Treadmill: Is it useful or not really

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Fafa

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Hello,

I am currently thinking of getting a treadmill (as I can get one for really cheap). Problem is (as i guess most people) I have not had the time to get to the Gym. Whilst I was 3 times a week at the gym doing mostly cardio (treadmill, cycling, rowing machine, stepper, cross trainer) I managed to keep in decent shape. Currently I am doing close to nothing and thus obviously not keeping in shape :) How beneficial would it be to walk for 30 mins on a treadmill everyday? If I am purchasing the treadmill I am intending to cancel the gym membership though (As I have not been there for the past 5 months anyway).

I am pretty sure someone here could give me a good answer on if it would be worth it or not :) I know there is the counter argument of "just go and walk in the street". That works, but then if I get lazy I am not forced to continue walking @ 6.5km. I can actually walk slower :). On the treadmill however, if I set it to 6.5km it stays there constantly and then I keep up :)
 
Why would you use it to walk on? A treadmill can be used to get in pretty decent shape by itself if you optimise your routine - how about some high intensity sprint bouts alternated with walking - say 1 minute at 13ks followed by 1 minute at 5 ks; 10 reps of that should get you fit very quickly.

Mind you I should follow my own advice here
 
Fafa said:
Hello,

I am currently thinking of getting a treadmill (as I can get one for really cheap). Problem is (as i guess most people) I have not had the time to get to the Gym. Whilst I was 3 times a week at the gym doing mostly cardio (treadmill, cycling, rowing machine, stepper, cross trainer) I managed to keep in decent shape. Currently I am doing close to nothing and thus obviously not keeping in shape :) How beneficial would it be to walk for 30 mins on a treadmill everyday? If I am purchasing the treadmill I am intending to cancel the gym membership though (As I have not been there for the past 5 months anyway).

I am pretty sure someone here could give me a good answer on if it would be worth it or not :) I know there is the counter argument of "just go and walk in the street". That works, but then if I get lazy I am not forced to continue walking @ 6.5km. I can actually walk slower :). On the treadmill however, if I set it to 6.5km it stays there constantly and then I keep up :)
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A good treadmill is very expensive, 10k maybe. Make sure it does not gather dust.
 
We initially bought our first treadmill because it simply got too risky to go running outside anymore, especially when my wife went alone. Initially it was a bit of a disappointment, because we bought a fairly cheap one with not a lot of features.

We had that one for about a year and a half, when we "upgraded" to a more feature-rish (and much more expensive) model. It's been worth every penny.

The fact that you can "go running" at 22h00 at night if you felt like it makes it a lot easier to stick to a workout plan.

If I can give you some advise, get one that has automatic ascent and descent settings. It might cost a couple of bucks more, but it makes a heck of a difference.
 
The one I am looking at has automatic ascent and descent functions. You can specify a training interval where it automatically adjusts the incline and the speed of the treadmill. It also has the heart rate monitor feature as well. This good enough?
 
I find you tend to hop more on a treadmill, the best is to put on your running shoes and hit the road. Even cycling is a better work out.

Treadmill is for lazy people who like to jump. All these fitness people who think they are so fit using a treadmill should go do what they on a treadmill on the road, sore legs for sure the next morning will show them that treadmill is not as good as running on the road or doing laps around a soccer field.
 
Fafa said:
The one I am looking at has automatic ascent and descent functions. You can specify a training interval where it automatically adjusts the incline and the speed of the treadmill. It also has the heart rate monitor feature as well. This good enough?
Click to expand...

Sounds pretty good.

killadoob said:
I find you tend to hop more on a treadmill, the best is to put on your running shoes and hit the road. Even cycling is a better work out.

Treadmill is for lazy people who like to jump. All these fitness people who think they are so fit using a treadmill should go do what they on a treadmill on the road, sore legs for sure the next morning will show them that treadmill is not as good as running on the road or doing laps around a soccer field.
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I bet in most cases you will find that they will have sore lgs after running on the road as well. shoes play a hell of a role in running, and having the wrong type of shoe is looking for trouble.

Yes, I agree 100% that nothing beats running on the road, but it isn't always practical, and IMHO a treadmill is the next best thing.

