Treadmill or outdoor training : which is better in the long-run ?
Indoor exercise and road-running each have their benefits and drawbacks
Is training on a treadmill better than running out in the open ? The answer is that both have their benefits , although there are fewer drawbacks from using a running machine .
Stephanie Chok , a researcher at Universiti Malaysia Sabah who represented Malaysia for years as a cyclist and triathlete , talks up the benefits of treadmill training . Still competing at the local level , she trains both outdoors and on her home treadmill but says that she gets fewer injuries from her treadmill , and open running doesn ’ t give her the precision she needs while training for events .
“ The benefit of treadmills for me is for speed work , like interval runs and tempo runs , that I need for control of my environment . If I ’ m running on the road , I might hit a red light and have to stop , whereas I can set a course or an incline on a treadmill and it will not finish until I tell it to ,” she told Global Health Asia-Pacific .
Another benefit of treadmill running is that she can train at any time of the day without worrying about Sabah ’ s hot and humid afternoons . But still , there is a time for outdoors training , especially when it comes to acclimatising to a balmy environment .
“ It ’ s good to vary your running surface . I ’ ve run too much on Tarmac and had injuries , which is my own fault , but running on gravel , grass or sand are very good for the proprioceptors ( the body ’ s motion receptors ) as a means to prevent injury ,” she said .
“ In terms of cardiovascular fitness and flexibility , generally , treadmill running is as good as outdoor running . But I would say it ’ s got more pros than cons compared to other running ,” said Jeffrey Sashitaram , owner of Platinum Physio in Kuala Lumpur , which specialises in physiotherapy and rehabilitation .
Outdoor running obviously has a lot more variables . You have things like an uneven surface , you will hit more holes in the road , and it ’ s harder to balance .
“ It ’ s obviously easier on your joints when you ’ re indoors because most of the treadmills now have shock absorbers . They absorb a lot of ground reaction force that goes through your joints . This saves your joints , ligaments , and muscles and causes less damage ,” he told Global Health Asia-Pacific .
Despite these advantages , it ’ s believed that the repetitive nature of running on treadmills could be problematic as it only works certain muscles in the legs and body . In this way , these muscles can become overloaded .
“ When you run outdoors , you will meet curves , corners and hills , which alters your pace . You ’ re in control and you ’ re using more muscles . When you keep on using the same muscles on the treadmill , the theory suggests that you can over-burden those muscles ,” said Sashitaram .
“ There is some truth in this to some extent , but the cons in outdoor running definitely outweigh the cons from indoor running .”
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com JUNE 2021
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