Deciding to follow a training program on the treadmill , knowing how to choose the best purchase, being guided in the use of this tool by a personal coach, requires a more in-depth knowledge.
The treadmill or treadmill is a specific tool that allows you to walk and run in a limited space. Equipped with a conveyor belt on which you move, it can be operated by an electric motor or simply by the pace of those on it ( manual treadmill ).
It is clear that this first macro distinction can already give the idea of the existence of more sophisticated models and simpler, lighter models, perhaps foldable to take up less space, and to be tucked under the bed at home!
There is really a large number of treadmills available on the market and it is precisely for this reason that the different indications or characteristics of each must be analyzed in order not to fall into easy generalizations.
There are professional treadmills guaranteed by major brands that are used in gyms, health facilities such as physiotherapy centers, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, medical clinics, universities for the study of biomechanics, sports clubs and there are treadmills. simpler, less professional, easier to handle and cheaper, easy to use at home, to buy in department stores and online shops.
On the treadmill they are linked many benefits of ‘ exercise aerobic because it allows you to walk, to simulate the intense walk and finally the race, the so-called cardio activities that help to improve cardiovascular and respiratory capacity.
But be careful because these are simulations! Walking and running on the treadmill are aerobic activities that have different neurophysiological and kinesiological characteristics than the same ones performed on the ground. It is true that the same muscles are always activated both during natural and simulated activity on the treadmill , but with precise differences.
The support of the foot, the load on the heel and the forefoot vary significantly during outdoor or on the treadmill, as do the movements of the lumbar spine and the oscillations of the pelvis (article source – reserchgate.net “The treadmill in medicine rehabilitation: technical characteristics and selection criteria ” ).
For the uninitiated, walk and run on the treadmill it means adopting a technique that is not the same as on the ground, on which one naturally feels safer. In fact, first of all there is a need for a longer time of adaptation to the surface of the belt that moves, which trampling on different terrains, moreover, the search for a level of balance and safety is much higher because the action is not so spontaneous and natural.
The best models treadmill treadmill_3_6_2019treadmills on the market today care much cushioning and favor the foot and joint reactivity thus preventing the largest number of traumas. Although these models give greater guarantees of safety and effectiveness, when walking and running on the treadmill you tend to change the natural pitch setting.
You bend a little more forward with your torso, you slightly shorten the length of the stride, perhaps increasing its frequency and blocking the center of gravity. Not to mention how much the posture and the type of stimulus are altered if, while standing on the treadmill , you hold on to the handles or the side bars …
The activities on the treadmill must be taught and those who practice them should be aware of having an experience different from the walk they are used to. What does it mean? It is a physical exercise experience of walking / running on a conveyor belt.
The treadmill is a means to stimulate the foot – lower limb – trunk system and an opportunity to rediscover its automatic motor response to walking / running, very useful in case of recovery of a naturalness that has been lost with a sedentary lifestyle.
The stimulus on the treadmill to the sole of the foot does not train the proprioceptive sensitivity because it offers too regular a support (on the belt).
With a precise assisted teaching of an expert in physical exercise, you can immediately set a correct movement of the foot, its support in its various phases, the entire posture, the swinging movement of the arms, etc., etc. to then move on to a gradual progression and find oneself in the natural context spontaneously replicating that gesture, that activity.
The treadmill is an excellent tool for endurance pillar activities: it stimulates the metabolism and prepares the body for a progressive workout by warming up. In a slimming program, the use of the treadmill promotes caloric expenditure and helps to gradually manage breathlessness.
In summary, the treadmill is a tool with many resources that can give great satisfaction especially when, taking advantage of the settings, it allows variations in speed and slope, two fundamental variables for the dosage of intensity.
But it is important to underline that it will never 100% replace the stimulus that the body receives with respect to the innumerable variables given by the natural terrain. On the other hand, no good walker or runner who exercises and trains only on the treadmill …