So for years I had been running on a 1% incline when running on the treadmill. We have horrible snowy and frigid winters here in the Northeast, so I take my runs indoors sporadically. I was reading that inclining the mill is a myth. I wear a HRM for medical reasons, and when I run on the treadmill, I keep my heart rate in the same range as outside. So I ran on Sunday because it was 10 degrees, and I did not incline the treadmill, instead I sped it up. Do you always incline the treadmill or do you just speed up the pace? I run outside all year, except take it indoors when its crappy weather during the winter. Would love your thoughts.
http://www.runnersworld.com/treadmills/biomechanics-expert-debunks-treadmill-running-myths
Cliff notes: if you run faster than 7:00/mile pace you need to up the treadmill to about 1% incline to compensate for the lack of wind resistance running outside. If you run slower, then the differences are minimal.
I use a treadmill all the time. I more often just speed up the treadmill as opposed to doing the incline rule of thumb. I have noticed that if I run at 1% or any incline for long periods of time, I start to have problems in my lower back. This is usually caused because I lean slightly forward when running on an incline. So I prefer to speed up the treadmill a little instead of the incline.
And I round down. So if the treadmill says I am running 5:55 pace, I usually call that in my head and log 6:00pace. I do this more for workouts and tempo runs. Easy and Maintenance runs, I dont care as much about pace and am just getting the time in. So if it is 7:25 or 7:35, I dont really care.
Oh, also. This is a handy guide for figuring out pace.
http://www.runnersworld.com/...admill-running-myths
Cliff notes: if you run faster than 7:00/mile pace you need to up the treadmill to about 1% incline to compensate for the lack of wind resistance running outside. If you run slower, then the differences are minimal.
Did they compensate in the other direction for the lack of cooling due to lack of air flow?
I’ve had my treadmill setup in front of a window with an industrial shop fan in it… no lack of airflow.
Not to hijack anything, but why can’t treadmills be set up to slope down.
We all do hill work (well sometimes) and learning to run at speed downhill is a learned skill like any other.
It seems to me that just setting the treadmill in a slightly downward slope ( 1 or 2 %) would do the trick.
how hard is that to do.
Yes I have read that the 1% rule isn’t accurate, but then again it’s all about the work and if your heart rate increases when you raise the incline, then that’s all you need to know really.
There’s no speedometer in a race (ok I don’t use GPS so maybe for some there is).
It could depend on if the treadmill speed is accurate…I’ve only been on a few that are. (I work in calibration so I have the tools to check)
jaretj
This is my first week running on a treadmill. It is a different experience. I’m running a 10 minute pace but it feels like I’m going a lot faster than that. Plus I sweat 10 times more. Still better than running outside to me.
Not to hijack anything, but why can’t treadmills be set up to slope down.
We all do hill work (well sometimes) and learning to run at speed downhill is a learned skill like any other.
It seems to me that just setting the treadmill in a slightly downward slope ( 1 or 2 %) would do the trick.
how hard is that to do.
Yes I have read that the 1% rule isn’t accurate, but then again it’s all about the work and if your heart rate increases when you raise the incline, then that’s all you need to know really.
There’s no speedometer in a race (ok I don’t use GPS so maybe for some there is).
At the old gym I used they had treadmills that could go down. No idea of the make though.
I am trying to convince my company to buy a true form runner.
Not to hijack anything, but why can’t treadmills be set up to slope down.
We all do hill work (well sometimes) and learning to run at speed downhill is a learned skill like any other.
It seems to me that just setting the treadmill in a slightly downward slope ( 1 or 2 %) would do the trick.
how hard is that to do.
Yes I have read that the 1% rule isn’t accurate, but then again it’s all about the work and if your heart rate increases when you raise the incline, then that’s all you need to know really.
There’s no speedometer in a race (ok I don’t use GPS so maybe for some there is).
Some of the Sole treadmills do declines.
John
I am trying to convince my company to buy a true form runner.
http://www.samsarafitness.com/...orm-runner-new/c173r
They have one at my local running shoe store, actually in several of the videos on the site, I love that thing! Feels really strange then suddenly when it clicks it is like magic.
I could never spend that much though.
why can’t treadmills be set up to slope down
a few are built to allow a 2-3% decline
google is your friend…
http://www.consumersearch.com/treadmills/best-inclinedecline-treadmill
I gotta get a better gym membership.
Yeah it is pricey, all the competitive products are a similar price, there must be a patent or something that drives the price up. Anyway, they have a generous budget for the company gym and I am trying to sell the fact it is motorless, we are trying to be Leeds certified.
I am trying to convince my company to buy a true form runner.
http://www.samsarafitness.com/...orm-runner-new/c173r
They have one at my local running shoe store, actually in several of the videos on the site, I love that thing! Feels really strange then suddenly when it clicks it is like magic.
I could never spend that much though.
How do you check? I’ve always thought the ones I run on are harder than running outside for a given pace.
I have a hand tachometer with a wheel that I use for belt speeds.
I have someone measure the speed while I’m running on it.
jaretj
More science:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8887211
Cliff: At 5.0 m s-1, the VO2 for road running fell between the VO2 value for 1% and 2% grade treadmill running but was not significantly different from any of the treadmill grade conditions.
It’s more of a calibration error for most TMs when comparing indoor vs outdoors; gym treadmills are NOTORIOUSLY miscalibrated. Even a 10sec/mile calibration difference will be the difference between no problem on VO2 intervals vs completely undoable. And most gym treadmills I’ve been on vary by +/- 20sec if you try all the various ones in the gym of the same brand, at the same session.
I do believe there is something to the 1% incline though as stated in the articles above, but for all practical purposes, it’s shouldn’t be a big deal at all since you shouldn’t be expecting your TM paces to exactly line up to the second with outdoor pacing - even if the treadmill is perfectly calibrated, weather, incline changes, etc., for outdoors will mean you shouldn’t be comparing that closely.
I do a lot of TM work and come from a pure running background. I do most of my TM training on a mild incline, 2-3% typically, but I make sure I do enough 0% fast work to keep the leg turnover ready for action for when I hit the flats and downhills outdoors. I have noticed that if I exclusively run hills on my TM, I fall behind on the downhills on race day despite holding dead flat HR/effort, probably because my legs aren’t used to the higher turnover.