Maximizing Your Treadmill Running
Treadmill running helps avoid the heat, but is the workout as good?
Thereβs a reason runners refer to the treadmill as the βdreadmill.β The exercise machine provides limited visual stimuli and is typically located in a gym or basement, which can be a stuffy, uninviting place to run. Clocking mile after mile in the same place, especially for a long run, can mean an hour or more of boredom.
There are, however, benefits to running on the treadmill, running coaches and exercise scientists say. The record-breaking temperatures and the poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires this year have made running outside risky or outright dangerous at times. Treadmills allow runners to keep training despite inclement or hot weather.
βTreadmills are misunderstood by a vast majority of the people,β said James McKirdy, a running coach. βHaving that option is important and can be pivotal in the success of someoneβs goals.β
We asked running experts about the effectiveness of treadmill running and how to get the most out of those workouts.
Is running on the treadmill as effective as running outside?
There are subtle differences with running on the treadmill, but it is largely as effective as training outside, experts say.
While energy consumption is βvery, very slightly lower,β in treadmill running, the differences are minor, said Bas Van Hooren, a competitive runner and researcher at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. At speeds of up to 16 kilometers per hour, which is roughly a six-minute per mile pace, treadmill running results in similar oxygen costs and heart rate compared to outside running, he said.
The slight difference in energy consumption, though, can add up if you do the majority or all of your training on a treadmill, Van Hooren added.
The treadmills themselves may also have limitations. Some can only go up to a certain speed, and others, whether because of quality or wear and tear, can display inaccurate paces on the screen, McKirdy said.
Do I have to use the incline?
Some runners put treadmills at a 1 percent incline in an effort to match the energy costs of running outdoors, but that isnβt necessary, said Van Hooren, who has been a co-author on reviews on treadmill running. Keeping your treadmill at a zero percent incline is fine.
Increasing the incline on treadmills can be useful, though, for hill repeats or to mix up your workouts.
βHill workouts might be easier on treadmills, because if youβre doing it outside, it might take a long time to get down the hill,β said Olympian Kim Conley, a running coach. βBut on a treadmill, you can go as long as you want or short as you want on your recovery.β
How does the treadmill affect my running form?
Experts recommend taking at least a few minutes to familiarize yourself with running on a treadmill.
Unlike outdoor runs where youβre propelling yourself off the ground, the belt is moving under you on a treadmill, said Andrew Schille, a clinical research coordinator at the Emory University Sports Performance and Research Center.
People who are not accustomed to treadmill running may adopt a slightly higher step frequency and land a bit more toward the front of their foot compared with the heel of their foot, Van Hooren said.