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Rookie question about treadmills - I usually walk 3 - 5 miles a day weather permitting. Two months ago I started strength training at a gym. I start off with walking for 5 minutes on a treadmill to warm up before I do my stretching.
My trainer recommended I warm up using the Curve manual treadmill rather than the motorized treadmills. He cited two reasons. First, the Curve has a thick rubber tread which is easier on the knees, but, the main reason is that the Curve tread does not move unless you pick up your foot, strike the tread with the heel and push off with the ball of your foot.
Using the Curve and walking 3 mph for 5 minutes definitely gets my heart rate up, while walking at the same speed on a motorized treadmill I can walk for 30 minutes and I notice very little difference in my heart rate at all.
So, I am wondering how effective a motorized treadmill is as compared to doing the same speed and distance walking/running outdoors. I have noticed many of the people using the motorized treadmills barely lift their feet and their foot comes down flat on the tread - so no heel then pushing off with the ball of the foot. So, is this just improper form when using the motorized treadmill or do you simply need to use the motorized treadmill much longer to get the same results you would get when you walk/run outdoors?
Luckily, scientific research has proven that setting the treadmill to a 1% grade accurately reflects the energy costs and simulates outdoor running. Therefore, by setting the treadmill to a 1% grade, you can offset the lack of wind resistance and the belt moving under you to make treadmill running the same effort as running outdoors.
Corroborating research has shown that VO2 max is the same when running on a treadmill compared to outside, clearly demonstrating that running on a treadmill is as effective as running outside.
Furthermore, research reveals that bio-mechanical patterns did not change when test subjects ran on a treadmill versus when they ran outside.
Thanks for the excellent article that explains the differences and the pros and cons of each. It also indirectly explains why the manual Curve treadmill is more of a workout for me than the motorized treadmills. The Curve has a built in incline to it and I suspect it is a bit more than 1%.
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