I've never liked a stationary bike or elliptical traininer though.
 
killadoob said:
I find you tend to hop more on a treadmill, the best is to put on your running shoes and hit the road. Even cycling is a better work out.

Treadmill is for lazy people who like to jump. All these fitness people who think they are so fit using a treadmill should go do what they on a treadmill on the road, sore legs for sure the next morning will show them that treadmill is not as good as running on the road or doing laps around a soccer field.
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Completely agree. There is no comparison when it comes to actual running outside.

If you get a treadmill try and at least go running on the road on weekends.
 
Prefer outside. But that's not always possible. Guess as long as you are actually doing something as opposed to nothing it all helps.
 
Treadmill is for lazy people who like to jump. All these fitness people who think they are so fit using a treadmill should go do what they on a treadmill on the road, sore legs for sure the next morning will show them that treadmill is not as good as running on the road or doing laps around a soccer field.
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That's just pure nonsense. I did road running for a while and nearly screwed up my ankles for good. It's more demanding purely because it's more punishing to the tender joints in your legs; not because it's intrinsically a better exercise than treadmill. Someone who uses the treadmill properly can get exactly the same level of exercise as road running.
 
What's the difference between running on the road and on a treadmill? In terms of muscles used etc. If one is used to running on a treadmill, why would running on a road give you sore legs the next morning?
 
joelus said:
What's the difference between running on the road and on a treadmill? In terms of muscles used etc. If one is used to running on a treadmill, why would running on a road give you sore legs the next morning?
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Road running is much more variegated, so your muscles have to deal with more irregularity whereas a treadmill is evenly paced. Running on a hard concrete road is obviously highly impactful compared to a treadmill surface though which is basically the reason for the soreness. Road running without good shoes and stretching will destroy your ankles.
 
I know a lady who did almost all of her training for comrades on a treadmill and she finished, so, if its treadmill or nothing, treadmill FTW, if there's an option to go on the road, take the road any day rather.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
 
joelus said:
What's the difference between running on the road and on a treadmill? In terms of muscles used etc. If one is used to running on a treadmill, why would running on a road give you sore legs the next morning?
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Treadmill uses very little energy and very little muscle to keep you bouncing, road running uses every muscle it possibly can :D.

Go run on a treadmill and focus on what you are doing, you are basically jumping up and down while the treadmill moves the road for you. All you have to is jump jump jump.

I only realized this cause i was super fit using the treadmill, well i thought i was. Then a mate said try jogging and see how you cope, OMG i was broken the next morning. My legs were so sore i could barely walk. That is when i realized the treadmill is fine but it is not the optimal way to get fit nor can you get fully fit using one but i could be wrong that is just my experience.

Some people get sore feet and ankles running on the road but good shoes and ensuring you don't run on very uneven road should help you avoid those problems.
 
If you find that you are simply bobbing up and down, then you are doing one of two things wrong (or both, for that matter):

1. The speed is set too slow, and you don't have to work to keep from moering off the end.
2. You are holsing onto the hand rests while running, using your arms for support. These are fine for walking, but the moment you pick up speed you should let go and run as you would outside.

At the end of the day everyone is going to have thei own opinion based on what they experienced when running on a treadmill vs. the road. Yes, I 100% agree road running trumps all in most cases, but the benefits of being able to run in the safety of your own home, day or night, makes it well worth the investment.
 
Well i must admit i am not one of those people who believe there are bad guys waiting for me to leave the house.

Yea we all have our own opinion but i never used my hands at all and i still felt like i was bobbing. The road doesn't move for you and that is the difference but yea each to their own.
 
Ok, thought I remembered something about this. Alberto Salazar won comrades training almost exclusively on a treadmill. So, is it useful? Absolutely 100%, it is an excellent replacement for the road. Personal preference, I hate training on the treadmill cos I get bored and then push my pace up too fast.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
 
killadoob said:
Well i must admit i am not one of those people who believe there are bad guys waiting for me to leave the house.

Yea we all have our own opinion but i never used my hands at all and i still felt like i was bobbing. The road doesn't move for you and that is the difference but yea each to their own.
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Just because you don't believe in something doesn't make it any less true ;-)

I bet you she thought no one would ever want to hurt her?
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Woman-78-tortured-with-clothes-iron-20120224
 
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