When you walk into a gym, you are more than likely to see at least one treadmill. It’s a piece of equipment you will see almost daily, but have you ever taken the time to weigh up the pros and cons of a treadmill? In this article I will explore the pros and cons of the treadmill so you can know exactly why this piece of equipment may or may not benefit you.
PROS
- Great for beginners: The treadmill allows beginners to start at a desired intensity and progress in such a way as to avoid over-training. Sometimes beginners lack confidence, but the treadmill is a great place to start to build a firm foundation.
- Unaffected by the weather: A treadmill allows you to perform your desired workout regardless of weather conditions, such as: snow, rain, ice, humidity, or temperature. Avoiding these workout disturbances enables you to benefit from your workout as usual.
- Other outside factors: Using a piece of indoor gym equipment such as the treadmill keeps you safe from: smog, cars, train tracks, Cujo (dogs), bugs, uneven surfaces, and rocks. The treadmill keeps you clear of these factors, and improves your workout by allowing you to stay focused.
- Pacing yourself: The treadmill allows you to set a desired speed. Setting a speed on a treadmill will prevent you from slowing down or speeding up. This is a good tool for beginners that will teach them to pace themselves. Maintaining a certain pace also requires you to keep that same speed when you start to fatigue.
- Incline and/or decline training: Sometimes it is hard to find a good street or hill with a desired incline and/or decline. The treadmill is very beneficial for people who like to do any type of incline training, which helps build running strength. Having the option for an incline or decline is great for people who live in areas of flat land.
- Interval Training: Most treadmills give you an option to do interval training. You can pick a program on the treadmill or you can change the speed yourself. This is beneficial because you don’t always know what speed you are actually going when running outside, especially when fatigued.
- Other pros: Newer treadmills allow you to check your heart rate, track workouts, track calories burned, and listen to music.
You can keep these benefits in mind to improve your training and reach your fitness goals quickly, but it’s important to be aware of the pitfalls that the treadmill can present.
CONS
- Expensive: If you don’t own a gym membership and you don’t like to run outdoors, you would have to purchase one for your home, which would cost much more than a gym membership or running outside.
- Power costs: Treadmills require power, which requires people to have to pay for that power. This can be either gym owners or home owners of a treadmill. If you are willing to train outside, you will save electricity and money. But still burn calories instead of cash!
- Treadmill belt: Sometimes the belt may be too short or narrow for some people. Short treadmills can damper your training by not allowing your gait cycle to fully function. Narrow treadmills can be a problem for your arm space whilst you walk or run. The belt also helps propel your legs, which makes the task easier and therefore less effective than running outside.
- Boredom: Some individuals will find exercising on a treadmill boring which causes them to end a workout early out of boredom, rather than fatigue. When boredom sets in, individuals will sometimes watch television or read. This isn’t a problem if the workout is meant to be long and slow, but this should not be done if the workout requires a high intensity, as you will not be fully focused on your training.
- Lack of training specificity: The treadmill doesn’t allow you to specifically train for your event. Running events such as marathons require individuals to experience the running outdoors.
- Lack of wind: In actual fact, this could be considered a pro or a con. Experiencing the wind adds extra resistance and makes training harder, allowing individuals to better themselves by burning more calories and becoming stronger.
On balance, the pros of the the treadmill outweigh the cons. Whether you are running on a treadmill, track, or outside, you can now take the pros and cons and use them to alter your training program to achieve your fitness goals!