After hearing about under-desk walking pads or walking treadmills all over social media over the last few years, I finally decided to give the idea a shot. What did I have to lose? I already have a standing desk and could make this WFH fitness idea a reality.

I tried the Flexispot Auto Incline (WPM03) walking treadmill for home offices. I’ve had a standing desk since 2020 when I started working from home, and I’m usually sitting at it. Getting a Flexispot walking pad for under my desk was hopefully going to be a way for me to stretch my legs while working remotely.

Quick takeaways in this review

  • The Flexispot Auto Incline (WPM03) walking treadmill is an all-around great improvement to a home office, if you have the space.
  • It’s heavier than the average walking pad (this is something good to know).
  • The incline is a nice feature to have, although it may not be for everyone.
  • I don’t use the MP3 connectivity.
  • Ultimately, I think adding a product like this to your WFH life can be a big plus if you were having issues with getting steps, feeling fit or feeling too sedentary during the day.

Let’s get started with the review!

How is it using a walking pad in the first place (specifically for working)?

Like I mentioned, I tried Flexispot’s WPM03 auto-incline walking pad for home. It can store flat under a bed, or elsewhere, when you’re not using it, and I pull it out when I’m reading to work and walk on it.

When to use it

There’s two main use cases here: 1) using the walking pad while working and 2) using it as a “standalone treadmill.”

For my use case, I’m mostly going to talk about it while working from home in my home office. However, most of the same things apply if you wanted to use this product only as a dedicated treadmill, or double your use and use it while you are watching TV or listening to something.

Using it while working from home

For working, it requires an adjustment period. Walking without swinging your arms feels a little awkward at first. Your hands are usually up at your desk, so I’ve noticed that my arms get a little tired after walking for extended periods of time.

The slight bouncing ends up fading into the background, and typing and using the mouse aren’t very challenging. In my first few uses, I didn’t mind looking at a screen while my head had a slight bob up and down.

If you don’t want to walk and you don’t want to move the treadmill, you can turn it off and use the stationary treadmill as a standing mat. Of course, this is if you’re already using a standing desk!

A chair probably won’t be able to fit over the treadmill. It’s a bit big.

If you have the luxury of having multiple desk setups (we do), keeping the treadmill always at a dedicated standing desk wouldn’t be a bad idea. That’s my tip for standing desk users.

Lastly, the narrow(ish) walking surface didn’t give me any issues. The walking area is 39.4” x 16.9”. That means you have a little under a foot and a half horizontally to step, and more than 3 feet for your stride. When I use my Flexispot walking pad, I walk more slowly than I normally would, and I take shorter strides, too.

Overall, I had no issues using the walking pad to work at home with my standing desk.

Features of the Flexispot Auto Incline Walking Treadmill

This specific model (the WPM03) has a few features as described on Flexispot’s product page for it. Let’s review them here, and I’ll let you know my thoughts about each section.

Incline

Like I said above, the include is a nice feature on the WPM03 Auto Incline Walking Treadmill. Walking on a flat surface is fine. Walking on an incline allows you to burn more calories and to get a slightly better workout.

I’ve also found walking or running on a slight incline to be easier in general, with use of any treadmill. Whenever I run on a running treadmill, I always bump up the incline a tiny bit to make it feel natural, like outside.

The incline motor has no problems moving up with you on it, but I would probably set your incline, and then get on, to help protect that motor a little bit.

Weight capacity

The website says the weight limit is 275 pounds. So if you weigh around that, this might not be for you. I weigh between 160 and 170 pounds (my weight fluctuates a lot!) and I don’t have any issues.

I can see how heavier steps could either slow down the belt as you take your steps or could burn out the motor faster than expected.

Helpful Tip

By the way, you may notice I’m wearing indoor athletic recovery shoes on my treadmill. This is because I don’t want to use it while barefoot. You could, but it’s very rigid—less forgiving than hardwood floors, so it may hurt your feet after some use. I recommend my “Revive” active recovery shoes from Kane Footwear.

Bluetooth

This walking pad has Bluetooth, but I never use it.

I use my own music through my phone or computer. I can’t see myself ever using this feature. If you were using the treadmill, and for some reason, you didn’t have access to your normal devices, this might be nice!

It could also be nice to load up some music through Bluetooth and to not have your phone to disconnect.

Controls / Remote

There is a remote that is useful for being able to change the speed and incline, as well as to pause the treadmill.

You’d obviously use the remote for your speed controls. The pause feature has been kind of nice. That’s because I’ll walk for 10 or 20-minute increments sometimes, and I’ll pause the walking pad. At the end of the day, I can see how long and how far I walked.

