The weather is getting nicer outside, but many people still prefer to run in their home on a treadmill. As long as you’re getting your daily exercise, it really doesn’t matter where you run, but if you’re running on a treadmill there are some things you’ll want to avoid. Today, we share five mistakes you might be making while running on a treadmill so you can avoid injuries.
Avoid These Five Treadmill Mistakes
Here are five mistakes amateur and competitive runners make when running on their treadmill.
1. Looking Down – A lot of people look down when they’re running on the treadmill. Whether it’s out of fear that they’ll miss a step on the moving tread or because there’s not much of a view to take in, many people inherently look down when running on a treadmill. This can put excess strain on your spine and neck muscles, throwing your whole body out of alignment. Try to look forward and keep your head positioned directly above your spine.
2. Shoe Selection – Try to find a pair of well-fitting and padded shoes for your treadmill runs. If your shoe is too loose or too tight, you might end up losing your balance or in a lot of pain. You’ll also want something with enough padding to cushion your feet from the repetitive stress of the hard surface of the treadmill.
3. Running Uphill – Newer treadmills can adjust the incline so you can push your body with an uphill run, but you have to be careful about excessive hill running. If you’re always running on an incline, it’s going to put abnormal stress on your feet and knees. Over stressing these areas for long periods of time is a quick way to suffer an injury, so vary your incline throughout your run.
4. Holding The Bars – Holding the bars will help you keep your balance, but it sacrifices your natural running motion in the process. Not only will holding on to the bars result in fewer calories burned, but just like looking down, holding onto the bars can throw your alignment out of whack, leading to problems in your spine, hips and knees. If you feel unsafe running without holding the bars, slow down the tread speed.
5. Landing Flat-Footed – Treadmill runners often end up leaning back slightly because of the movement of the belt, which pushes them into a position where they land flat-footed instead of on their forefoot. Landing flat-footed puts excess force on your hips and back, and it can actually make you more likely to lose your balance. Try to correct your running motion to land on your forefoot.