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Running is oftentimes looked at negatively. After all, it’s a rather boring exercise for some. However, that doesn’t change the fact it’s still one of the most effective cardiovascular exercises you can incorporate into your routine.
A treadmill can help you burn anywhere from 700 to 1,000 calories per hour depending on your level of intensity [1]. Because of this, it’s an exercise you ought to consider getting into your fitness routine.
However, many people have questions about how to go about including treadmill training in one. One of the most common questions is whether or not it’s bad to run on a treadmill every day.
This article will be detailing the answer to this question and what you should be doing to get the most out of your treadmill workouts.
So, Should You Run on a Treadmill Every Day?
No. While it’s not necessarily bad to run every day on a treadmill, it’s not necessarily the best tactic either. There are certainly good things about sticking to the same workout every day and there are some reasons to shake things up. One of the main reasons you might want to run on a treadmill every day comes with consistency.
A lot of people end up failing to achieve their fitness goals because they aren’t able to maintain consistency with their workouts. The more consistency you can achieve with your workouts, the better your results.
You want your workouts to become much more of a habit than anything.
It’s increasingly difficult to build a habit if you aren’t doing it over and over again. It needs to become apart of your routine if you want to get the most out of your efforts.
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Reasons You May Want To Avoid Using The Treadmill Every Day
1. Repeated Stress Injuries
One of the biggest issues with treadmills comes with the nature of the workouts. Running on a treadmill can be very hard on your joints. It’s not an exercise for those who have joint problems because of this. It can be a very high-impact exercise that can cause injuries over time. This is especially true for those that have flat feet who those who run incorrectly.
It can be difficult to maintain proper running form and to avoid injuries from running on the treadmill with these issues. Thus, overdoing it could result in you getting hurt.
That’s the last th9ing you want to do when you are looking to reach fitness goals because an injury could set you back a lot of time.
2. Going Through The Paces
While you certainly want to do various things to build up habits, you don’t want to ‘lull’ yourself in your workouts. While your workouts should be consistent, the last thing you want to do is find yourself going through the paces. Unfortunately and fortunately, the treadmill can be easy cardio equipment that is friendly to multi-tasking. For those who find running boring, this can be a good way to enhance the excitement.
However, not everyone can get in an effective workout if they aren’t zoned in on what they are doing. Thus, you could end up find yourself going through the paces and not progressing at all. Whenever you are doing any kind of workout over and over, you need to be pushing yourself in some way.
This includes either adding an incline, increasing your running duration, or even the intensity of your runs. Regardless, you don’t want to find yourself going through your workouts mindlessly which is very easy to do with a treadmill.
3. Your Body Needs Rest
While it may be natural to think that you will get results faster if you work out every day, that’s not always the case. If you are working out the same muscles daily, you could find yourself overworking them. This could hinder your progress rather than help it. Your body needs time to rest and recover.
This is why it is so important to get a lot of sleep at night to ensure you are giving your body the time it needs to recover from hard workouts.
For most, it would be much more effective to run for a day and then rest for a day rather than to do it back to back. That way, you can maximize your intensity during one session and give yourself plenty of time to recover.
Tips To Vary Your Workouts
1. Use a Rowing Machine
A rowing machine can be an excellent addition if you want to vary your workouts to improve your results. A treadmill doesn’t have to be your only workout equipment that provides an easy and effective exercise. If you can get a rowing machine workout into your fitness routine, it will enable you to vary your workouts to enhance the effectiveness of both.
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By varying your workouts, you will keep your muscles and your body guessing. This can keep your body from hitting a plateau that is common in those that stick to the same daily workouts and exercises. Another side benefit of using a rowing machine is that a treadmill is considered a higher impact exercise in comparison [2].
It also delivers much more of a total body workout which you need to get the best results from your fitness efforts.
That being said, each exercise provides similar results in terms of calories burned which means you aren’t sacrificing effectiveness going with either.
2. Use a Bike
Another good option would be to purchase a bike. You can get into cycling which is another great way to vary your workouts. Cycling is a great option for those who are looking for a low-impact exercise to add to their running routine.
That way, they can give their joints a break to recover from the high-impact nature of running on a treadmill. This can also provide the same benefit of working different muscles.
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A bike also provides a similar benefit of being a good option for those who want to multi-task while working out.
3. Run or Walk Outside
If you are someone who only enjoys running, you could always consider going out for one or two days per week on a run. Not only would it be good for yourself to get outdoors to get some fresh air and sunshine, but it can help to give your joints a rest too.
The truth is, running on a treadmill every day isn’t inherently a bad thing. A lot of it would depend on the individual and how you are going about it. It can turn into a bad thing if you allow it to. Not giving your body and muscles the necessary time to rest can be very bad. Your body and muscles need adequate time to recover.
Therefore, if you are going with maximum intensity daily, you will burn yourself out and potentially injure yourself. Try to utilize some of the tips above to vary your workouts to give your body more time to rest and recover from your workouts. If you find yourself running on the treadmill mindlessly, try to fix it.
You won’t get maximum results if you aren’t putting in maximum effort. If you want to stick to only running, there are things you can do to minimize the negative effects that can come from using the treadmill every day. You could consider switching things up every other day in terms of your applied running intensity.
You could also pick a day to only walk on the treadmill.
By doing these things, you can vary your treadmill workouts enough to ensure your body doesn’t hit a plateau and to help you get the most out of every workout. Be certain you are listening to your body. It will tell you when you are pushing things too hard and too far.
References:
- https://www.nordictrack.co.uk/learn/how-burn-more-calories-your-treadmill/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rowing-for-weight-loss#weight-loss-calories-burned
