How to Simulate Running Outside on a Treadmill?

We all know that cycling is an excellent way of exercise, which is not only low-carbon and environmentally friendly, but also has great benefits for our cardiovascular health. In addition, running is also considered to be one of the simple and effective ways of exercise. Not only does it allow people to do it anytime and anywhere, but running every day also strengthens one’s body and keeps it fit, helps in the proper absorption of nutrients by the body and benefits in reducing heart problems. For those who love running, running exercise machine is undoubtedly one of the most useful fitness equipment. It allows people to exercise in their comfort zones without worrying about the weather conditions. Nowadays, the treadmill has gradually become a popular choice for home gyms, which allows people to get the same benefits as running outside without leaving home.

Even though you may prefer to run outside most of the time, there are many reasons why you might want to run on the running exercise machine. Maybe it's winter and your outdoor running route is covered with snow and ice. Maybe it's not winter yet but bad weather conditions are not favorable for you to run outside. Or perhaps, you're just bored of monotonous running outside. Well, you can actually simulate running outside on the motorized treadmill to enjoy a series of benefits like stronger bones, improved calves, etc. Even if you can't 100% simulate running outside on the running exercise machine, with a few tips, you can come close. For example, you only need to set your running exercise machine to a slight incline of 1%, change speed, and adjust your intervals for different running exercise machine paces. But before we know these, let's first understand the differences between running exercise machine and running outside.

How is running outside different?
First of all, the momentum of running exercise machine is very different from running around the block outside. With a running machine, it all depends on you’ve set the machine. It’s constant and steady and you don’t experience any distractions whatsoever. On the other hand, running outside gives you intermittent momentum. Your pace changes with every step you make, and the traffic or changing terrain (uphill and downhill) provide inconsistent momentum. Secondly, there’s the aspect of wind resistance. When running outside, you’re going against the wind, which slows down your pace. But running on the running exercise machine will be faster than running outside, because you are not subject to wind resistance indoors. However, you can simulate running outside on the running exercise machine to let you have an outdoorsy experience. It helps improve your health, burns just as many calories, and builds stronger legs.

What are the benefits of running outside?
Depending on what your intentions of working out, running outside and running on the running exercise machine come with respective benefits. Here are some main benefits of running outside.

1. You can enjoy nature and breathe fresh air
Some studies have shown that running outside can make you feel happier, because you can enjoy nature, breathe fresh air and bathe in warm sunshine, which can help you relieve stress and anxiety. Besides, running outside is also good for your health, because running outside can give you a certain dose of vitamin D every day.

2. Make your running more challenging
Compared with running on the treadmill, running outside can make your running more challenging. This is not only in terms of speed, but also in terms of strength, coordination, technique and endurance. For example, if you live near hills or mountains, running routes with inclines, declines and switchbacks will challenge your legs more. In addition, although most running exercise machines have slope function, they are limited compared with your experience of running outside.

How to simulate running outside on a running exercise machine?
With the following three simple tips, you can simulate running outside on the running exercise machine to get the benefits of running outside.

1. Set the running exercise machine incline to 1%
Studies on sports med have shown that setting your running exercise machine by 1% inclination, you get to simulate running outside. This setting best works with an increased speed to help offset the extra energy. In addition, setting the inclination of the running exercise machine to 1% to simulate running outside is said to help mimic the wind that blows at you when you’re running outside. But I don't recommend that you always run at a 1% incline, because most of the terrain is not completely flat when you run outside. You can use the incline feature on your running exercise machine to help your running be more challenging.

2. Use preset workouts
To have a feel of natural outdoorsy running on the motorized treadmill, it’s best to use some of the preset built-in workouts. The preset workouts usually come with automatic settings that simulate uphill and downhill terrains. Note that some running exercise machines don’t have these automatic settings, but you can always manually change the settings in intervals. With different terrain courses, you develop your muscles which results in better overall health. And don’t be afraid to change the settings to higher inclinations of 2, 3 or even 4 percent. These best work when you’re simulating higher winds.

3. Get a running exercise machine with Google map capability
Some running exercise machines come with advanced features where you can connect to Google maps and then choose a specific terrain. The Google map technology automatically adjusts the slant based on real life routes. This will allow you to better simulate running outside on the running exercise machine.

I believe you will know three effective tips for simulating running outside on a treadmill after reading this article. One of the most obvious tips is increasing your running exercise machine gradient by 1%, which is scientifically proven to simulate outdoors running. I hope you can benefit from this article!