The treadmill is probably the most popular piece of gym equipment, and millions of people around the world have it in their homes too. While it may seem like the treadmill is the invention of the modern age, the machine was invented back in 1817 by an English engineer William Cubitt. Then it was called treadwheel, and its primary purpose was to punish prisoners.
Nowadays, we use it to get into shape. Despite their popularity, regular treadmills aren’t effective in the long run, and this post will explain why.
Monotony
You know how it goes when you start using a treadmill, it’s all fun and games. You work out and still have fun because they’re exciting. But after some time, you don’t find them exciting anymore. In fact, you find them boring and feel like a hamster in the wheel.
So, you end up searching for different ways to stay motivated or have fun while using the treadmill. This monotony is frustrating. You don’t make steady progress because your body hates monotony just as much as you do.
Higher risk of getting injured
Inadequate use of treadmills increases your risk of injuries, particularly stress-induced injuries to ankle, knee, and hips. In fact, treadmills caused about 24,400 injuries treated in emergency departments across the US annually. More precisely, about 39% of exercise equipment-related injuries each year account for treadmill use.
As a result, you have to pause with training until you recover from injury, and it’s needless to mention the same thing can happen again if you don’t use the treadmill properly. Let’s not forget the fact that unlike SHREDmills and curved treadmills, which are made to accommodate every user regardless of size, treadmills are quite limited. To get the most out of the regular treadmill, you have to find a perfect match.
Biomechanics
Running on a treadmill doesn’t mimic outside natural running, which is a big disadvantage. No, this isn’t about the sun, nice weather, a refreshing breeze, and nature. Although all those things are nice too. For example, some treadmill runners spend more time on their support leg, which decreases their efficiency.
Moreover, when running on a regular treadmill, you tend to lean forward less than you would when running outside. Improper posture affects your energy levels, thus preventing you from getting the most out of your workout. On the other hand, curved treadmills and SHREDmills are more challenging and help you avoid these common problems.
Regular treadmills don’t provide strength training
In order to stay strong and injury-free, strength training is mandatory. Unfortunately, there aren’t many things you can do while running on a treadmill, and that’s not enough to work on your strength. On the other hand, curved treadmills and SHREDmills are self-powered, which means you have to make an extra effort while using them, and that results with more strength.
You don’t burn as many calories
The primary reason why you step on that treadmill is that you want to burn more calories to lose weight and get into shape. While you do burn calories at first, your body gets used to the intensity and treadmill running, and later that rate decreases. When running outdoors or on self-powered treadmills, you have to work harder to move your body and gain momentum. You also change the intensity from a slower pace to intense bursts of energy.
Since all you have to do is to press the button in order to start a treadmill, you just need to move your legs, and that’s it. On the other hand, running on curved treadmills or going outside to run means you do all the work to move your legs. Every step you make is the result of the muscles in your body working hard to make it happen. It comes as no wonder you have higher chances to burn more calories in that case.
They make you lazy
Besides monotony, different biomechanics, and lower calorie-burning rate, treadmills aren’t effective because of a simple reason – they make you lazy. They feature automatic settings that make you disregard pacing and prevent you from establishing a pace of your own, unlike curved treadmills.
That’s why you basically tune out when running on a treadmill, and instead of focusing on your running and developing proper technique, you think about what show to watch later, where to go this weekend, or what to wear at work tomorrow.
Conclusion
Millions of people use treadmills, and although they are widely popular, these machines aren’t quite effective for long-term use. With time, you burn fewer calories, still don’t develop enough strength, and you become lazier due to all the monotony.
If you do like the idea of running in the gym, you’ll benefit from using curved treadmills. They make your work harder, burn more calories, and become stronger at the same time.
