One of the benefits of become a gym member is that you can just go running on a treadmill anytime you want, and it’s great. For so many reasons, it’s actually a better experience than running outdoors.
Treadmill Advantages
Here are some advantages that you get when you opt for a treadmill over running outside:
You Don’t Care About the Weather Outside
Run outside, and you’re at the mercy of the outside temperature. It can be very cold as it’s winter, or it can be raining. Either way, you’re risking injuries due to running on slippery surfaces.
Or it can be the middle of summer, and the sun can be mercilessly shining down on you. Now you have to worry about dehydration, and even about heat exhaustion.
With a treadmill indoors, you can just control the temperature with your HVAC devices, and you’re good to go.
It’s Safer
You don’t have to worry about dogs, muggers and other bad guys, road vehicles (including bikes), dangerous plants, or whatever. You’re safe either at the gym or at home, when you’re on the treadmill. You can just put on your earbuds and listen to music, which is dangerous when you’re on the road.
You Set the Conditions
You’re able to maintain a consistent pace, and you can stop at any time. You can also adjust the settings to make the run more challenging, or to simulate race conditions by increasing the incline. It’s all up to you.
It’s Great for Your Joints
Roads and pavements put on more stress on your knees and ankles than treadmills.
Cons of Treadmills (But You Can Compensate for Them)
Treadmills do have several drawbacks when compared to running outdoors. But more modern technology has basically compensated and mostly eliminated these issues:
You’re Not Running Against the Wind
Some say that running outdoors is more efficient at burning calories, since you’re running on hills or against the wind. That means you’re using up more energy to maintain the same pace.
But there’s this thing we already mentioned about treadmills—you have adjustable settings! So, you can increase the pace and also put on an incline, and you’ll use up more energy. Problem solved.
It’s Boring
Yes, that may be true, but it doesn’t have to be. You can just always place a huge TV screen in front of you, and that should alleviate the boredom. You can watch your favorite TV show, get the news, or even put on some random outdoor environment, like a track through a picturesque forest. And you can always change that random environment, so that one day you’re in New Zealand and the next day you’re in the Scottish Highlands.
You Can’t Run Downhill
This is no longer true, as many new, advanced treadmills offer declines as well as inclines. These include such great treadmills as the following:
- NordicTrack Commercial X32i
- Sole TT8
- ProForm Pro 2000
- NordicTrack Commercial 2950
- LifeSpan TR5500iM
You Can’t Make Turns
At this point, it’s just nitpicking. Yes, you can’t make turns when you’re on a treadmill. But how often do you make turns when you’re running in the streets, anyway? Besides, you can always compensate by doing various exercises that boost your lateral agility.
Keep in mind that most people run to boost their cardio health and to burn off calories. And running straight is just fine for those goals.
Treadmills Can Still Cause Injuries
Despite the obvious safety advantage of treadmills, some proponents of outdoor running cite the statistic that the US sees more than 24,000 injuries related to treadmills each year. These include sprains, falls, head injuries, and even cardiac problems when treadmill runners push too hard and run too fast.
But here’s another fact—the injury figures for outdoor runners are even worse!
Treadmills are Expensive
Yes, that’s true. Most cardio machines aren’t exactly cheap. But that’s why you go to a gym in the first place. You have all these expensive workout machines and advanced treadmills, and you’re not really paying a lot to use them. So, head on out to a gym like Jetts Gym where they offer high-quality cardio gyms (and other nifty pieces of equipment), and you only pay less than $15 per week.
All in all, treadmills are just fabulous, and they’re generally much better than outdoor running all in all!