Treadmills Chicago IL

Cardio Equipment - Treadmills

Treadmills

Treadmills are used for stationary walking or running and come in either motorized of self-powered models.

• Treadmills have been shown to burn the most calories when compared to other machines at similar intensities.
  
  
• They are very versatile. You can go fast or slow, flat or incline and sometimes decline.
  
  
• Treadmills also keep you at the same pace. This is useful for trainers who have a tendency to slow down as they tire. A motorized treadmill will keep you honest!
  
  
• Most have some sort of electronic monitoring readout on the front as well as preprogrammed routines (e.g. interval training, hills, fat loss, etc.). These are useful for watching time and intensity as well as for varying your workouts.
  
  
• All in all, the treadmill is an excellent machine to do cardio work on.

The Problem With the Treadmill

The motorized treadmill does have a biomechanical problem to it, though, that is not immediately obvious.

• Since the tread goes backwards by itself, there is no forward-pushing force needed from the muscles, unlike ground walking where if you don't push forward, you don't go anywhere.
  
  
• Much of the work done on a treadmill is done when you bring your leg forward. This can overwork your hip flexors and underwork your glutes.
  
  
• Many runners find that if they train too much on a treadmill, their hip flexors become very tight and can cramp up on long runs on regular ground. Their hip flexors may also become very strong and well developed at the expense of their quads of glutes.

There are several ways you can remedy this problem.

• Consciously push back against the track as you walk or run, as though constantly trying to accelerate. Do not just passively allow the track to bring your leg backwards - push yourself forward. This alleviates the problem and has the added bonus of burning more calories by using more muscle mass.
  
  
• Avoid exercises that overstress the hip flexors. As well, sitting all day can aggravate tight hip flexors by putting them in a shortened position all day.
  
  
• Be sure to stretch your hip flexors after every treadmill session.

Buying A Treadmill

There are a number of things you should look for when you are buying a treadmill.

• Look for high continuous horsepower not peak horsepower. This will m...

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