- Time of past OR future Camino
- C.F. 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021
C.P. 2022
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Does anyone have experience training using a treadmill? I want to add the treadmill to my biking/walking regime. This would be in addition to walking outdoors. We have recently purchased a treadmill and it seems good way to get miles in during bad weather. Does wearing a full pack on a treadmill have the same results as wearing one while walking outside? Does using the treadmill on an incline approximate walking uphill? Any insights, advice, or experiences will be appreciated.
Best,
frm
Treadmills are great for building basic strength and endurance, as well as cardio fitness, and training on one is a much better option than not training at all. They will also help you get a read on your shoe/sock situation, which is critical. The weakness in treadmills is that the ground can be uneven, and there is a whole set of stabilizing muscles from your back to your toes that the treadmill does nothing for. What muscles? walk on some uneven ground for an hour, and they will all raise their little hands for you.I can't reproduce the vicious descents of course.
Thanks; I already knew all this already. In my regular life I walk 60-70km per week on all kinds of terrain. I've lost all that thanks to lockdowns.Treadmills are great for building basic strength and endurance, as well as cardio fitness, and training on one is a much better option than not training at all. They will also help you get a read on your shoe/sock situation, which is critical. The weakness in treadmills is that the ground can be uneven, and there is a whole set of stabilizing muscles from your back to your toes that the treadmill does nothing for. What muscles? walk on some uneven ground for an hour, and they will all raise their little hands for you.
By all means, the treadmill will be great to build your cardio and endurance. When weather/lockdowns improve where you live, try and get some outdoor walking in on trails, preferably with some hills. If you live in a flat place, stairs are a pretty good substitute as well. It doesn't take long to get your stability muscles toned up with a pack. When I put mine on after a long lull, its maybe two or three weeks to get back to the point where I don't notice I'm wearing it any more.
Buen Camino
I don't like to walk in the cold so I use a DVD walking program that also uses HIIT, weights and resistance bands. I like it because there is a lot of back and forth and lateral motion that works those "back up and sideways muscles". I have found that I have gotten stronger and it is easier for me to move confidently on muddy, slick or gravel descents. I would like to add a treadmill (if only to get my husband walking again)!! Do you mind telling me which model you bought, and how easy/difficult it is to set up, use and maintain?Thanks; I already knew all this already. In my regular life I walk 60-70km per week on all kinds of terrain. I've lost all that thanks to lockdowns.
The treadmill allows me to exercise without worrying about having someone complain to bylaw or the cops that I'm too far away from home.
I don't think I made any suggestion that the treadmill could produce anything other than a reasonable (defined by being only available) option in the circumstances.
It obviously misses out on descents, on uneven terrain, on scree and larger rocks that challenge one's footing all over the Camino (and, indeed, any long hike).
But is it a reasonable thing to use for training in our present situation? Yes. And I wear my pack on the treadmill; nothing prevents anyone from doing that.
I'd rather go an hour on the treadmill than up and down my staircase for an hour.
I wish I could go to a gym to try one, but I live about an hour from the nearest town with a gym. So if I do this it is going to be an investment. I have been doing some research, but there are just so many to choose from, and when you don't know anything about them it can get overwhelming.I go to our town center gym in the winter. They have machines that go up to 15 levels. I use it like I am walking on a camino, and gradually raise it up to level 8 at the equivalent of 4 km per hour. Sometimes, I may stay on for two hours, but I vary the grades after an hour. Example
5 minutes at Level 5 then 2 minutes at grade 10. Then 5 minutes level 5 then 1 minute level 11 and 1 minute level 10. Then 5 minutes level 4 and 1 minute at 10 and 11 levels, etc.
I do rarely, use the pack when walkiing the first hour, but when doing intervals, I do not. And I never put full weight in the pack on a treadmill.
If your priority is to get your heart and lungs in shape then a cheap (and smaller) stationary bicycle will do the trick. The threadmill will do that too but also get your walking muscles in shape.I wish I could go to a gym to try one, but I live about an hour from the nearest town with a gym. So if I do this it is going to be an investment.
