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Treadmills vs. Running Outdoors – What’s the Difference?

I’m not going to tell you that running on a treadmill is a waste of time, that it’s useless, or that it’s something you should never do. Running on a treadmill has its advantages. Apart from anything else, it allows you to train indoors, which means you can avoid going out in the rain and says you can avoid having to talk yourself into training on wet days. Better yet, this means that you can put on the TV or listen to music without sweaty headphones. And that makes running a lot less annoying!



But there are downsides. Big downsides in fact. Read on to find out what those are and why you should reconsider making this your primary way of exercising…

Biomechanics

The first thing to recognize is that running on a treadmill is not biomechanically identical to running outdoors. That is to say, that the way you exercise is different and this results in different results for your muscles.

More specifically, the difference comes from the fact that the floor is moving underneath you. When you run on a treadmill, you stay completely in the spot and the objective is just to be off the ground long enough to avoid moving backward. This is different to running outdoors, where you are actively pulling yourself forward and reaching out for that next step. The real thing works more muscles in the legs, burning more calories and also improving your technique.
Getting Outdoors

Then there’s the downside of being indoors. One of the best things about running outside is just… being outside. That’s because running outdoors means you’re getting fresh air (which is incredibly good for your lungs and your circulation) and it means that you’re getting sunlight. Sunshine says vitamin D, which means stronger bones and more testosterone!

But Then Again…

But don’t write treadmills off completely. While they may not be as good as running outdoors in many ways, they are not only useful for their convenience. One thing treadmills have going in their favor is that they force you to keep running at a set speed and let you set this very precisely. You can’t slow down or inadvertently take it easy as you’re running because the treadmill sets the pace. This makes them ideal for running to a very specific goal and also superb for interval training and the like.

The Top Alternatives to Running

Running is one of the absolute best ways to burn calories, build muscle in your legs and also improve your overall health and fitness. Human beings evolved to be runners, and so it should come as no surprise that we are much happier and healthier when this is something we regularly do.



But of course, running is not going to be for everyone. Some people will naturally take to running more than others, and if you don’t find that it’s your cup of tea, you may want to look for an alternative. Or perhaps you believe that running is hard on your knees? Or that you don’t have anywhere scenic to try it? Read on, and we’ll look at some of the best alternatives you can try instead…

Roller Skating

Roller skating is an attractive alternative to running and one that a lot of people don’t consider. While it’s not quite as much of a ‘transferrable skill,' it’s little impact and a lot of individuals love the feeling of going at such high speeds!
The same goes for skateboarding or even using scooters and the like!

Swimming

Swimming is once again a low impact alternative to running. At the same time, it has the distinct advantage of being a fantastic full-body workout that will be particularly effective at building up the lats and the trap – as well as the legs!

Trail Running

Trail running is a form of running that involves running ‘off the road’. Typically, this means running through forests and across beaches. Not only does this often increase the challenge, thereby enabling you to build more muscle strength and endurance in your legs but it also makes the run more interesting in many cases!

Battle Ropes

Here’s something pretty different… Battle ropes necessarily involve standing at the end of two long, thick ropes and then beating them against the ground in a rhythmical motion. This requires a lot of exertion and challenges your coordination, power, and cardiovascular endurance!

Cycling

Another low impact alternative to running. This might mean bike on a treadmill, or it might mean cycling outdoors. Of course, the latter is better for you, but the former has the advantage of allowing you to watch TV or otherwise catch up with your reading.

Skipping

Jumping rope is one of the preferred cardio workouts for boxers. It’s a great way to get as cut and lean as Rocky Balboa!

The Amazing Health Benefits of Exercising Outdoors

Running is in itself one of the very best things you can do to improve your health and it has numerous highly beneficial effects on the body. These range from increasing muscle mass in the legs, to lowering your heart rate to helping you to burn more calories.

But while all this is true, it’s not just the running that is so right for you. Equally important is the mere fact that you’re outdoors, which has incredible benefits all on its own. Read on, and we’ll examine some of these benefits.

Sunlight

The first significant advantage of outdoors coming from the sun. When you run, you expose yourself to the sun’s rays. While these can be harmful in high doses, they’re also critical for our health in many other ways. For starters, they encourage the production of vitamin D. This not only helps to strengthen your bones but also improves sleep and testosterone production. The sun also gives us a healthy, natural glow that comes from being tanned.

Earthing

Nobody is entirely sure if ‘Earthing’ is beneficial, but it’s something that a lot of people claim is. Essentially, the idea is that by coming into direct contact with the ground when you sit on it or touch it, you can help to restore the body’s correct charge, potentially combating inflammation. Some studies back this up, but they aren’t particularly rigorous in their methodology. Either way, it certainly doesn’t hurt anyone!

Fresh Air

Fresh air is also highly beneficial for our health. For starters, it has been shown to significantly improve our circulation and also to improve our breathing in generally. It aids with sleep, and it boosts the immune system too!

Nature

Believe it or not, just being in nature can also be excellent for us. This is because it has a profound effect on us psychologically – basking in nature helps to encourage the release of ‘feel good hormones’ and to lower stress levels. It has even been shown to increase creativity, which is one reason that you often come up with your best ideas while going for walks.

