Benefits of Treadmill Training
One benefit of a treadmill? The weather is never an issue. (Photo: Francesco Gallarotti)
Cardio-vascular fitness has long been known to be important, but what does it actually mean? In short, it's about delivering oxygen to the parts of your body that need it, mainly your muscles. So this relies on an efficient circulation as it's your blood that transports the oxygen, Then secondly, it's about how quickly your muscles can use oxygen to generate work.
There are many factors involved in your level of cardio-vascular fitness - you can read a good description on Wikipedia. It's generally accepted that an efficient system for transporting and utilizing oxygen promotes better health and well-being, and reduces your chances of developing degenerative diseases. But if you do, your chances of making a recover are greater.
Run for Your Life
So how do you improve your cardio fitness? Simple, you challenge your system. You put it under stress effectively telling, I want to do this so you better get on and give my muscles what they need. And running is one of the best ways to do this. But note, it's all about progression. If you haven't run for years, trying to run a four-minute mile is more likely to cause damage than do any good. And of course, it goes without saying you should consult your doctor before you undertake a fitness regime.
Progressing your training at a sensible rate will gradually force your body to adapt to the challenge. But if you run the same route every day at the same pace, the benefit decreases. You should also 'mix and match'. Long, slow runs will have limited benefit for your health and fitness - not to mention the amount of time required. Changing your running workouts also adds variation which is vital to prevent boredom and frustration at lack of progress, Short sprints, hill training, interval training, distance running are all excellent ways to challenge your body and each will improve the other routines. For example, interval training where you do short burst speed work with a short recovery, will also help the distance work.
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, the weight-bearing nature of running will improve and maintain your bone density - especially important for women. Good running technique also can improve your posture, coordination and balance.
And there's more... running is a great way to relieve stress and benefit your mental health. Spending time focused purely on an activity such as running is a great way to get into The Zone. I've written much on the subject, including my book, The Peak Performance Zone (available on Amazon). And achieving a new personal best, or reaching your goals can be very rewarding.
But that's running in general. How does a treadmill help?
Progressing your training at a sensible rate will gradually force your body to adapt to the challenge. But if you run the same route every day at the same pace, the benefit decreases. You should also 'mix and match'. Long, slow runs will have limited benefit for your health and fitness - not to mention the amount of time required. Changing your running workouts also adds variation which is vital to prevent boredom and frustration at lack of progress, Short sprints, hill training, interval training, distance running are all excellent ways to challenge your body and each will improve the other routines. For example, interval training where you do short burst speed work with a short recovery, will also help the distance work.
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, the weight-bearing nature of running will improve and maintain your bone density - especially important for women. Good running technique also can improve your posture, coordination and balance.
And there's more... running is a great way to relieve stress and benefit your mental health. Spending time focused purely on an activity such as running is a great way to get into The Zone. I've written much on the subject, including my book, The Peak Performance Zone (available on Amazon). And achieving a new personal best, or reaching your goals can be very rewarding.
But that's running in general. How does a treadmill help?
The Open Road vs The Treadmill
The treadmill belt - a great alternative to the road
I advice people to run both in and outdoors. There's nothing better than running on a fine summer's evening in my view. But I also enjoy running in the extremes (not that we get many extremes in the UK!) But there are times when a treadmill offers a better option. It's not wise to run long distances in high temperatures, or to blast away in freezing conditions - it's not skating after all!
Not everyone feels safe running in their local area, or many may feel embarrassed to run in view of the public - especially if you're just starting out.
If recovering from injury, a treadmill is just perfect. If you feel a twinge, you press a button and get off. This is preferable than being 5 miles from home on a wet and windy night and the knee you thought was on the mend suddenly gives out - yes, that happened to me, and before the days of mobile phones! That was a long and miserable walk (hobble) home, and it meant my knee took longer to rehabilitate after that.
Many of today's treadmills come with some very fancy software that can track your progress over time. The computer can control the speed and incline thus keeping your heart rate at the optimum rate to achieve weight loss or whatever your target maybe. Most treadmills also have pre-set programs. You just press the button and the computer takes care of everything else, whether it be interval, sprint or calorie-targeted workouts. This means you don't have to keep pressing buttons while running.
More brands such as Life Fitness, NordicTrack and ProForm offer online coaching sessions, group running, or racing against other uses worldwide. Online running communities are also becoming the norm for many treadmill users. It's not quite like belong to your local running or athletics club, but if they're not available in your area, these are a very viable alternative.
The majority of treadmills also have cushioned running decks that are far kinder to your knees than a road surface. If you are recovering from injury, or are currently overweight, these can provide a much safer way to run - and you don't have to worry about tripping over the edges of sidewalks and traffic!
Another benefit few appreciate is the constant factor. I used to experiment with different foods to see which helped my performance. If running outside, the weather is a variable factor. The temperature, wind direction and rain blowing in my face would mean I couldn't be sure whether eating pasta or bananas helped best. Whereas conditions at the gym were always the same: the temperature, the humidity, and there was obviously no wind to contend. So running conditions were always the same, so I could compare my varying diets with more accuracy that running outside.
If you have 10 minutes to spare, you can find a fascinating article by Josh Douglas-Walton on the history of the treadmill here....
Also see Common Treadmill Mistakes (and how to avoid them)
If you're unsure of whether to buy a treadmill or rowing machine, you can read about the advantages and disadvantages on my rowing machine guide website.
Author: Roy Palmer MSTAT (Teacher of the Alexander Technique)
Website: AT-Performance.com
Not everyone feels safe running in their local area, or many may feel embarrassed to run in view of the public - especially if you're just starting out.
If recovering from injury, a treadmill is just perfect. If you feel a twinge, you press a button and get off. This is preferable than being 5 miles from home on a wet and windy night and the knee you thought was on the mend suddenly gives out - yes, that happened to me, and before the days of mobile phones! That was a long and miserable walk (hobble) home, and it meant my knee took longer to rehabilitate after that.
Many of today's treadmills come with some very fancy software that can track your progress over time. The computer can control the speed and incline thus keeping your heart rate at the optimum rate to achieve weight loss or whatever your target maybe. Most treadmills also have pre-set programs. You just press the button and the computer takes care of everything else, whether it be interval, sprint or calorie-targeted workouts. This means you don't have to keep pressing buttons while running.
More brands such as Life Fitness, NordicTrack and ProForm offer online coaching sessions, group running, or racing against other uses worldwide. Online running communities are also becoming the norm for many treadmill users. It's not quite like belong to your local running or athletics club, but if they're not available in your area, these are a very viable alternative.
The majority of treadmills also have cushioned running decks that are far kinder to your knees than a road surface. If you are recovering from injury, or are currently overweight, these can provide a much safer way to run - and you don't have to worry about tripping over the edges of sidewalks and traffic!
Another benefit few appreciate is the constant factor. I used to experiment with different foods to see which helped my performance. If running outside, the weather is a variable factor. The temperature, wind direction and rain blowing in my face would mean I couldn't be sure whether eating pasta or bananas helped best. Whereas conditions at the gym were always the same: the temperature, the humidity, and there was obviously no wind to contend. So running conditions were always the same, so I could compare my varying diets with more accuracy that running outside.
If you have 10 minutes to spare, you can find a fascinating article by Josh Douglas-Walton on the history of the treadmill here....
Also see Common Treadmill Mistakes (and how to avoid them)
If you're unsure of whether to buy a treadmill or rowing machine, you can read about the advantages and disadvantages on my rowing machine guide website.
Author: Roy Palmer MSTAT (Teacher of the Alexander Technique)
Website: AT-Performance.com
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