How do you guys like treadmills?

[Yellow Bastard]

I've heard a lot of experienced runners say how much they hate treadmills and never recommends anyone uses one. Apparently, it screws up your running form and is easy to get injured on, among other things.

Well, for some people like me living in Maine, I have no choice but to run on treadmills come winter season. If I had to pick I'd definitely go outside but I don't have the luxury.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

I own a Sole F80 and would own no other brand.

I used to sell treadmills, so here Is the #1 tip I will give you:

- minimum 3hp motor. Anything less will cause your belt to slip

You will pay "at least" $1k for quality-

 

[DocIllinois]

Treadmill pluses that I have found: Convenience, good ones can provide more joint cushion than pavement running, you can control variability in speed and incline.

Negatives: Expense, boring as hell to some, no variation in terrain features, you're using less muscles because the treadmill is doing the 'propulsion' work.


FWIW, agree with @Ooh-Rah; look for a powerful motor and you definitely get what you pay for. I picked up a used Proform 2000 for when time or outdoor cold/ ice are factors and am very happy with it.

 

[Devildoc]

I like treadmills for speed work/sprints, but otherwise despise them. We are on our second treadmill, a Nordic Track. My wife puts about 25 miles a week on ours and she loves it.

 

[Ranger Psych]

Why can't you run outside? We did PT in Alaska until it was.... -20? -25? at which time it was command dictated to PT indoors... which sucked, because there was zero heat control in the buildings... sweatbox gogogo.

3 layers, wicking underlayer, warmth layer, outer semi-permeable layer and a balaclava plus yaktrax and you're good to go everywhere it's plowed. Anywhere it aint? Bust out the snowshoes and go for a jaunt, as well as get some cross country skis. Both of those will smoke your BALLZ.

Then again, I'm not your average bear, so if I did any machine aerobics it was a jacobs ladder, elliptical, or I just did pool PT with some planning assistance from the PJ's up in Alaska, since I didn't have daggers and a draeger on my chest or whatnot to expand my knowledge base of using a pool to create pain.

 

[JustMe]

Why can't you run outside? We did PT in Alaska until it was.... -20? -25? at which time it was command dictated to PT indoors... which sucked, because there was zero heat control in the buildings... sweatbox gogogo.

3 layers, wicking underlayer, warmth layer, outer semi-permeable layer and a balaclava plus yaktrax and you're good to go everywhere it's plowed. Anywhere it aint? Bust out the snowshoes and go for a jaunt, as well as get some cross country skis. Both of those will smoke your BALLZ.

Then again, I'm not your average bear, so if I did any machine aerobics it was a jacobs ladder, elliptical, or I just did pool PT with some planning assistance from the PJ's up in Alaska, since I didn't have daggers and a draeger on my chest or whatnot to expand my knowledge base of using a pool to create pain.

I would be interested in what kind of plan they had set for you? I have a bunch of stuff from the internet I wonder if the one they gave you would be better...

On treadmills I used them for a while but I think stair climbers would be a better option as I feel (my personal opinion) the moving belt on a treadmill doesn't transfer well to actually running.

Just my .02...

 

[Gunz]

They're good for Physical Therapy but better to run outdoors if you can, whenever possible.

VAs got me scheduled to hit an underwater treadmill tomorrow in the pool. They ramp it up by having you "run" against jets of water.

 

[Yellow Bastard]

I own a Sole F80 and would own no other brand.

I used to sell treadmills, so here Is the #1 tip I will give you:

- minimum 3hp motor. Anything less will cause your belt to slip

You will pay "at least" $1k for quality-

Interesting, never payed attention to treadmill specs. Seems like the treadmills at my gym differ in speed, some seem faster and some slower. A couple of them break every so often.

Treadmill pluses that I have found: Convenience, good ones can provide more joint cushion than pavement running, you can control variability in speed and incline.

Negatives: Expense, boring as hell to some, no variation in terrain features, you're using less muscles because the treadmill is doing the 'propulsion' work.


FWIW, agree with @Ooh-Rah; look for a powerful motor and you definitely get what you pay for. I picked up a used Proform 2000 for when time or outdoor cold/ ice are factors and am very happy with it.