My heart and lungs are in shape from my aerobic exercise walking DVDs, and I am looking for something different that would mimic walking on camino, and I would much rather walk than bike. Even when I was a teenager I walked everywhere rather than bike.If your priority is to get your heart and lungs in shape then a cheap (and smaller) stationary bicycle will do the trick. The threadmill will do that too but also get your walking muscles in shape.
I cant offer you a personal experience as I never use treadmills. However I can offer the perspective from our Oxfam Trailwalk team. This is a 100km all terrain event (held at various places around the globe) It involves all 4 team members walking 100kms, it usually takes us 24-27 hours.Does anyone have experience training using a treadmill? I want to add the treadmill to my biking/walking regime. This would be in addition to walking outdoors. We have recently purchased a treadmill and it seems good way to get miles in during bad weather. Does wearing a full pack on a treadmill have the same results as wearing one while walking outside? Does using the treadmill on an incline approximate walking uphill? Any insights, advice, or experiences will be appreciated.
Best,
frm
Agree, Treadmill is not a replacement for terrain walking. One must do pavement walking to harden the feet and prevent blisters on Camino and some trail walking ( for stability). But for one who does not have hills outside, the treadmill, in combination with various terrain walking is a great way to get ready.I cant offer you a personal experience as I never use treadmills. However I can offer the perspective from our Oxfam Trailwalk team. This is a 100km all terrain event (held at various places around the globe) It involves all 4 team members walking 100kms, it usually takes us 24-27 hours.
The first time I did this our youngest team member (27) didnt want to train outdoors with the reat of the team, and opted to train on a treadmill (for the gym airconditioning) most days. With the event in March, the training takes place over a NZ summer. The treadmill have her a level of fitness but didnt prepare her feet and legs for the uneven terrain, walking in the dark, dealing with the weather, or the rubber-hitting-the road effect. She went on to develop terrible blisters, pain in the soles of her feet, wrenched ankles and she sobbed and moaned for the last 25kms, and then took a week off work.
The rest of the team were aged 47-60. We all trained together outdoors on actual ground, and had only small blisters, and all went back to work the next day. Apart from the rain and the sleet we encountered the walk was mostly enjoyable.
So I think treadmill walking isnt a complete substitute , but a addition to a training programme that would be fine.
I am just looking to add something new to my routine until we can get outdoors without freezing rain and ice, and help relieve the repetition of DVDs and climbing the house stairs again and again and again......... I am so looking forward to spring.I cant offer you a personal experience as I never use treadmills. However I can offer the perspective from our Oxfam Trailwalk team. This is a 100km all terrain event (held at various places around the globe) It involves all 4 team members walking 100kms, it usually takes us 24-27 hours.
The first time I did this our youngest team member (27) didnt want to train outdoors with the reat of the team, and opted to train on a treadmill (for the gym airconditioning) most days. With the event in March, the training takes place over a NZ summer. The treadmill have her a level of fitness but didnt prepare her feet and legs for the uneven terrain, walking in the dark, dealing with the weather, or the rubber-hitting-the road effect. She went on to develop terrible blisters, pain in the soles of her feet, wrenched ankles and she sobbed and moaned for the last 25kms, and then took a week off work. As all 4 members have to finish together she was basically dragged in by 2 people either side of her. Our employers and workmates had paid for our team so we were determined to finish and not let them down.
The rest of the team were aged 47-60. We all trained together outdoors on actual ground, and had only small blisters, and all went back to work the next day. Apart from the rain and the sleet we encountered the walk was mostly enjoyable.
Given the Camino isnt a race, I think treadmill walking isn't a complete substitute , but a addition to a training programme that would be fine.
I would have to travel at least an hour by car each way in three different directions to find three different gyms to try them out. I truly live in the middle of nowhere!Agree, Treadmill is not a replacement for terrain walking. One must do pavement walking to harden the feet and prevent blisters on Camino and some trail walking ( for stability). But for one who does not have hills outside, the treadmill, in combination with various terrain walking is a great way to get ready.