Weather

And even the weather can be good for you! Contrary to popular belief, getting some exposure to cold air is a good thing. That’s because it gently taxes your immune system, acting as a kind of ‘training’ for it and thereby strengthening it in the long run.

Running for Bodybuilders - Can You Run and Still Maintain Muscle Mass

A lot of bodybuilders act like they have some sleep allergy to or phobia of running. This is because they often hold the belief that it will make them more catabolic. Running burns fat but it also burns anything else the body can get its hands on to provide energy. Another you can quickly end up losing weight, and that includes muscle mass.



But is it necessarily true? Read on and find out why you should reconsider including running in muscle-building programs.

The Plus Side

In defense of running, it is only fair that we remember that it was used by virtually all of the classic bodybuilders to some degree or other. That means Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Franco Columbu… all of them used some kind of steady state cardio such as running. And if you look at today’s YouTube celebrities, most of them will also utilize some degree of running.

That’s because, in smaller amounts, running can provide just the stimulus you need to cut away the fat to reveal more definition and striations in the muscles. Heart rate how you get cut, as opposed to just looking bulky. While the body will burn muscle, it will still look too fat stores first which are more readily available.

If you’re frightened of running, though, you can do what some modern bodybuilders do and only power walk instead. This is a safer way to remove fat without hurting muscle.

The important thing 

What’s also important to remember, though, is that running increases the size of your left ventricle. This is the part of the heart that pumps oxygenated blood around the body and thus it is primarily responsible for your ‘stroke volume’. The bigger this gets, the lower your resting heartrate will be. And when that number gets low, it means you’ll produce less cortisol, less myostatin (which is responsible for muscle catabolization) and more testosterone!

That’s right: although running might cause you to burn fat and muscle in the short term, in the long run, it can actually help to make you more anabolic and even allow you to enjoy deeper and more restorative sleeps! And for this reason, it’s something that you shouldn’t write out of your training programs just yet…

Oh and then there’s the other thing: running makes you fitter, and that means you can workout harder!

How to Use Pokémon Go in Your Training

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Pokémon Go. This is, of course, the massive augmented reality sensation from Nintendo that places Pokémon into the world around us. The game uses data from Google Maps to allow us to hunt for local Pokémon and this then triggers a mini-game using a combination of your device’s camera and its gyroscopes to make the Pokémon appear as though they’re right there in front of you.



But what does this have to do with running?

Well, if you want to give yourself a new challenge and make your running fun in a new way, you can turn this into a running workout! Here is how it works…

Set Up the Game and Go!

The first thing you have to do of course is to establish the game. Once you’re ready, just run out the door and start!

You have to keep in mind That you mustn’t spend the entire time looking at your phone. When you do that, you will be putting yourself at risk, and you’ll likely put your foot in a pothole or ditch. Never run while looking at your screen!

The good news is that your device will vibrate when you’re near a Pokémon. All you need to do then is carry it in one hand and run to areas where they’re likely to be. Pokéstops are places where people can ‘lure’ Pokémon, which means there will often be more in those areas. Run to the areas on your map with lots of blue structures and pink leaves and then you should find your phone vibrates from time to time.

When that happens, just stop, play the minigame and capture your Pokémon! It makes running more fun, but it can also act as a form of natural interval training. Because you’ll be running and stopping intermittently, this means you can run a little faster between Pokémon.

Tips

One tip when running is that you should put the game on ‘battery saver mode.' In this mode, the device screen will go dark as long as it is held upside down. That means you can point it down while running, or you can slip it in a pocket and you’ll be using considerably less power. Soon there will be a Pokémon Go smartwatch you can wear!

The another tip is to make sure to incubate eggs. These hatch based on the steps you take, so running will give you a significant advantage!

Running is something a lot of us know that we should be doing. We’re often told that it burns calories, tones muscle and improves fitness. But despite all this, we regularly find it hard to stay committed.

Why exactly is that?

It comes down to some things, but the biggest problem is that its hard work. It’s incredibly taxing on the body, requires massive amounts of energy and is something that most of us are not at all used to. In this post, we’ll look at how to overcome those obstacles.


The Best of Intentions…

The big problem in many cases is that people are hoping to start running begin with too much ambition. Instead of aiming to start running gradually, they set off on their first outing and intend to run for huge distances and burns tons of calories in the process.

What they forget, is that this is something entirely foreign to their bodies. They are not used to running these kinds of distances, and they have no experience with it. Most of us spend 8 hours a day or more sitting in just one position and typing, or answering calls. We don’t exert ourselves much and certainly don’t go for long runs!

What’s more, is that those days at work are stressful and tiring in their way. When we get home, we are often far too tired to play with the kids – let alone go out running!

The one time we do manage it, we will very often than push ourselves to the point where it is very unpleasant, and we have tested ourselves. It’s no wonder we can’t bring ourselves to do it three times a week!

The Solution

So what is the answer? The answer is to stop pushing yourself and to stop expecting too much from your body.

Instead, aim to get started slowly and to begin with at least, focus on learning to run and on learning to like running rather than trying to see immediate results! Set out on your first jog but just go at whatever pace is comfortable and stop when you’re done.

