Heart rate, RPE and oxygen
consumption were significantly
higher on the non-motorised
curved treadmill than on the
traditional treadmill
When the runners were at 10.0 km/h and 8% grade on the
motorised treadmill, the values for oxygen consumption, heart rate
and RPE were near identical to running at 10.0 km/h on the nonmotorised
curved treadmill. In short, the greater the incline on the
traditional motorised treadmill, the closer the energy expenditure got
to that of the curved non-motorised version.
The authors concluded that the non-motorised curved treadmill
elicited higher oxygen consumption, heart rate and RPE at all of
the inclines except for 8% which elicited a similar result to running
level at the same speed (10.0 km/h) on the curved non-motorised
treadmill. The authors attributed the higher values recorded on the
non-motorised curved treadmill to its unsteadiness. The authors
recommended the use of the non-motorised curved treadmill to
complete alternative running training sessions and to emulate uphill
training sessions.
Pros: This is a good, practical study which lends support to
including non-motorised curved treadmills in your running regimes
for the purpose of variability. Previous research by Edwards and
colleagues (2017) support the findings of higher cardiorespiratory
costs using a non-motorised curved treadmill. They found that
when running for six minutes (females 9 to 15 km/h; males 10.5 to
16.5 km/h), heart rate, RPE and oxygen consumption were higher
on the non-motorised curved treadmill as compared to a motorised
treadmill. Interestingly, the researchers also found that lighter runners
were required to work at a higher relative intensity due to having to
overcome the treadmill belt resistance on the non-motorised curved
apparatus.
However, for competitive runners, caution should be exercised.
A study by Hatchett and colleagues (2018) investigated the effects
on running on a curved treadmill with regard to running gait. These
researchers found significant changes in running stride length, step
length, increased stride angle and an increased imbalance score.
I found the curved treadmill output screen to be very good, in that
it provided me with speed (km/h), watts, time and distance. Although
my initial encounter with it shook me out of my comfort zone, I’m
determined to give the curved treadmill another shot and plan to
incorporate a couple of weeks of high intensity interval training on it
into my regime. Let’s see if my fitness improves.
Cons: It would have been beneficial for the researchers to also
have investigated the direct comparison at lower intensities, such as
walking and power walking between a traditional motorised treadmill
and the curved, non-motorised treadmill. It appears that, based
on this study, a curved treadmill is similar in energy expenditure to
running on a normal treadmill with an incline.
It may be that the higher energy expenditure
is also influenced by running on an unfamiliar
surface and goes down slightly as the runner
adapts to it. The biomechanics of running on
a regular treadmill is different to those of
running on normal ground or a running track.
It should be remembered that curved, nonmotorised
treadmill running also has different
biomechanical requirements (Hatchett et
al., 2018) than normal running. Therefore,
caution should be used in extensively using a
curved or non-curved mechanised treadmill
to train for sports performance, especially
running performance.
REFERENCES
Hatchett, A., Armstrong, K., Parr, B., Crews, M., & Tant, C.
(2018). The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on
Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle. MDPI
Sports. 6(3):58-67.
Edwards, R., Tofari, P., Cormack, S., & Whyte, D. (2017).
Non-motorized Treadmill Running is Associated with
Higher Cardiometabolic Demands Compared with
Overground and Motorized Treadmill Running. Frontiers in
Physiology. 8(914):1-11.
Dr Mike Climstein, PhD FASMF
FACSM FAAESS AEP
Dr Climstein is one of
Australia’s leading Accredited
Exercise Physiologists. He is a
faculty member in Clinical
Exercise Physiology, Sport &
Exercise Science at Southern
Cross University (Gold Coast).
Dr Joe Walsh, PhD
Joe is an exercise science
researcher. He has worked
in a number of large
international research teams
with study findings presented
around the world. In addition
to working in the university
sector, he is a director of
Fitness Clinic Five Dock and
Sport Science Institute.
NETWORK SPRING 2020 | 31