The first thing you should know is that walking on a treadmill is not like walking outside. When walking on the road, your body has to fight against wind and gravity. Treadmills are inside of rooms so there’s no need for such movement.
Treadmill training can be divided into two areas:
1) Striding area – This refers to people who run or jog for health reasons or as their main means of exercise.
2) Wearing shoes only area- This refers to those people wearing only socks while walking wearing sneakers on the treadmill for speed purposes. I’m going to write about this type here because it has been asked by many beginners in treadmills online forums and sites frequented by amateur runners looking for advice.
Speed Matters
The environment around you in the treadmill room is completely different from outside of it. It’s easier to understand if we just look at movement speed while walking on a treadmill and compare it with outdoor walking speed. Check the best treadmill under $1000.
Middle-level sports shoes can be used for most speeds except when going up or down at speeds faster than 8 miles per hour because they do not have enough support inside to keep feet safe from injuries by sudden slip under high forces due to change of direction and momentum generated.
When going up or down at 12 miles per hour a maximum level sports shoe with good support should be used because your body will move faster and for longer during the up-and-down movement compared to normal walking. When going up or down, your body’s center of mass usually moves towards a direction opposite to what your feet are moving. So when going up foot will be coming downwards while the center of mass is moving upwards. This causes more force to be applied on the heel area especially if you’re not wearing a sports shoe with great support at this part of your shoes.
Proper Walking Posture
Let’s take a look at the proper walking posture on a treadmill.
First of all, you should stand straight in front of the machine without bending your knees or hips. If you feel that someone is watching, this kind of posture will make you uncomfortable and may cause back pain. You have to keep your balance with one foot slightly forward because we use our body weight when we walk. The other leg acts as a kickstand for support so if you put it too far behind it could hurt your knee ligaments. It is better to focus on maintaining a good posture than looking around.
When people are already mentally fatigued, they usually tend to lean their hand onto something while they walk on the treadmill which can affect their upper body muscle and their neck. It is because of this that we use the treadmill slowly and our body weight increases. This reduces the stress on our upper body, but it will be strenuous for you to maintain a stable posture as you speed up the machine.
Walk Faster
So if you want to walk faster, what should you do? Rests are most vital in order to steadily increase your pace. If you don’t rest enough while walking on a treadmill, then your muscles and joints with being stressed out too much which can cause injury or pain in your back and knees. Practicing walking fast on a treadmill also requires mental energy so make sure you rest well along with taking breaks between each step cycle. You need not worry about slowing down the machine because it has a safety mechanism that prevents injuries.
Final Words
So it is important for you to know how your body reacts when walking on a treadmill, and the best way to do this is by practicing with an experienced runner.
Remember these tips when you are about to walk on a machine in order to maintain good posture. It will allow you to control your speed without increasing your foot pressure which can cause injury or pain. Walking has never been easier than with a machine so take advantage of it!