While it might not seem like much, this is enough to start introducing you to the world of running gradually. And if you aim to do this just once a week, you’ll see it starts to have incredible knock-on effects in every other part of your life!

How to Pick the Best Fitness/Running Watch

If you’re interested in taking up running seriously, then a running or fitness watch can be highly advantageous. There are many reasons for this too. For starters, a fitness watch will allow you to track the number of calories that you burn on the run and how high your heart rate goes. This not only allows you to do things like running to meet a set objective (calories burned, max heart rate, etc.) but even to use particular types of running – like zone runs or interval training.



There’s more too. The right watch should also track your runs, so you don’t need to take your phone to monitor your route. It should be able to count your steps throughout the day too and then show you metrics like how your daily step count impacts on your performance when running.

But to benefit from all these features, you’re going to need the right fitness watch. Read on, and we’ll take a look at how you can go about selecting that to ensure you’ll get the very most from your new device.

Heartrate Monitor

One of the first things you need for your fitness tracker or running watch is an active heart rate monitor. This will track your heart rate as you are training, which in turn will give you the most accurate picture of how hard you are working and how many calories you are burning. Going on steps alone is simply not very accurate!

But of course it’s not sufficient to just get any heart rate monitor – you need to make sure that it is a good one too. That means it needs to be accurate (which you can find from reading reviews) and ideally, it should also be one that checks your heart rate regularly.

GPS

Not all running watches have GPS. So if you want to make sure yours can track your runs, this is also going to be crucial.

Data Points and Use

The more data you collect, the fuller the picture you can paint of your health. The Microsoft Band 2, for instance, allows you to see an estimate of your VO2 max once it has collected data from enough runs.

Workouts

Another useful function is a band that can provide pre-designed workouts, like interval sessions. These help you to burn a certain amount of calories in a set amount of time and to discover new ways to train.

How to Make Running Less Boring

Running is one of the very best forms of exercise for improving your health, as well as for building more speed and strength in your legs. It burns a lot of calories, and you can do it anywhere.

So why isn’t everyone doing it? There are a few reasons, but one of the big excuses people tend to give is that they find it boring. And granted, steady state cardio like running can seem a little dull at times. It takes a long time, and often you won’t be doing much interesting during that period – just hitting the tarmac over and over again...




So the question is, how can you make running fun so that you want to do it?

Take Music and Podcasts

One way to make running more enjoyable is to distract yourself with something. Good options here include music and podcasts. While a podcast can give you something interesting to listen to – possibly even helping you to learn while you run – music can contribute to spur you on and make you a bit more drive to keep pushing past your limit.

Kick a Ball

Running doesn’t have to mean only running from one spot to another. A good option then is to try running while kicking a ball – kick the ball out in front of you, run to it, and then kick it out in front of you again! This way, you can make it almost like a game of football as you’re running!

Run With a Partner

Running with a partner will likely spur you on to be a little competitive, and it certainly makes it a little less lonely.
Oh and there’s no reason that your partner has to be human – running with dogs is perfectly fine too!

Make Games

You can create games for yourself while you run to make it a little less boring. These can be mental games you play in your head (like trying to spot how many red cars you see), or they can be challenges you set that are related to your run. A good example is to try racing other joggers that you see nearby!

In general, just pushing yourself further and trying to beat personal bests will be an easy way to make running more rewarding and more addictive as well!

There are much more ways to make running more fun, all it takes is a little imagination!

How to Incorporate Interval Training to Your Running

The image most of us have of running involves a person running steadily for about 30 to 40 minutes in one direction, without taking breaks or varying in speed. What we call ‘steady state cardio’ and in fact is only one running that you have available to you.

While steady state cardio has a ton of benefits for your health, eventually you might find yourself getting to the point where it is time to increase the challenge. This is when you may consider interval training, which opens up a whole new level of difficulty and reward.

What is Interval Training?

Interval training essentially means that you are alternating between periods of high intensity and intervals of relative rest. That means you go all out for a short time and then have a slightly longer period to relax and let yourself regain your breath and composure.

The reason this is beneficial is that it tests you at your ‘lactate threshold’. This means you are going fast enough that your body can’t keep up with recycling lactate. It’s also known as your anaerobic threshold because it pushes your body quicker than the aerobic system can keep up.

This is perfect for fitness because it means you’ll be able to improve your ability to produce electric energy in an efficient manner. It’s also great for losing weight because it means that you’ll be burning a lot of your blood sugar. Then, when you have used up all of that blood sugar, your body will be forced to resort to burning fat to provide that same fuel. This means you burn more calories throughout the day following intervals!

How to Start

So how do you get started? As with running, the key is to introduce this very concentrated form of training gradually into your program. Try adding interval training once a week, to begin with, and for no more than 20 minutes.

During this time, alternate between 30 seconds of sprinting and 2 minutes of recovery. This will send your heart rate through the roof and test your explosive power and your electric energy systems!
Then, as you get more confident, you can start increasing the challenge by doing these sessions a couple of times a week or straight after other workouts (in which case it’s known as a ‘finisher’).