How Treadmills Are Shaping the Future of Home Workouts

When given the choice, some runners prefer running on the road rather than on a treadmill. However, experts suggest that including treadmill running in your weekly workouts has several benefits. The treadmill can be fantastic for improving running cadence. Also called stride frequency, running cadence is simply the number of steps per minute you take while running.

For many runners, the fastest way to achieve significant benefits is to change their running cadence, says Jack McNamara, M.S. a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)-certified strength and conditioning specialist and CPT.

He is also a clinical exercise physiologist specializing in running training techniques. A faster cadence, or taking more steps per minute, means taking shorter, smoother strides, which can reduce the load on your joints and bones. "That translates to less impact on your lower back, knees, and pelvis, and a lower risk of injury," McNamara adds. She also claims that because the treadmill moves at a fixed speed, it's ideal for running at a higher cadence at a given pace.

5 possible Benefits of Running on a Treadmill

But before you can improve your running cadence, you need to know your current cadence. You can calculate it by setting a stopwatch for 20 seconds and counting the number of times you touch the ground with your feet. Multiply that number by three to get your steps per minute. You can also record yourself and count your steps. Add 5% to your cadence. That's the cadence you should aim for. So, if your current running cadence is 150 steps per minute, you should aim to increase it to approximately 157 steps per minute.

Once you can comfortably maintain that goal cadence at 5K pace, add another 5% and do it again, says McNamara. To set the context, McNamara stated that the original "optimal running cadence" of 180 steps per minute came about in the 1984 Olympic Games when athletic coach Jack Daniels noticed that the fastest and most efficient runners took at least 180 steps per minute regardless of their height or gender. However, as McNamara pointed out, it's critical to remember that, for most runners, 180 steps per minute isn't a universal rule, especially for recreational runners.

Three Drawbacks of Running on a Treadmill

For example, taller people will take fewer steps per minute and have a lower cadence," says Claire Bartholic, an ASFA-certified running coach. When runners run at a cadence that's too slow for their body's movement, they compensate by taking excessively long strides, locking their knees, and landing their heels heavily," McNamara says. This can cause your stride to bounce and be inefficient, placing unnecessary stress on your muscles, joints, and bones and increasing your risk of injury. According to Bartholic, light, quick steps are more effective because they prevent bouncing with each step.

With a faster cadence, your stride length decreases, increasing the likelihood of placing your foot under your pelvis and at your center of gravity," says McNmara. "Aiming to increase your cadence by 5% can improve your overall efficiency and help you achieve better running economy for your height and age." Research published in a 2019 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology states that elite and recreational runners typically prefer a running cadence between 160 and 200 steps per minute. Find out the ideal cadence for you.

Wellness Beyond the Four Walls

If you think counting your steps will become distracting, there are other ways to track your running cadence on the treadmill. For example, you can use a tracking device that measures cadence, download a metronome app, or even create a curated playlist that corresponds to your steps-per-minute goal. Running on a treadmill allows you to run safely at any time. For many female runners and anyone concerned about their safety, or who has a more complicated schedule.

The treadmill offers a safe place to exercise without worrying about potential hazards, such as street harassment, says Marnie Kunz, a NASM-certified personal trainer and a USATF and RRCA certified running coach. The treadmill also allows you to complete your workout regardless of the weather. Obviously, you can go for a run if it's snowing, windy, or icy, but you risk falling and injuring yourself," adds Kenny Cruz, an RRCA-certified running coach at Blink Fitness. On the other end of the spectrum, running in extreme heat increases your chances of heat exhaustion or heatstroke. "If you can use a treadmill.

Conclusion

Technically, the treadmill does some of the running work for you. This means your muscles work less during treadmill workouts than during outdoor sessions. The treadmill moves your legs backward, unlike when you're the one propelling your body forward," Cruz says. This reduces stress on the small muscles that contribute to stability and on the hamstrings, which would otherwise be responsible for completing the stride cycle during outdoor running sessions. If you only run on the treadmill, these muscles won't be as developed as they would be if you were running outdoors.

For example, in a 2017 study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, a group of young adults recovering from a sprained ankle participated in a 12-week program in which they walked on either a treadmill or an outdoor running track. The outdoor walking group had greater improvements in lower-body strength and ankle range of motion than the treadmill group. The authors of this study note that these results are consistent with previous research showing that runners don't flex their ankles as much when running on a treadmill. This doesn't put you at greater risk for injury when using a treadmill. In fact, changing the type of surface you run on can be beneficial.

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