Treadmills can be a very effective tool for helping you burn calories. As with any workout or exercise equipment, however, there are both pros and cons in regards to treadmill use. Understanding what those pros and cons are can help you improve the quality of your treadmill workout.
Injuries
You will face some possibility of injuries to yourself and others while running on a treadmill. Some of these, like shin splints and joint wear, are simply inherent risks of running itself -- whether on a treadmill or outside on the road or a trail. Minimize your risk of developing shin splints by wearing high quality running shoes that have been recommended specifically for you by an expert. Other risks, like the possibility of children burning themselves on the moving belt while you are running, are inherent to treadmills themselves.
Intangibles
To many people, jogging on a treadmill is just plain boring. Treadmills do give you the option to distract yourself with a television, at least. Additionally, some people do not like treadmill running because, since you are actually motionless the entire time, you do not have to run against the air resistance and wind that you would face in an outdoor run. This means that identical runs of the same distance, speed and duration, one on a treadmill and one outside, will burn slightly fewer calories on the treadmill.
Calories Burned
A 170-lb. person who walks on a level treadmill for 30 minutes at 2 miles per hour will burn about 96 calories. If the same person increases the intensity to a 5 mile per hour jog for the same 30 minute workout, the calories burned increases to 332. Increasing again to an 8 mile per hour run increases the calories burned to 509.
Workout Enhancements
You have several different options if you want to make your treadmill workout more challenging and efficient. Try walking or jogging while holding a pair of light dumbbells to add an upper body workout. Some treadmills have a feature that allows you to walk backwards, which uses different muscles, just start slow and be careful not to fall. Of course, increasing the incline periodically will put a significantly greater demand on your body, allowing you to burn more calories faster.
References
- Calories Per Hour: Activity Calculator
- National Institutes of Health: A 1% Treadmill Grade Most Accurately Reflects the Energetic Cost of Outdoor Running; Jones AM et al; August 1996
- Treadmill Talk: Tips for Treadmill Workouts
- Running Times: Four Great Treadmill Workouts; Greg McMillan
- The Health Care Center: How to Get a Good Treadmill Workout
- Beginner Triathlete: Treadmill Running: Just How Good Is It?; October 2007
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