Treadmill or Natural Running.....!!!

Hi Guys,

Which is better, Natural running or Treadmill running?

(Note:- Natural running means running on ground outside)

Cheers.

[Physiobase]

Better for what? The question requires more definition to give a more educated and thought through response. 8o

Sorry about that. Was in a hurry.

Let me rephrase the question.
Compare Treadmill running with natural running? Also Site advantages and disadvantages.

Cheers.

The question was still not very clear on what are you talking about, and it's not definite on what you are looking at probably you just wanted to know roughly what others think about advantages and disadvantages of Treadmill running compared with natural running.

** How's the condition of runners and place of running outdoor/indoor, should be more descriptive on what are you talking about**


In my opinion, if runners in both conditions are in good health running in door on even surfaces should be safer than on treadmil 'cause no mechanical errors will be involved when the runners can control their own speed also could slow down at own pace when get tired. On the other hand, running in door on treadmil could be safer to runners comparing to running naturally out door in terms of minimizing the risk to get injured from external factors such as car accidents, uneven foot path (could cause ankle and foot injuries), heat stroke (if the temperature is too high and clothing is not appropriate), etc.

However, if the runners are not in good health eg. diabetic runners - running in door on treadmil should be much safer for them 'cause a more appropriate level of hardness can be programmed and controlled easier than running out door. Disadvantages of running naturally out door for this group of runners should not be much differed from the healthy group.

Hope this could help!

Thanks for your input.

Lets say for an athlete, the role of treadmill and natural running. Athlete for example, long distance runner, or even Soccer player.

The main difference is that in treadmill the surface moves, and our pace is depended on that. Whereas in natural running pace is controlled by us only. There is also a question of groung reaction force.

Thanks again.

Cheers.

The following is just my opinion.....

To increase muscle and cardiovascular endurance at early stage I would say running on treadmill is more advantageous because it's easier to evaluate and control all factors relating to the training eg. speed, slope, time and also frequency of the training. Treadmill running could also minimize risks of getting injuries such as taking too much ground force reactions, getting shin pain from running up/down too fast over the slope, etc.

However, the athlete should be put on treadmill and natural running at some stage of the training. The athlete will be more confident and more familiar with the real venue.

I reckon that an effective training should have an appropriate combination of treadmill and natural training. Running on treadmill and naturally outdoor should not be compared, it's depending on what advantages you are looking for. Which is better ?...it's up to your purpose.

[alophysio]

I still don't understand what you are looking for but i can tell you one thing - it is harder to run at e.g.10kph on land than it is on a treadmill.

If Cardio fitness is desired, run on the ground.

The treadmill is good to control your environment.

Unless the treadmill is where your performance is going to be, wouldn't it be better to train in the situation that you will be performing in?

It really depends on what you want to achieve by getting your athlete into a running training programme, and how well the athlete tolerates it. I have a treadmill at home and have personally found it much harder to keep to a 12kph pace on the treadmill compared with overground running (which I can do quite comfortably).

I find running overground much easier than running on a treadmill for many reasons, including:
- Unable to get into a 'natural' rhythm on a treadmill as it is very hard to find a 'comfortable' speed and incline on a machine.
- No wind-chill which often increases sweating and dehydration (or so I have found).
- Completely boring. I love looking at scenery as I run, or I run with others to keep myself occupied, which tends to be difficult running on a treadmill.

As I said before it really depends on the person's own opinions and preferences, but I will try to provide some biomechanical research that compares the two in relation to tibial stress.

I stumbled across an article in the 'British Journal of Sports Medicine' that measured tibial stress in a sample of runners on both asphalt and a treadmill. Essentially the researchers found that: 'tension strain rates were 48-285% higher during overground running than during treadmill running'. This tends to predispose overground runners to tibial stress fractures.

So essentially:
- Running on a treadmill reduces tibial stress, which should theoretically reduce the incidence of tibial stress fractures, but will not lead to the increased bone density that occurs naturally as a result of that same increased stress.

According to this I would be inclined to suggest a programme that incorporates both treadmill and overground running. This way the athlete should get the benefits of both.

If anyone wants to have a closer look at this article, they can find it <a href="http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=332666941&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt= 4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=115381 7743&clientId=20906" target="_new">here</a>

[tapoutqueen]

I regularly run on a treadmill and outside also. They both have pros and cons. I find natural running is easier than treadmill running in fair weather conditions. You can self regulate your speed, speeding up and slowing down when you need to.
I can push myself harder on a treadmill, which has improved my cardiovascular fitness. The downside to the treadmill is it's so boring. I have to find new ways every time to alleviate the boredom.
Running outside in cold weather is much harder. I quickly get breathless and I find it rapidly drains my energy. It takes much longer for my quads to warm up.
Preference wise I prefer running cross county in the late spring, you can't beat it .

[Dr Damien]

I think natural running is better when you consider predisposition to overuse injuries, terrain, ability to change directions etc plus you can adjust your speed automatically. With the threadmill you do not get too many choices. it is cool for people who have a training regime and need to keep it monitored regularly... but nothing beats anything natural.having said that, natural running may have its downsides, horrible terrains etc but the fact that u can change directions easily is crucial.