Treadmills facilitate an effective home based aerobic workout. It has become one of the most popular fitness in-home exercise equipment machines. However, besides, their popularity, treadmills possess certain disadvantages too. This article talks about those aspects of treadmills that are slightly disadvantageous, and consumers should keep these in mind before buying them:
Equipment Affordability
Treadmills are not easily affordable. While you can run or walk outside for free, a budget home treadmill costs range between $300 and $700. It’s a fact that many of the budget treadmills won’t last so long or it fails to provide you with the workout you require. The High-end treadmills are extremely complex and costly. For example, some of them range in price from even $2,000 to $7,000. A treadmill’s initial cost excludes the additional costs which that is associated with its repair and maintenance. Treadmill use on to regular basis requires oiling, replacement of belts and sometimes even the motor replacement. Along with that, the motorized treadmills naturally increase the home electricity bill.
The Biomechanics
Running or walking on treadmills do not necessarily mimic natural running out there. Resistance by the wind increases your workload around 2 to 10 percent, by your running speed. Experienced runners can take longer strides while treadmill running, whereas the novice runners seem to get the opposite results. It is quite a natural view that some treadmill runners spend more time on the support leg instead of running outside. Thus, causing the decrease in their efficiency. Running posture of some users also changes. Some treadmill runners appear to lean slightly forward unlike running outside. This practice is a waste of energy due to an up and down movement, rather than building the focus on forwarding momentum.
Too Boring
The daily working out on a treadmill can be too boring, especially if you are repeating the same routine workout on a regular basis. The environment is the same boring one, and it does not change, affecting the psychological satisfaction which you otherwise receive from running in new locations.
Loss of Ancillary Benefits
A treadmill run allows you to run regularly on a consistent surface. You are not going to encounter any obstacles like soft or hard surfaces, wet or dry areas, etc. Challenging or just changing surfaces can be helpful in improving coordination among your brain, muscles, body parts and joints.