You can definitely do some good workouts on treadmills. Forcing yourself to run at a set speed is tough and if I were outside I'd probably slow down without knowing it. But like you said it's just boring as all hell. Running for more than 30 minutes drives me nuts

Why can't you run outside? We did PT in Alaska until it was.... -20? -25? at which time it was command dictated to PT indoors... which sucked, because there was zero heat control in the buildings... sweatbox gogogo.

3 layers, wicking underlayer, warmth layer, outer semi-permeable layer and a balaclava plus yaktrax and you're good to go everywhere it's plowed. Anywhere it aint? Bust out the snowshoes and go for a jaunt, as well as get some cross country skis. Both of those will smoke your BALLZ.

Then again, I'm not your average bear, so if I did any machine aerobics it was a jacobs ladder, elliptical, or I just did pool PT with some planning assistance from the PJ's up in Alaska, since I didn't have daggers and a draeger on my chest or whatnot to expand my knowledge base of using a pool to create pain.

It's not impossible, just never been a fan of running in sub freezing temps and I've never run in the snow before.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

I hate treadmills... I prefer to run trails or half mile tracks. Tracks to push times (set pace in tenth of mile incriminating) and trails to just get out see something different. Hate running roads (traffic and having to stop at intersections), hate running quarter mile tracks (gets old counting laps), and despise stationery exercise (weights not included).

 

[DA SWO]

Treadmills set you up for failure.
Resistance isn't as great as actually running a course.
Use them as a last resort.

 

[Ranger Psych]

I would be interested in what kind of plan they had set for you? I have a bunch of stuff from the internet I wonder if the one they gave you would be better...

On treadmills I used them for a while but I think stair climbers would be a better option as I feel (my personal opinion) the moving belt on a treadmill doesn't transfer well to actually running.

Just my .02...

No plan, just more discussion/demonstration (one of the teams was at the pool a day I went solo as recon for doing team/squad/profile group PT as an NCO) of different exercises for different muscle groups, etc. I volunteered often to take my team + the profiles and destroy them in the pool. I'm a good swimmer, always have been... so pool PT was a refreshing change yet zero reduction of physical training value. I will admit, for the funk-faker profiles at one point, when I watched them doing exactly everything they supposedly couldn't do in perfect form on their own time, that the hose was broken out at the pool... 1SG and CO knew about my Ranger games I had planned prior to execution as well.... lol

 

[JustMe]

No plan, just more discussion/demonstration (one of the teams was at the pool a day I went solo as recon for doing team/squad/profile group PT as an NCO) of different exercises for different muscle groups, etc. I volunteered often to take my team + the profiles and destroy them in the pool. I'm a good swimmer, always have been... so pool PT was a refreshing change yet zero reduction of physical training value. I will admit, for the funk-faker profiles at one point, when I watched them doing exactly everything they supposedly couldn't do in perfect form on their own time, that the hose was broken out at the pool... 1SG and CO knew about my Ranger games I had planned prior to execution as well.... lol

Awesome!

 

[Brill]

Interesting, never payed attention to treadmill specs. Seems like the treadmills at my gym differ in speed, some seem faster and some slower. A couple of them break every so often.



You can definitely do some good workouts on treadmills. Forcing yourself to run at a set speed is tough and if I were outside I'd probably slow down without knowing it. But like you said it's just boring as all hell. Running for more than 30 minutes drives me nuts



It's not impossible, just never been a fan of running in sub freezing temps and I've never run in the snow before.

I ran my first half-marathon on a treadmill...in Afghanistan...just to see if I could do it. I ran for two hours on a down day (conducted a "mish" the next day).

 

[Yellow Bastard]

I ran my first half-marathon on a treadmill...in Afghanistan...just to see if I could do it. I ran for two hours on a down day (conducted a "mish" the next day).

Damn, can't imagine running that long on a treadmill. I think that's more mentally impressive and than physically

 

[CDG]

I set the incline up to make it more closely resemble actual running. It's not exactly the same, but it's noticeably different than leaving it flat. It is easy to compromise form when you would be slowing down on an actual run. Try and stay conscious of that and slow the belt if you feel it happening.

 

[TLDR20]

Get a Jacobs ladder... That thing will smoke your balls off.

 

[SkrewzLoose]

I'm up to 20 minutes straight on our treadmill...on the ship...that rocks...
I nearly flew off for the first time the other night. You should all consider yourselves lucky to be running on those awful things on terra firma.