Display

There are 4 visible display units that cycle through on the display as you are using the walking pad. You can see your incline level, walking time, distance and calories burned.

The walking time and distance is what I mostly want to see. The calories are likely not accurate!

Portability and ease of moving

I like this specific product because it fits perfectly under our queen-sized bed. It’s really the perfect size to store under the bed and stash away when I’m not using it. We recently shuffled my home office setup into our bedroom, to make space in another bedroom for our baby on the way, so it’s been an adjustment.

The walking pad has a sturdy handle that you can use to move it around, and there are wheels on the opposite side of the treadmill.

If you have a place to stash this treadmill vertically, you can do that, and mount a hook on the wall to connect to that handle. I’m considering doing this!

The wheels make it easy to move around and you can still use the wheels even if the treadmill is fairly low to the ground. This is useful if the clearance under your bed is low and you still need to slide it under. While moving this, I haven’t noticed any scratches to the floor. I’d still be careful while moving it, though, because it still could snag on something.

In my case, I stash it away at night when I don’t use it. That also means unplugging the cable every time. I don’t mind doing this, as plugging it in is easy enough with the type of cable that is provided. For actually plugging it into the wall, make sure you have a convenient outlet or an extension cord/power strip ready to accept your treadmill.

Is it loud?

When it’s on, Flexispot claims that it’s less than 45 decibels. It is quiet, but there are motors and a belt moving, so expect some sounds. It’s not going to be silent!

When I’m walking on it, it doesn’t sound super “thumpy” to me, the user. If you are in an apartment or if you are wondering how this sounds to someone downstairs while you’re walking, Becca (who is usually downstairs when I am walking) has this to say:

“For someone sitting downstairs in the room below the treadmill (while it’s being used), the sound Is like any other ambient sound you may hear in the house. I’d say it’s just as loud as the heat or A/C coming on, or someone taking a shower. There’s a bit more of a rhythm to it, but it’s not bothersome at all.”

Can you run on it?

I wouldn’t run on this walking pad. That would not be smart.

I don’t think there’s enough length on the belt, and the impact for an actual run probably isn’t good for the walking pad. After all, it’s a walking pad, not a running treadmill! It’s for use at your desk or while watching TV, not an intense workout in your home gym.

If you’re doing a light jog/light shuffle, that’s probably okay, but I would suggest monitoring how doing that type of activity feels, and if you’re impacting the product too much.

How to track the distance with a smart watch or phone

If you’re working while you’re walking on the walking pad, your arms aren’t swinging, so a smart watch or phone can’t track your distance if your arms are stationary.

You can try putting your smart watch in your pocket and the same goes for your phone. I put my watch in my pocket and it successfully recorded an indoor walking workout. My “move minutes” didn’t change, likely because it didn’t detect any heart rate.

You can also try putting your smart watch around your ankle. It may not work for everyone, but it is worth a shot.

For me, I use the walking time and the distance as metrics for if I feel like I got enough steps for the day. I’ll go through phases where I like to track every little detail, like exercise minutes and step count. I’m not currently in that phase, so I’m feeling more liberal and flexible.

Where to buy your Flexispot under-desk treadmill

We always browse products and do our ordering via the Flexispot website, which is where you’ll find the exact WPM03 walking treadmill model. Here is a link to the WPM03 product page.

If you do your shopping on Amazon, just know that I wasn’t able to find the WPM03 model on Amazon. Instead, Flexispot sells an alternative product on their Amazon store: the UREVO walking pad, which is marketed as part of a set with a Flexispot standing desk.

Note: you’ll see it is a bit cheaper than the WPM03 from the Flexispot website; this is because it does not have the incline feature and overall, it is a different product. Even though it does not have a Flexispot name, Amazon says it is sold by and shipped by Flexispot.

More from Flexispot (why I like Flexispot)

I first found out about all of Flexispot’s work-from-home products when I started working from home full time. I started with the Flexispot desk chair, and soon afterward, tried my first Flexispot desk.

From then on, Becca and I have been working with Flexispot desks at home. We like the electronic functions for setting and changing the standing desk height. I like the beautiful wood surface on my E7 standing desk, and Becca likes the pull-out drawer and USB charging ports on her Comhar desk.

In more recent months, I added Flexispot’s bamboo desk riser to my setup, and Becca has swapped out her old chair for a new ergonomic Flexispot desk chair. We’ve been really happy with everything so we continue to follow Flexispot for new product launches.