Abstract

While no sanctioned sport competitions may ever take place on a treadmill, there can be distinct advantages to training on a treadmill if the training is done intelligently with an appropriately configured treadmill. There are 2 distinct advantages to treadmill training: an optimal learning environment can be created for improving running mechanics, and treadmill training conditions can safely elicit coordination strategies conducive to enhancing power output and running speed through the manipulation of incline and treadmill speed. Treadmill running has some rninor differences when compared with overground running due to decreased air resistance; however, running on a stiff and powerful treadmill has been shown to be vitually the same biomechanically and metabolically as running overground. A published report using a specially instrumented treadmill capable of measuring both vertical and horizontal reaction forces demonstrated that the reaction force patterns of subjects running on the treadmill were nearly identical for the same subjects running overground. This data clearly refutes the notion that treadmill running is not desirable for training because the treadmill motor “pulls your leg back during stance and thus you don't have to put force in the ground/treadmill.” In order for an athlete to keep the center of mass in the same position in space while a foot is moving backward on the treadmill belt, a resultant force must be applied to the treadmill belt surface that is sufficient enough to counteract the speed of the treadmill belt as well as the effects of the force of gravity when incline sprints are being performed. If the athlete is unable to apply such a force, the athlete will simply be carried off the back of the treadmill, or if the athlete applies a greater force, the athlete will move forward in relation to the treadmill. Treadmill training can create an optimal learning environment for the athlete by taking advantage of the fact that the athlete remains in a relatively fixed position. The optimal learning environment created by a treadmill allows a coach or trainer to provide visual, audio, and kinesthetic feedback to the athlete. In this way, the athlete can see (using a strategically placed mirror), hear (instructions from the coach), and feel (through proper spotting technique) what he/she needs to do to improve running skills. Providing such feedback on a track becomes much more difficult and some times impossible. Proper sprint/ running technique is a refined motor skill and requires a great deal of practice. An optimal learning environment will only enhance the process of skill acquisition. Another benefit to treadmill training is that grade and speed can be manipulated to elicit neuromuscular responses that are greater than what an individual can do overground. If an athlete running overground (level or uphill) becomes fatigued, his/her running speed will decrease due to a concomitant reduction in power output. If an athlete training on a treadmill becomes fatigued, the treadmill will not slow down and the athlete can be forced (using proper spotting technique) into performing maximally or even supramaximally as he/she attempts to maintain the power output levels required for the duration of the exercise bout. Textauszug