It would seem that running in place is ideal for people who don’t have access to a treadmill or gym. Especially now that we spend most of our time indoors. Unfortunately, due to the structure of our body, running in place can lead to injuries. So it’s worth considering slightly safer alternatives for your health.
Despite appearances, running in place is very different from running in the field or even running on a treadmill. When jogging in place, we do it mostly on our heels and in doing so we make the knee and ankle joints much more stressed, which can lead to injuries and trauma.
However, this is not absolutely discouraged. So the best option is to treat running in place as a warm-up lasting only a few minutes. However, if you’re going to go on a spree, it’s a good idea to intersperse such activity with other exercises to relieve stress on the skeletal system and joints.
The best substitute for not very safe running in place is a treadmill. The price of good equipment ranges from 1000 PLN upwards. The most often bought treadmills are in the price range of 2-3 thousand zlotys. It is a considerable expense, but it comes with a number of benefits. Thanks to the software, we can count the distance traveled, the number of calories burned, or control our pulse, which will allow us to maintain training at the appropriate level of intensity. Of course, we can exercise whenever we want without worrying about restrictions or the weather. There are several elements that you should pay attention to when choosing a treadmill, and these include:
– price;
–Motor power (if you decide to buy an electric treadmill) – the lowest power around 2 HP is too low for sprinting. Such treadmills will enable us to jog at most. The higher the power, the faster we can run;
–Size of the belt – the taller we are, the bigger the belt that the treadmill must have to provide us with comfort during our workout;
–load capacity – this is a parameter that should be adjusted to our body weight;
–Speed – the higher the speed provided by the manufacturer, the faster we can run;
–incline – thanks to this we can imitate running in mountainous terrains. The maximum incline can be up to 40 degrees;
–gadgets, additional equipment, software – manufacturers offer many additional gadgets, such as LCD display, showing time, speed, distance, calories and pulse. In addition, we can expect USB, SD, MP3 and headphone inputs, touch sensors for measuring pulse, training programs, space for bottle or phone, or a function allowing us to enter our data, such as gender, age, weight or height.
Orbiter has a lot of fans all over the world, because thanks to this simple device many people achieved amazing results and lost a lot of kilograms. There are several types of orbiters, and the most popular are:
Mechanical orbiter – a type that is slowly becoming obsolete. Its brakes work on the principle of those we have in our cars, and therefore they often need repairing due to wear and tear. There are no training programs and you cannot change the resistance during the workout (you have to tighten or loosen the screw). It is worth adding that it is also noisy.
Magnetic orbiter – the most characteristic difference is quieter operation. Due to the work of the magnetic version, where the resistance is generated by a magnet, the brakes do not wear out so quickly, which reduces the risk of having to repair the equipment. In addition, we can change the load during training and have access to training programs.
Electromagnetic orbiter – the most expensive option, however, the least prone to malfunction. Thanks to the complete regulation of the load by the computer, we can change it quickly and smoothly. In addition, the load range is much greater, due to the fact that it is regulated by an appropriate current, which flows through the electromagnet.
Both a treadmill and an orbitrek require space and spending a considerable amount of money, however it is worth saving and investing. Investment in decent equipment is an investment in the future (and in healthy joints)! However, if you can’t afford to buy an orbitrek or treadmill, a mat and an online workout program is always enough to get you in shape. This will be a great alternative in between running seasons.
Featured Image: Freepik