@witsendwv may not want to join a gym. But you might want to travel to a couple of different clubs and get a free week, to see if you want to join. In the meantime, you could sample the various equipment and get a feel if this is a way for you to train, before you invest money.
What are some good walking DVDs?My heart and lungs are in shape from my aerobic exercise walking DVDs, and I am looking for something different that would mimic walking on camino, and I would much rather walk than bike. Even when I was a teenager I walked everywhere rather than bike.
Nothing, imo, can really prepare a first time walker for a Camino. You can walk distances, hills, core train etc. These help build your stamina and overall condition. What you can not really train for is the mental aspect. That first day from SJPdP is, seemingly at times, never-ending. Your feet are going to walk varying surfaces, which they are not accustomed too. They are going to be hot, maybe blistered and definitely sore at the end of each day. Your pack, in many cases, will have lots of unnecessary stuff. You will decide quickly to dispose of it or carry. Several times, during the walk, you will ask yourself, "What am I doing here?".With that thought in mind, you only have to repeat this 30+ times. Ground hog day.
That said, anyone, imo, can walk a Camino.
Beyond all the other things you will encounter - Spanish culture, Spanish history, new friends, new foods, drinks, different sleeping conditions, etc. etc. You will learn something about yourself.
Ultreya,
Joe
I have a fancy newer Nordictrack treadmill that has a 15% incline and a 3% decline. With a subscription service, I walk routes pre-mapped or built by me, anywhere in the world mapped by Google street view. When in this mode, my treadmill will automatically adjust to the inclination/declination of the route. I can watch the scenery “go by” in a series of stills from Google Earth as I walk. It’s not perfect, I can only cover about 85% of the Frances route this way, and it’s not “virtual” technology, but still pretty darn cool. I like to play a game of “spot the arrows” as I walk. I’ve also been able to virtually walk in Paris, London, all kinds of amazing placesDoes anyone have experience training using a treadmill? I want to add the treadmill to my biking/walking regime. This would be in addition to walking outdoors. We have recently purchased a treadmill and it seems good way to get miles in during bad weather. Does wearing a full pack on a treadmill have the same results as wearing one while walking outside? Does using the treadmill on an incline approximate walking uphill? Any insights, advice, or experiences will be appreciated.
Best,
frm
Apologies for the misunderstanding, my post was not aimed at you, but rather the OP. I shamelessly quoted part of your post as having a key thought in it, that's all. My point (same as yours) was that a treadmill does not simulate everything about walking the trail, a point which you brought up first, and I was expanding on.Thanks; I already knew all this already. In my regular life I walk 60-70km per week on all kinds of terrain. I've lost all that thanks to lockdowns.
The treadmill allows me to exercise without worrying about having someone complain to bylaw or the cops that I'm too far away from home.
I don't think I made any suggestion that the treadmill could produce anything other than a reasonable (defined by being only available) option in the circumstances.
It obviously misses out on descents, on uneven terrain, on scree and larger rocks that challenge one's footing all over the Camino (and, indeed, any long hike).
But is it a reasonable thing to use for training in our present situation? Yes. And I wear my pack on the treadmill; nothing prevents anyone from doing that.
I'd rather go an hour on the treadmill than up and down my staircase for an hour.
I too lived I a very hot climate. I would walk for an hour at a very early hour but it would get even too hot. Then I just walked for an hour working up to about 3.8 mph and 12 to 15% incline. With a full pack. Worked my way into it. Then I take it slowly for about A week on the Camino. Walk my way to Camino shape that ways I am soon to be 67. I just bought a treadmill and intend to use it almost exclusively until the day my vaccine and Spain and safety and common sense allow me to take my first step from Sevilla. I know this will continue to work just fine for me.Hello, I live in Texas where it is too hot in the summer and early fall for me to walk outside, I do not tolerate heat well. Two years in a row I have gone to my gym every day and claimed a treadmill to walk with my pack for an hour or two, using various speeds and inclines. Of course it does not simulate my exact walking style but is close enough. This does attract some attention which is how I now have a walking partner, a big stretch for me. A man showed interest, I jokingly asked if he wanted to go and he said yes. Now I am stuck, but in a good way! His job is to make sure I do not fall off a mountain and mine is to help him find the best wine!
