In the dark days of winter, opting to run on an indoor treadmill rather than braving the cold may seem tempting. But does it bring the same effects?
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One thing that could make the treadmill easier is the lack of air resistance 鈥� you don鈥檛 have to displace the air in front of you when you run on the spot. To make up for this and ensure an indoor workout isn鈥檛 too easy, some people religiously set the treadmill鈥檚 incline to 1 per cent. That figure originated from a 1996 study that found runners doing a 7-minute-per-mile pace to run over ground as they did on a treadmill with a 1 per cent incline. However, at slower speeds, there were no differences in the energy costs of running over ground or on a flat treadmill. So at an easy pace, there is no need to touch the incline dial 鈥� the treadmill isn鈥檛 any easier than outside.
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Many people think the 鈥渄readmill鈥� feels harder, not easier. Runners on a treadmill asked to replicate a pace they had previously run on a track, for example, slower. at Harvard Medical School, who studies the biomechanics of running, has seenthe same thing 鈥� people find that comfortable paces suddenly seem less so on the mill. She blames the treadmill forcing you to maintain one speed, which is tiring and unnatural. When you run outdoors, 鈥測ou鈥檙e constantly speeding up and slowing down and probably adjusting your speed to your fatigue level鈥�, she says.
Another explanation is the lack of visual cues that help you gauge your pace, says at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e often looking at a wall or a window,鈥� he says. What鈥檚 more, there can be added psychological benefits to running outside in pleasant scenery or in a green space. A review of studies that compared exercising indoors and outside found that people who worked out in the fresh air had higher levels of satisfaction and enjoyment, and said they were more likely to do it again than those who exercised indoors.
For those who still prefer the treadmill, Davis recommends adjusting the speed throughout the workout according to how you feel. And for those 1 percenters, she advises varying the incline. 鈥淎nything constant is not a good thing for your body,鈥� she says. 鈥淵our body is meant to be loaded in lots of different ways,鈥� 鈥� whether it鈥檚 easy or not.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淚s a treadmill as good as running outside?鈥�
