If you're intrigued by the idea of buying a treadmill, you may be interested in a few little-known facts about the device.
These are things that most people don't know, but that anyone who is thinking about owning a treadmill, or who currently owns one, should absolutely be aware of.
Treadmill Trivia Factoid Number One If you were to compare running or walking on a treadmill to running or walking outside, you would find that it is significantly easier on the treadmill.
At least that's what some recent studies showed.
In the studies, they discovered that if a person were to run somewhere between four and ten miles per hour, they would expend up to five percent more effort doing that outside than indoors on a treadmill.
Whenever people are informed of this fact, the speculation begins as to why this is the case, and the most common guess is that it's because the walking surface on the treadmill is moving underneath your feet and is powered by a motor.
People tend to believe that the motor and the moving belt are doing some of the work for you.
While that might sound logical, in fact it has nothing to do with the ease of running.
The reason it is easier is simply because the running surface on the treadmill is flawless and absolutely consistent, and it reduces an aspect of the concentration that outdoor running requires.
This also reduces some of the muscle tension and cuts down on the overall effort of the run.
There is another reason which is equally important.
When you run outside, the forward motion of your own body creates a wind that pushes against you, as you move forward.
The faster you run, the more resistance there is.
This accounts for another reason why it is easier to run on a treadmill, where you aren't moving forward at all.
Now, here's a little tip on how to produce the same workout on your treadmill that you could expect to get outside.
Adjust the incline setting on your machine to a grade of one percent for every four miles per hour you are moving.
Treadmill Trivia Factoid Number Two Runners can develop poor habits on a treadmill.
This has more to do with the actual model of treadmill you are using, combined with your height, weight and physical stature, than with any other factors but it is important just the same.
For example, if the user is quite tall, which usually means their legs are long, they might be compromising their stride to avoid hitting the motor casing with their feet.
While this is not the sort of physical habit that will stick with a person once they start running outside, it's a problem because any time you change the way you run or walk you increase the likelihood of sustaining injury.
A similar problem arises if a person runs the treadmill at too high a pace and runs in an unnatural posture in their effort to stay up with it.
Running form is also often compromised by treadmill users that lean on the sidebars or the front console while running, or use the bars to take some of the weight off their lower body.
These practices should be eliminated to avoid the possibility of injury and to ensure that you get the best possible workout.
Treadmill Trivia Factoid Number Three I find this bit of trivia rather amusing.
Did you know that the computer console on your treadmill might be telling you that you're burning ten to twenty percent more calories than you actually are? Well, according to private studies and product testing on some of the less expensive treadmills, the calorie counters are way off.
No one is sure why this is, since it doesn't cost anymore to compute calorie usage accurately than it does to be off by twenty percent.
Some reviewers speculate that the manufacturers program their machines this way as a form of competition.
You might be more likely to use a machine that is telling you that you are burning more calories.
It's the same reason people prefer certain bathroom scales over others.
But whatever the reason that treadmill calorie counters are off, don't be fooled into thinking you can eat twice as many cookies simply because of something your treadmill readout told you.
These are things that most people don't know, but that anyone who is thinking about owning a treadmill, or who currently owns one, should absolutely be aware of.
Treadmill Trivia Factoid Number One If you were to compare running or walking on a treadmill to running or walking outside, you would find that it is significantly easier on the treadmill.
At least that's what some recent studies showed.
In the studies, they discovered that if a person were to run somewhere between four and ten miles per hour, they would expend up to five percent more effort doing that outside than indoors on a treadmill.
Whenever people are informed of this fact, the speculation begins as to why this is the case, and the most common guess is that it's because the walking surface on the treadmill is moving underneath your feet and is powered by a motor.
People tend to believe that the motor and the moving belt are doing some of the work for you.
While that might sound logical, in fact it has nothing to do with the ease of running.
The reason it is easier is simply because the running surface on the treadmill is flawless and absolutely consistent, and it reduces an aspect of the concentration that outdoor running requires.
This also reduces some of the muscle tension and cuts down on the overall effort of the run.
There is another reason which is equally important.
When you run outside, the forward motion of your own body creates a wind that pushes against you, as you move forward.
The faster you run, the more resistance there is.
This accounts for another reason why it is easier to run on a treadmill, where you aren't moving forward at all.
Now, here's a little tip on how to produce the same workout on your treadmill that you could expect to get outside.
Adjust the incline setting on your machine to a grade of one percent for every four miles per hour you are moving.
Treadmill Trivia Factoid Number Two Runners can develop poor habits on a treadmill.
This has more to do with the actual model of treadmill you are using, combined with your height, weight and physical stature, than with any other factors but it is important just the same.
For example, if the user is quite tall, which usually means their legs are long, they might be compromising their stride to avoid hitting the motor casing with their feet.
While this is not the sort of physical habit that will stick with a person once they start running outside, it's a problem because any time you change the way you run or walk you increase the likelihood of sustaining injury.
A similar problem arises if a person runs the treadmill at too high a pace and runs in an unnatural posture in their effort to stay up with it.
Running form is also often compromised by treadmill users that lean on the sidebars or the front console while running, or use the bars to take some of the weight off their lower body.
These practices should be eliminated to avoid the possibility of injury and to ensure that you get the best possible workout.
Treadmill Trivia Factoid Number Three I find this bit of trivia rather amusing.
Did you know that the computer console on your treadmill might be telling you that you're burning ten to twenty percent more calories than you actually are? Well, according to private studies and product testing on some of the less expensive treadmills, the calorie counters are way off.
No one is sure why this is, since it doesn't cost anymore to compute calorie usage accurately than it does to be off by twenty percent.
Some reviewers speculate that the manufacturers program their machines this way as a form of competition.
You might be more likely to use a machine that is telling you that you are burning more calories.
It's the same reason people prefer certain bathroom scales over others.
But whatever the reason that treadmill calorie counters are off, don't be fooled into thinking you can eat twice as many cookies simply because of something your treadmill readout told you.