Treadmill v. T3h Road?

[*BiGBonES**]

What do you guys think about treadmills in terms of exercise compared to road running?

 

I personally think treadmills suck. I find that running on a treadmill is more about bouncing up and down rather than pushing off the ground and moving yourself along.

 

Running on a road seems to be much harder. I think you end up doing more of the work, therefore road running burns off more calories than the treadmill? However, it puts more pressure on the joints due to zilch suspension and is more likely to lead to an injury.

 

What are your opinions? I noticed fatty is training hard on his uncovered mill, but could he be using his time more efficiently by jogging around the block?

[Brillow_Head]

Running on the road is more intense as you have to carry your momentum where on a treadmill you dont as much. Good thing about the treadmill is it forces you to maintain a steady pace.

[Fatty]

For one, the treadmill is much easier on your knees.

 

I, however, have never had knee problems, even with all the years on the grid iron (although it's no time to start).

 

Ironically, I ran outside today:

 

4 Mile run outside

35:02

8:29

8:54

8:49

8:50

 

I went out last night and bought myself a iriver mp3 player that I strap to my bicep, which causes me to look very l337 while running.

 

Had lunch with a family from church yesterday (he's training for a marathon in October) and he got on my about running 2.5 miles everyday. He convinced me to take a day off. So, I swam laps with Ella hanging on my back instead (weee!)

 

I may run one of the short 5k legs of some run he was talking about too...I think that's like 3.1 miles or something. No problem! My problem with running though, is, well, I'm not really built for it. I'm like the dwarf in LotR..."I'm wasted on long-distance. Dwarves are natural sprinters, very deadly over short distances."

 

Wow, I'm hijacking the topic.

 

Is one better than the other? Nope. It's not about where what when and how. It's your heartbeat getting into the workout rate and maintaining. It's about sweating and burning the muscles. If one causes you to work harder or allows you to train more thoroughly, then that's the one for you.

 

Other points:

 

-My treadmill is actually harder to run on, because it's at a constant 1.5 degree incline (my best 4 mile was over 38 minutes).

-You can kill yourself on the treadmill and look like you're about to collapse a little more readily than you would in public on the street.

-TV's are good distractions on the treadmill

-Again, impact is less, this is important for some.

 

-I like fresh air outside, the wind in your face is nice and keeps you cooled a little more as well (unless it's hot out of course and you're in the sun)

-I like the changing scenery outside. I like saying "good morning" to other runners and imagining kicking the teeth out of the dogs that play tough behind fences.

-I like my new mp3 player although the ear-bud headphones sux0r.

[Fatty]

I find that running on a treadmill is more about bouncing up and down rather than pushing off the ground and moving yourself along.

 

You're ignoring physics with that logic, btw. It's not a trampoline, the tread is moving instead of you, you're moving along.....you're just confused because you're walls aren't going by really fast!

[duma]

Well, I was a road runner (for about 12 years) and now I am using the treadmill (less than a year). I don't like th treadmill, but I think it is better.

 

The treadmill makes you keep your pace (as has been said). I can set my speed at whatever I want, and I know my miles as I am doing it. Running is more guess work. That isn't to say it can't be done, as I know ppl that can tell you exactly what minute mile they are running.

 

The treadmill can make you go up an incline that you might not find on the road, and if you do, it is likely a route that you have to take in order to hit that hill. You can tell it when you want to run the incline, for how long, and at what speed. You simply can not do that on the road.

 

Saftey is another benefit. There are no cars, black bears, dogs, or [other] that will likely jump you while on the treadmill. Also, if you have an accident, you are not stuck 3 miles away from home.

 

Of course there are other reasons (as some have said already). Those are just the ones I look at when I think of why the treadmill is better.

 

Given only those slight three favors, I still like the road. You can't beat the environment. You can really get lost in yourself while running on the road. I can't do that in a gym.

[Fatty]

One big thing for me are my kids.

 

As I'm home from work ~90 minutes before their mother, I can get away with a run when the lil one is nappin and the other two are playing. Taking off for 4 miles might not go over well with my kids still in the house. Convenience for a Daddy scores high for the mill.

 

However, I'm with Duma. There's just something better about being outside.

[*BiGBonES**]

Nice replies, I'm starting to see your sides of the arguement.

 

Do you guys find that time goes faster on the treadmill or when road running?

 

When on the treadmill, I have keep looking at the timer, and the more I look at it, the slower it goes, and when im not looking at the timer im also wondering how long their is left.

 

However, I find it helps when you have a big mirror infront of you, so you can check out your running technique and feel good about yourself.

