Treadmills are fitness machines that are characterized by a belt that moves in a continuous fashion. They range in style from very basic models to higher-grade models with digital screens, iPod attachments, kill switches and heart rate monitors. Although there are many pros to treadmills, there are also cons.
Usage
Treadmills are easy to use. You stand on the belt, hit the "start" button and you are moving. They start out going .5 MPH, so you have plenty of time to react and adjust your speed accordingly.
Convenient
When you run or walk outside and the weather turns nasty, you can get a similar workout on a treadmill. But a con to this is the fact that there is no wind resistance indoors and the belt moves on its own. You just simply have to keep up with it as it is turning. When you are outside, you actually have to move your entire body, which causes more physical work.
Less Impact
When you run on hard surfaces like concrete and blacktop, your knees, ankles, hips and back take a pounding. Being that you are not going forward when you are on a treadmill, there is less impact on your joints.
Speed Tracking
Interval training is characterized by alternating between fast and slow speeds. When you do this outside, you have to just estimate your speed. But on the treadmill, you can get dialed in to specific speeds so you always know how fast you are going.
Sport Specificity
When you partake in a sport, you want to train as specific to it as possible. A con with treadmills is that they have no practical application to running outdoors on rough surfaces. This can be seen if you run cross-country or road races.
Boredom
Treadmills come with various features like inclines, speed variations and fat-burning workouts. But no matter what you do on the treadmill, you are still in one place the whole time with no change in scenery. This can become tedious after a while and cause you to get bored.
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