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Are you shortchanging your workoutor might the two actually be interchangeable?
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The short answer: For the vast majority of pavement pounders, there wont be much of a difference.
There are, however, a few nuances to it.
First: A treadmill can make running safer and more accessible, so quit ragging on it.
just, just, stop calling it the dreadmill or saying its atorture machine.
I always hate seeing people demonize it, Dr. Willy says.
TakeAllison Gruber, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology at Indiana University Bloomington.
I live in an area where people drive terribly on curvy, wooded roads.
There are no sidewalks, she tells SELF.
And if the option is run during nap time or dont run, its a great option to have.
Another way a treadmill can make running more accessible?
But youre not imagining it: Treadmill running can definitely feel harder than when youre outside.
(That holds true for motorized treadmills.
Those you power on your ownlike theWoodway Curveor theTrueForm Trainerare more demanding, he says.)
And, you wont feel the air rushing past you, either.
The fact that theres no scenery to distract you also plays a role.
(Dr. Willy, for instance, can read journal articles during some of his easier treadmill runs.)
You might also find having the pace or time constantly in your face makes it all drag even more.
In that case, Goodman recommends covering up the display with a towel.
But thats based on old data, Dr. Willy says.
Some examples of what Goodman calls her treadmill specials: a Fartlek or speedplay run.
Another less-thinky option is toput on a playlist and run one song faster, one song slower.
Just doing an easy run?
So, he studied it, and thedatabacked him up.
That means if youre rehabbing some hip or hamstring pain, the tread might feel better.
When it comes to the risk of re-aggravating an injury, the treadmill has pros and cons.
And most runners take shorter, faster steps on the treadmill, Dr. Willy says.
A higher cadence is known to reduce tissuedamageand may cut the risk of overuse injuries like stress fractures.
Increasing the variability in how you step can distribute the load [of running] better.
Thats another reason to add some surges or changes in incline, which switch up the way you step.
(In fact, researchsuggeststhat might reduce injury risk regardless of where you run).
So dont be afraid to give treadmills a tryjust ease into it for a smoother transition.
If youve been running outdoors regularly, you dont have to start all over with a couch-to-treadmill-5K program.
Just dont do your first 12-mile run on the treadmill, she says.
Break it in like you would a new pair of shoes.
Treadmill running isnt cheating or any less of a fitness boost than an outdoor run.
So if the tread is a safer, more appealing, or the only option, dont sweat it.
Whatever can keep you running, do it, Gruber says.
Dont worry about the small little details.
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