 

 

 

 

On the road, all I think about is running. I'm thinking about every next stride im going to take, whether or not its going to be in a ditch or right in the middle of the pavement. I enjoy the change of scenary aswell.

 

However, I do not have a treadmill in my garage. If I did, I would more than likely use the treadmill.

[Fatty]

I have a TV and a CD player with a headset in front of my treadmill.

[duma]

I run at a gym that has a cinema and another room with a wall of TV's. If it is a good movie, I can really get into it and forget that I am even running, but that isn't usually the case.

 

To be honest though, I still think the best workout comes via the treadmill, even if you start counting the minutes.

[*BiGBonES**]

So what do you guys watch when your running?

[shep48]

food network j/k

Edited September 6, 2005 by shep48

[duma]

So what do you guys watch when your running?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I usually watch the movies.... and they play just about everything.

 

In the rare event that they are showing a movie that I dont want to see, I watch the news, or more likely, ESPN. Matter of fact, with football season on its way, I will likely be watching ESPN instead of the movies.

[Fatty]

Mine doesn't change from Spike (unless wrestling is on, can't stand it....of all the manly things, that's not one of em...now...UFC, that's a different story)

 

trying running and laughing at MxC at the same time...

 

usually when I'm on I'll see World's Wilderst Police Chases or CSI.

 

When football starts, watch that. Set a goal and jog for an entire 1/4 instead of watching it from the sofa.

[gOOters]

treadmills have air conditioning.

[Sid]

I've done both and the only reason I like the treadmill more is beacuse it is easier to track my progress. As well as making a set pace or incline. I'm a number freak I guess. Too many unknowns outside. LOL

[appalachian_fox]

When I "run", I prefer machines. The treadmill is gentler on the joints, which is very nice. Also, the lack of scenery isn't that distressing to me, especially since if you run from your house you get a lot of the same scenery over and over. I usually use the time to let my mind wander, so on a treadmill I can really let my mind wander for a few minutes because I don't need to watch for oncoming traffic. There's also the added bonus of reading magazines and large-print books (so you can actually READ them).

 

The elliptical machines they have are also pretty neat. I've heard people say it messes up their stride, but I've only noticed an issue with stride when doing Fartleks/intervals, and it never bothered me. Plus, even lower impact on the joints.

 

But of course, as most people have already recognized, there's something about the outside. Stick, meet dead horse.

[Rashad]

I prefer treadmills for my day-to-day workouts. Every once in a while I may run outside just to clear my mind and relax.

[Fatty]

What is Fartlek, precious?

[appalachian_fox]

Fartlek is a Swedish term and is similar to interval training. In fact, I consider them equal (though some serious trainees would chastise me severely). You mix periods of high-intensity training with periods of low-intensity recovery. It apparently is a very efficient fat loss / conditioning tool, according to people with M.D. in their name, and I have to say it worked very well for me. Harder to do on a treadmill, but possible (speed / incline changes). Also easy to overexert / injure yourself if you are not honest with your level of conditioning, etc. However, you can get the same workout in less time (depending on how hard you go). It's also nice because it mixes up your workout and really makes you concentrate on what you are doing, so the time goes by faster. Downside is you're exhausted (or you're not doing it right), so you have to really pay attention and push yourself. Nice to mix in with plain ol' running for a change.

 

Good overview (and word origin: fart = speed in Swedish, go fig.):

 

http://www.stumptuous.com/fartlek.html

 

Fartlek suggestions to work into your routine (when I'm in shape I do them at my own pace, but whatever):

 

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/fartlek.htm

Edited September 8, 2005 by appalachian_fox

[*BiGBonES**]

I used to do interval training down at the local atheltics club (best in England five years running ).

 

The genereal procedure was do # metres, with # minutes rest. At first I used to stand around and chat for my rest, but its actually better to keep jogging instead of standing still. The jogging keeps blood circulating around the legs to remove lactic acid and stops you from getting stiff.

 

So I suppose fartlek > interval training, although it depends to what extent you do the training at.

 

An example of fartlex training would be:

 

Sprint from one lampost to the next, jog to the lampost after that, then walk to the next lampost in line. Repeating that for 20minutes could be a good cardio workout if your simply looking to loose weight or stay reasonably healthy.

[Fatty]

I'd have picked a better name....

 

One thing you can do on the real road that you can't do on a tread mill? Run further from home than you planned so as to force yourself to run further total. I just set a personal lifetime record for distance run tonight!

[appalachian_fox]

Gratz Fatty!

 

Fartlek = Speed Play (in Swedish). So, you know those crazy Swedes.

 

Besides, Fartlek! I think that's a great name! Of course I never grew out of the scat humor phase.