What Exercise Machine Is Like Jogging?

Jogging has become a popular exercise. It builds cardiovascular endurance, burns calories and fat, and tones muscles. Many cities now have jogging paths — in parks, around school playgrounds and in other public areas. Many of these paths possess all-weather surfaces such as asphalt or some rubbery composition material, and everyday hundreds of joggers, runners, walkers and bicyclists share the trails. But there are times when weather discourages outdoor jogging, and the alternative is to go inside.

Treadmill Indoors

The treadmill is the most common indoor jogging device, found in every exercise club and fitness center and in many homes. A treadmill is the only machine that can really replicate jogging on a path or trail. It has a moving belt on which the jogger steps and essentially runs in place, while the belt is moving. It largely duplicates the jogging effort outdoor. Stair-steppers and similar devices provide good exercise but do not imitate jogging.

Heart Rate Difference

A study by Marisha Corey, a graduate student at Brigham Young University in 2005, found a "significant" difference of more than 5 beats per minute between jogging on a treadmill and jogging on a track, when both were done at the same pace, with the average heart rate on the treadmill lower than that on the track. Corey said differences in air resistance, biomechanics and muscle activity probably accounted for the lower rate on the treadmill. The study was limited, but included both men and women, who jogged a mile at the same self-selected pace on a treadmill and on and indoor track, while heart rates were monitored.

Developed for Stress Test

Treadmill design has advanced since the first one for humans was developed in 1952 by Dr. Robert A. Bruce of the University of Washington. He developed the device not for exercise but as a way to test stress on human hearts. Patients were put on a slow-moving treadmill while hooked to monitors of heart and other functions. It did not take long for the idea to spread as an exercise device, and by the 1960s treadmills were standard items in fitness centers. Astronauts used them in training, boosting the idea.

Duplicate Outdoor Jogging

Today's treadmills replicate the variety of outdoor jogging by offering variable speeds and angles of incline, like jogging uphill. The basic idea of the machine is still the same — a moving belt on which a person jogs, either while holding handles for support or jogging freely like on a path. The treadmill is really the only substitute for just running in place.