YES, I have a treadmill, and used it heavily in training for my Camino!!! It is AWESOME!!!Does anyone have experience training using a treadmill? I want to add the treadmill to my biking/walking regime. This would be in addition to walking outdoors. We have recently purchased a treadmill and it seems good way to get miles in during bad weather. Does wearing a full pack on a treadmill have the same results as wearing one while walking outside? Does using the treadmill on an incline approximate walking uphill? Any insights, advice, or experiences will be appreciated.
Best,
frm
Apologies for the misunderstanding, my post was not aimed at you, but rather the OP. I shamelessly quoted part of your post as having a key thought in it, that's all. My point (same as yours) was that a treadmill does not simulate everything about walking the trail, a point which you brought up first, and I was expanding on.
What's missing on the treadmill are those thousand steps where your toes strike first on a small wobbly cobblestone. It's no wonder most blisters are behind the toes and those black toe nails.Does anyone have experience training using a treadmill? I want to add the treadmill to my biking/walking regime. This would be in addition to walking outdoors. We have recently purchased a treadmill and it seems good way to get miles in during bad weather. Does wearing a full pack on a treadmill have the same results as wearing one while walking outside? Does using the treadmill on an incline approximate walking uphill? Any insights, advice, or experiences will be appreciated.
Best,
frm
Are you referring to the 3% mentioned in a post above? That is a 3% DEcline though...(and a 15% incline on same machine). I had to read it twice too.I believe a 3% incline on the treadmill is equivalent to outside on flat terrain. This takes into account that the treadmill belt is actually doing some of the work for you and air resistance outside.
I have found that my foot strike is different on the treadmill which creates different rubbing on my feet and alignment with ankles, knees,etc. With that said I rarely walk/run on the TM, so would expect it to ‘feel’ different than walking/running outside (my body is conditioned to be outside and not on the TM).
Aka: Specificity of Training! As you said, “ train for that which you want to replicate”.I am a runner who at one point had an injury requiring me to run on a treadmill. It in NO WAY mimicked anything remotely comparable to running on the ground. On a treadmill, after the first couple of steps, the treadmill does the work. All you have to do is land. I could run 6 hours on a treadmill and it would not equate to 1 hour on the road! Training is training. Train for that which you want to replicate.
I am a runner who at one point had an injury requiring me to run on a treadmill. It in NO WAY mimicked anything remotely comparable to running on the ground. On a treadmill, after the first couple of steps, the treadmill does the work. All you have to do is land. I could run 6 hours on a treadmill and it would not equate to 1 hour on the road! Training is training. Train for that which you want to replicate.
Not comparing figures from another post that mentioned incline and decline %. Just saying, if I’m using a TM to replicate the same ’feel/intensity’ of walking outside on flat terrain, I would need to put the TM at a 3% incline. Flat outside = 3% TM. This is an estimation!Are you referring to the 3% mentioned in a post above? That is a 3% DEcline though...(and a 15% incline on same machine). I had to read it twice too.
Many years ago I had to have a cardiac test which included running on a treadmill. The aim was to raise my heart rate above 140 BPS. I was by no means a runner but my heart rate remained stubbornly lower than required. They raised the elevation over and over and in the end gave up and just did their tests anyway.I am a runner who at one point had an injury requiring me to run on a treadmill. It in NO WAY mimicked anything remotely comparable to running on the ground. On a treadmill, after the first couple of steps, the treadmill does the work. All you have to do is land. I could run 6 hours on a treadmill and it would not equate to 1 hour on the road! Training is training. Train for that which you want to replicate.
The worst for me being the long downhill to Molinaseca. Brutal!!Treadmills are good for training. The only thing they can't do is to prepare the muscles needed for downhill walking. There were many long downhill sections of the Francis route.
I think pretty much all treadmills except low budget items have an incline setting these days.I seem to recall from my days in the gym, lo those many years ago, that on some treadmills you can adjust not just the speed but the incline. One that will give you an incline might be useful.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?