The Benefits Of Treadmills
If you’re looking to buy cardio training equipment for your home, treadmills are a very popular choice. They’re easy to use, they allow you to control the intensity and duration of your workout and they also have a number of key benefits over regular road running. In this article I’m going to be taking a more detailed look at treadmills and discussing the benefits of adding a treadmill to your home workout collection.
1) High Calorie Burn
One of the best things about treadmills is that they burn a lot more caloriesthan almost any other piece of home workout equipment. For an average person, an hour of moderate jogging on the treadmill at 10kph will burn through 825 calories. This is over 250 calories more than an hour of moderate exercise on an exercise bike or rowing machine and over 100 calories more than an hour of moderate exercise on an elliptical trainer.
In terms of weight loss, this means that by jogging on a treadmill moderately for one hour every day, you’ll lose an extra half a pound every week compared with cycling on an exercise bike or rowing on a rowing machine moderately for the same period of time. You’ll also lose an extra quarter of a pound every week compared with exercising moderately on an elliptical trainer for one hour every day.
This might not sound like much but it adds up to losing an extra 2.2 pounds per month and an extra 26 pounds per year compared with cycling or rowing and an extra 1.1 pounds per month or 13 pounds per year compared with elliptical training.
2) Effective Cardio Training
Another great thing about treadmills is that they’re one of the most effective machines for improving your cardiovascular fitness. While all cardio machines improve your cardiovascular fitness to some extent, the extra effort you expend on a treadmill means that your heart becomes stronger and your lung capacity increases at a faster rate than it does when using other cardio machines. This means by using a treadmill you’ll be able to see faster results than if you use other cardio machines and maximize your fitness in the shortest time possible.
3) Strengthens Your Bones
As well as boosting your fitness and burning lots of calories, treadmills are also one of the few cardio machines that strengthen your bones. Unlike cycling, rowing or stepping, running on a treadmill is a weight bearing exercise which causes your bone mineral density to increase. As a result, your bones become stronger and less susceptible to breaks and fractures when you run on a regular basis.
4) Lower Impact Than Road Running
If you’re a fan of outdoor running but it’s started to take its toll on your joints, treadmill running is a fantastic, low impact alternative. While treadmill running still involves some impact, the cushioned surface absorbs the vast majority of the impact and as a result treadmill running is much kinder to your ankles, knees and hips than road running.
5) Weather Proof
Another perk of treadmill running is that it allows you to carry on running, even when the weather outside is bad. No matter how much you love outdoor running, sometimes the rain, wind or snow make it impossible and force you to stay indoors. In these situations, owning a treadmill allows you to get some exercise, burn some calories and put a few miles on the clock, even if there’s a storm going on outside.
6) Safer Than Road Running
One final benefit of buying a treadmill is that it can be safer than road running. When you run on the road there are plenty of hazards such as potholes and broken glass that can lead to serious injuries. In addition to this, if you only have time to run late at night when it’s dark outside, it’s very difficult for cars to see you and this can lead to you being knocked down.
By running on a treadmill, you avoid all these hazards and stay safe when you run. The treadmill belt is smooth and even which means you don’t have to worry about unexpected objects throwing you off course or injuring you. Also, since your running within the comfort of your own home, you’re completely safe from oncoming traffic.
Summary
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons you should buy a treadmill. It’s one of the most efficient types of cardio machine on the market and if you put the effort in, you can burn through some serious calories when running on a treadmill. In addition to this, it’s a great way to carry on running when the weather outside is bad. So if these health benefits match up to your fitness goals, get shopping and go find a treadmill that’s right for you.
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