by Scott Poston

Although often boring and occasionally lab rat reminiscent, treadmill running does have its advantages. Most runners are pace-challenged and treadmills are a quick fix—i.e., pace can be easily and accurately monitored on a treadmill. A runner can set his or her preferred pace and concentrate on important things such as good technique, breathing patterns, and leg cadence. Another advantage is simulated hill training, which burns a lot of calories, gets people into shape quickly, and incurs a relatively low risk of injury due to the imposed slow pace and absence of downhill running! Maybe those rats don’t have it so bad after all…

One of my favorite workouts is to get on a treadmill that is capable of exceptionally high grades (e.g., the FreeMotion Incline Trainer–pictured below), and do the following:

2. Set the grade to “barely joggable”, but walk instead for 1 minute.

3. Set the grade to “easily walkable” and do so for 1 minute.

4. Set the grade to “hardly walkable” and do so for 6 minutes.

5. Set the grade to “easily walkable” and do so for 2 minutes.

6. Complete steps 4 and 5 a total of three times.

7. Set the grade to zero, the speed to something easy, and cool down until you stop sweating.

8. Immediately stretch your calves and hamstrings (don’t leave the gym without completing this step!)

But before you head to the gym, climber beware. Like my writing skills, nothing is perfect. A disadvantage of working out on a treadmill is that a cloud of hot air inevitably builds up around your body, which increases your body temperature. Increased core temperature equals increased sweating rate. However, at a certain point core temperature is conversely related to performance and therefore caloric burn.  So, direct a fan at your torso and/or legs to maximize your ROI.

Bottom line: raise the grade to get in shape!

Are free weights better than machines?  Ask a group of

Dumbbells @ The DAC

muscle heads and I bet I know their answer.  But, the fact is, strength gains are the SAME (assuming the levels of intensity are equal with both modalities).  A 10-week study compared groups training three times per week with either free weights or machines.  All groups had significant increases in strength and lean body mass and a decrease in body fat.  There were no significant differences between the groups.

A muscle must experience an appropriate level of fatigue with a workload that is progressive from one workout to the next in order to increase in size

Machines @ The DAC

and strength.  Since muscles do not have a brain, or cognitive ability, they cannot possibly “know” the source of the workload.  So, it doesn’t matter whether the muscles are fatigued with a resistance that comes from a machine, a barbell, a cinder block, or a human being.  In short, there is no documented difference in relative strength gains using one form of resistance over another.  The sole factors in determining your response from strength training are your inherited characteristics and your level of intensity – not the equipment that is used.