world during JRNY workouts. While I prefer catching up on my favorite shows, this is just another way to help tread workouts feel a bit more exciting!

The whole body workouts also provide guidance on warm-ups, cool-downs, stretching and other body weight movements.

A free two-month trial comes with the treadmill which is nice to give you the ability to see if it’s something you’d like to keep. Some users have reported issues with billing and customer service in the past, but I have not had any experiences with either yet to report back on.

After the trial period this feature costs $11.99/month which is similar pricing to Peloton’s tier one option.

Manual Workouts

As someone who has fully embraced being able to send workouts to my Garmin watch from TrainingPeaks, I was happy to see the manual workout builder on the tread.

That being said, I found this feature to be clunky and time-consuming to go through on the touchscreen, so I opted to use the track feature to utilize the screen for splits and manually adjusted my speeds for my interval workouts.

There is the option to set other custom workouts including incline goal, hill sprints, or based on custom heart rate, fat burn, distance or time goal, along with calorie burn.

It is great to have the ability to set these programs based on your age, goal workout time, % max heart rate, and climbing goal. There is also a 9-week program to help new runners achieve a goal of their first 5k and build endurance and confidence along the way. This program allows the user to set their jog and walk goal paces which I find a great way to meet the new runner where they’re at.

As a sports dietitian, I am not a big fan of promoting exercise directly tied to burning calories and fat loss as there are so many benefits of regular exercise outside of just burning calories and losing weight. This messaging really gave me the early ‘00’s diet culture ick.

Other Features

• Built-in fans: work like a charm! For me, both are at a  perfect position (again, I am on the shorter side so it might not land as well for taller individuals) and is just enough to keep my temperature regulated.
• Bluetooth connection capability: the Bowflex T16 offers a wide variety of bluetooth features including; connection to Apple® and Galaxy smart watches, built-in bluetooth speakers, and FTMS allowing you to see real-time data including speed, incline, and heart rate.
• Entertainment/device storage: while there are plenty of options on the touchscreen, I really appreciated the built-in reading rack for my tablet. There’s also accessory trays and a mobile device holder. There is also a USB-A connection to charge your device.

It’s overall comfortable, easy to use, and has more than enough options to stay challenged and entertained indoors. It is also a folding treadmill, which makes it a nice option if you’re short on space.

What to read next:

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