Saturday, August 29, 2009

Treadmill Training for Speed is Stupid

Yes, you heard me. Stupid. I've seen websites and heard coaches who claim that treadmill training - and their "patented Super Treadmills" recruit more speed-enhancing muscle fibers than normal running.

And I think it's crap.

'Splain this to me, Lucy; if the treadmill is constantly moving beneath you, is it not helping to carry your leg backwards every time you plant your foot? How could it not? When your foot strikes a moving treadmill belt, the movement of the belt provides an assist in moving your hip into extension, meaning that neither the glute nor the hamstring need to work as hard to take the leg into extension.

How can that possibly increase recruitment of those muscle fibers?

Simple answer: it can't, and it doesn't.

You could set up a treadmill at a lovely steep angle, and a decent speed, and even attach a bungee cord to the user from behind if the athlete signed the waiver, but all that will require of the user is a really good sense of balance and an accelerated hip flexion action to keep pace with the belt and to match the deck angle.

We performance coaches have enough problems trying to get athletes to rebalance their tight hip flexors and weak glutes without 'sport-specific Super Treadmill' programs claiming to be the solution to speed training. If athletes are not learning to engage the extensors of the hip - in multiple directions - they are not going to last long without a visit to the training room.

Don't even get me started on the claims that "running" backwards on the same treadmills are also a component of performance training. Same problem: facing backwards, the moving belt carries the lower leg into extension at the knee. Will the quads burn? Sure they will, but from multiple repetitions, not from increased force development. The user is still in a slightly hip-flexed position, and is now just fatiguing the crap out of the quads. And this is good for....?

Want to engage those hip extensors? Get off the treadmill. Go to your local park/field/track, and RUN. Fast. Rest two or three times as long as your sprint. Do it again. Randomly change direction a few times.

Want a great leg burning workout? Find a hill. Walk up, emphasizing a dorsiflexed ankle and good hip extension. Once you reach the top, walk down, emphasizing the use of the quadriceps to decelerate as you move downhill. When you reach the bottom, head back up with the same toe-up, hip extension focus, but increase your speed. Alternate a walk up/run down with a sprint up/walk down. Lather, rinse repeat, get stronger.

There's not a single athletic event that takes place on a treadmill. Don't waste your time.

No comments: