Have you ever thought about if the treadmill you’re using is the best first for your needs?
Modern treadmills have been around for over 50 years. It’s an even longer history if you include their origins in prisoner reform (the more you know). For most of that history, the basics of the machine have looked very much the same: a flat running surface connected to an engine rotating underfoot of the runner. Things are changing, but slowly.
The form of the modern treadmill now takes several different forms. Ironically, the motorless treadmill has evolved as an improvement on most motorized designs. The running surface can also take either a flat or curved shape.
Let’s look at some of the differences in how these designs prove advantageous (or not) against each other. Plus, if you keep reading, you’ll learn about one design that’s combining the best of both worlds.
Motorized vs. Motorless
The motorized treadmill has molded cardio workouts since the 1960’s, forcing the user to work against a running conveyor belt. This concept worked well for years with the slight drawback of sometimes killing people.
The safety issues inherent in motorized treadmills have led to an ironic evolution of motorless treadmills. Motorless treadmills are typically curved in their surface design (more on that later). They do not require any power source besides one: you.
Motorized treadmills carry one big advantage over motorless ones in that your choices as a consumer are nearly endless. There are more fitness companies making treadmills out there than can be counted. Each carries its own uniqueness in software, durability, and, perhaps most importantly, price. A common motorized treadmill can run you anywhere from $500 to $7,000. Aside from that, a conventional treadmill also can be advantageous because most users may be more accustomed to the movement of the motorized belt more than they would a stationary belt requiring force.
The disadvantages are obvious. Motorized treadmills are, at best, an inaccurate simulation of real running. At worst, they’re a severe injury or worse waiting to happen.
Roughly three people died every year from a treadmill accident from 2003 to 2013, USA Today reported in 2015. Treadmill giant Peloton earned a $19 million fine in 2023 when a child died using one of its treadmills. Hospitals report tens of thousands of treadmill-related injuries every year.
Even if this doesn’t happen to you, a conventional treadmill doesn’t truly offer the experience of running. It’s more the experience of staying upright and trying to keep up with a moving belt. Runners using them often gain little in the way of speed or stamina. It’s not a true running experience to have the ground moving beneath you.
Going for a motorless treadmill, you become the engine in the same way you would running outside. Your foot pushes into the belt and sends it back. By this method, your treadmill use will actually build your stamina and speed at a much more rapid pace.
Flat vs. Curved
Without a motor in the treadmill, how does it actually work? What makes it go?
Motorless treadmills, for the most part, have a curve in the running surface. This makes it so your walking pattern drives the belt downward under your foot, then out behind you. The force of this movement is more authentic to real running. You get the feel of actually pushing yourself off the ground and forward with each step. A good example of this is the Opticurve (pictured here).
Based on the current market, most curved treadmills also feature a different kind of belt than the standard treadmill. Rather than the seatbelt-like material of the standard belt, curved treadmills often are built with hard, synthetic, shock-absorbent slats. This design lessens the impact of your foot on the running surface, as does the curve complimenting your running motion.
So what keeps flat treadmills relevant against this? Flat motorized treadmills have the advantage of more software enhancements to supplement your workout. A motorized treadmill, for example, may be able to incline so you can progress your cardio with a climbing element. The last time we checked, however, hills and mountains don’t move under your foot either.
Curved treadmills, while more intuitive to your motion and speed, can still be a little awkward in some situations. Starting to run quickly may send you “climbing” up the curve of the belt before the rotation catches up. It would then “drop” you back towards the center, potentially swinging dangerously far back off the mill.
A quick stop on a curved treadmill can be tricky as well. The motion of going from running to a full stop quickly typically involves a large step forward. Against a curved surface, this is counterintuitive. You’ll only make the belt speed up. Quickly stopping would require you to abruptly minimize your body movement, which would create an unnatural running motion.
There is a better way…
The First Flat, Motorless Treadmill
In 2021, Stroops designed the fitness industry’s first flat motorless treadmill, calling it the Optimill®. Athletic innovation doesn’t get much more genius than this.
To combat the worst pitfalls of each type of treadmill in the industry, Stroops CEO Shon Harker designed the Optimill® so that users could achieve the safest and most high-level indoor running exercise possible.
With the Optimill®, you are the motor powering the treadmill just like if you were on a curved treadmill. Instead of using downward force on the curve, your foot pushes the flat belt straight behind you. It’s just like if you were on a sidewalk. An anchor with a strapped in harness system counterbalances you and keeps you in place while running. Depending on your exercise, you can use the harness around your waist, legs, shoulders, or anywhere else.
The Optimill® revolutionizes the conventional treadmill in safety. Its motorless design moves with you, stopping when you stop and slowing when you slow. Because of this feature, it also works well if you’re training in erratic movement. This could include quick speed changes or multidirectional running patterns.
Lastly, the Optimill® will give you one added benefit: ultimate portability. Besides its collapsible parts, the Optimill® weighs a fraction of your standard motorized treadmill. That way, you’ll have an easy time moving this machine to the best spot in your workout space.
And that’s it. Motorless treadmills carry numerous safety and performance advantages over your standard motorized treadmill. The Optimill® by Stroops recaptures some of those earlier benefits to create a one-of-a-kind running experience. It truly captures the authenticity of outdoor running.
Give us all your thoughts about treadmills in the comments below, and stay tuned for more content.
0 Comments