TREADMILLS vs. RUNNING, pleaseee help me out...

[The ?]

Hello everyone,

Ive been workingout for sometime now...BUT my main problem was RUNNING.....i just cant run outside due to my schedule and weather....
because outside is out for me, i saved up some money and am now considering a TREADMILL...

i have used to it in gyms before but not that much...so i dont really know how treadmills compare to running on pavement...

CAN ANY OF YOU PLEASE ANSWER ME IN DETAIL IF A TREADMILL WILL DO JUST AS MUCH AS RUNNING ON PAVEMENT???

pros and cons......

i know that the friction helps a lot with pavement and makes you work harder....but a TREADMILL is what i am really into...

please explain if this is a good idea?

and further on, which kind of treadmill is the best? (dont wanna make a mistake)

thanks a lot! ill be waiting for some answers...

[Kitara]

I can only tell you my experience. I have a treadmill and I run outside as well. On the treadmill I can go alot further than I can on the pavement. My legs get much more tired running on the pavement. I also run out of breath more quickly.

But - does that hinder me from using my treadmill? No, of course not. I don't have very many times where I CAN run outside due to a great number of factors so I use my treadmill a lot.

Now - what to buy? I don't know. I bought mine through the newspaper. I just put an ad in, "Hey - looking for a treadmill." and I got a bunch of calls. The one I bought cost $1000 brand new and I paid $250 for it. It's still in great shape after my beating on it for 2 years and it was in good shape when I bought it. They don't sell the exact model I have anymore, but it's a Keys.

[The ?]

is it just as effective???????????????? the treadmill.....

for all the things that running on pavement would do....

basicly, lets say u wanna lose weight/get more toned/cardio ETC??????????????????????

does the treadmill work just as well....because ill do zero pavement running thats for sure....no way i can.....


thank you so much tho, thas cool....

[jimmyv]

Calm down, you're thinking too much. Seriously, anything that gets your heart pumping like hell is going to be just fine for cardio, and a treadmill will get the job done. A hardass workout on a treadmill is better than half-assing it on pavement -- enthusiasm is 90% of the game. So if you wanna do the treadmill thing, do it, and do it with gusto. You'll be fine.

[Kitara]

Originally Posted by The ?

because ill do zero pavement running thats for sure....

Just as effective? What's the difference if you'll do ZERO running on pavement? The answer to the question is irrelevant.

ANYTHING is better than nothing.

SHORT answer to your question. No - IMHO the treadmill is not just as effective as running on the pavement. Long answer? Too many factors to go into.

[Cort]

Treadmill will be fine...also I would recommend stair master for cardio too (nothing gets my heart pumping quite like it...scept maybe power cleans...but those aren't supposed to be cardio :thumbup: )

[mattjf]

I'll throw my $.02 in here. As I've said in other posts, I'm a distance runner. I in fact have a 15k race this Sunday. I have been training for a while now for it, and can't wait to do it, but I've messed up the inside of my right leg. I have no idea how. It's all swollen and hurts to walk. I might do the race anyway, against doctors orders. But thats another story.

The treadmill will be just fine for running. I personally hate treadmill running, but I have a short attention span and I just can't look at the same wall for hours on end. If it was a 20 minute run or something, I could do it, but I put many many hours out on the roads a week. I just couldn't look at my wall for that long. I like seeing the animals, the people, the cars, etc. It will get your heart rate up, and it will be great for cardio. Treadmills are actually a soft surface for running, so it's much better on the legs than cement. I'm not saying running hurts your joints, like lots of people like to claim. The truth of the matter is, the softer the surface, the easier it is on the legs and feet. Concrete is horrible. A dirt trail is good. A rubber track is better. Treadmill is one of the best. Some of the worlds best runners use the treadmill, especially during the winter. If an elite runner who can hold a 4 minute per mile pace can run on a treadmill, I'm sure it's fine for you. As for is it easier on a treadmill? I think it is. You don't fight the enviornments, you don't have constantly changing terrain, and you have the treadmill itself offering some assitance. Is it enough to make a difference? No. If you are looking for cardio, the treadmill is just perfect. You will burn the same amount of calories on the mill as the road. If you were trying to become a great runner, I would say you need to run on the roads most of the time.

This post got way too long. Basically, to sum up:
Pros - burns same calories as road running (assuming you don't run up and down big hills the whole time you run on the roads), softer running surface (doesn't hurt the legs, feet, and joints as much),

Cons - expensive, boring as hell for runs over an hour in length

Hope this helps.

-Matt

[The ?]

@ Kitara, jimmy, cort, Matt...thank you guys so much, you guys rock...

totally gave me all the answers....

till next...

[Kitara]

Originally Posted by mattjf

Cons - ...boring as hell for runs over an hour in length

LOL -- no kidding. I set my laptop up in front of my treadmill and watch "tv" on it so it passes the time more quickly. If I was just staring at the wall or at others in a gym I would get board VERY quickly.

P.S. Thank you for your insight Matt. My father was also a distance runner. He ran marathons my whole childhood. Anyway - my point is that his knee is not so good now and he runs on the treadmill for the reasons that you mentioned. He doesn't have as much pain running on the treadmill so he likes it better than running on the pavement now (although he still does that too, just not as much).

[derek145]

A couple of other points which I've heard in the past regarding treadmills...

1.) Using a 1-3 degree incline can better simulate outdoor running (friction, wind resistance, etc.)

2.) The calorie counters lie big time!!!!

3.) That your actual speed is slightly greater than that shown on the readouts.

The only one that I can really verify after two years of treadmill running is #2.

Good Luck