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Why do so many people just walk on the treadmill in the gym?


Guest Kerriganton

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Guest Kerriganton

I am curious. Do ellipitical machines or walking on the treadmill really help lose weight and build fitness? Or even if they do, do they do it efficiently?

I would reckon that it would be better to play some kind of sport. LIke Tennis.

Great sport becuase there is literally no body contact with the opposing player and it is pretty fun.

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Hmmm i can't speak for all. But a right minded person or i would like to think at least, walking helps warm up your body, joints, get your blood pumping rather than straight into intense running or work out or cardio etc.
or even a cool down after a hard work out so forth.
If they been doing it for an hour? then "woah..." is all i can say lol 

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Guest Kerriganton

mhshiney said: Hmmm i can't speak for all. But a right minded person or i would like to think at least, walking helps warm up your body, joints, get your blood pumping rather than straight into intense running or work out or cardio etc.
or even a cool down after a hard work out so forth.
If they been doing it for an hour? then "woah..." is all i can say lol 

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Guest tiffanydang

I feel like you are talking to me because I am the one who does that xD I can't really run comfortable on the treadmill so I walk fast and with a higher up setting on it. Anyway as long as you work out, they all burn calories. It just depends on how hard = how many calories you burn. It isn't as efficiently as running really fast. Some people just suck at sports too so it isn't as efficient as just working out at the gym or it isn't as fun for them as for some. In the end, it's up to personal preference. 

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Guest Kerriganton

tiffanydang said: I feel like you are talking to me because I am the one who does that xD I can't really run comfortable on the treadmill so I walk fast and with a higher up setting on it. Anyway as long as you work out, they all burn calories. It just depends on how hard = how many calories you burn. It isn't as efficiently as running really fast. Some people just suck at sports too so it isn't as efficient as just working out at the gym or it isn't as fun for them as for some. In the end, it's up to personal preference. 

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tiffanydang said: I feel like you are talking to me because I am the one who does that xD I can't really run comfortable on the treadmill so I walk fast and with a higher up setting on it. Anyway as long as you work out, they all burn calories. It just depends on how hard = how many calories you burn. It isn't as efficiently as running really fast. Some people just suck at sports too so it isn't as efficient as just working out at the gym or it isn't as fun for them as for some. In the end, it's up to personal preference. 

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Usually when I see people walking on treadmills it's the old folks. So you know it's still better than not doing anything at all.

But it does make me wonder why would you pay for a gym membership if you're just going to walk on a treadmill. But Idk maybe seniors get a special discount or something.

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Guest Kerriganton

DFO-King said: Usually when I see people walking on treadmills it's the old folks. So you know it's still better than not doing anything at all. But it does make me wonder why would you pay for a gym membership if you're just going to walk on a treadmill. But Idk maybe seniors get a special discount or something.

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Also please consider the fact that there are people in the gym with chronic health conditions and functional or physical limitations.

Walking may be the best form of fitness for people who have coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis/rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and lung diseases especially common chronic obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and emphysema

People with these conditions may not even be able to run for even 5-10 minutes especially people with decreased bone mineral density where their knees simply cannot endure the pressure ( doesn't matter the terrain, treadmill or outdoors ) or people with lung disease who have decreased ventilation, gas exchange ability, and aerobic capacity compared to someone like you or me.

The elderly may come in mind but there are many age groups with these conditions even in the teenage years.

So to answer your question, yes and yes it will build fitness levels efficiently for certain people.

A gym should be a fun environment for everyone and a place that can keep people motivated. Be considerate of others and remember not everyone has the same fitness goals as you.

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power walking burns more than jogging.
to loose weight it is better to keep your heart pumping for length of time, so longer, less intense, while for building up cardiovascular system it is better to push ur heart.
personally, walking very quickly puts more strain on my muscles compared to jogging at around the same pace. as just a general calorie burner, walking is fine if done for a long amount of time, which is why you see people walking for... long amounts of time
as you get older, running is hard on your joints as well. also some people start running, and just go too fast, they tire themselves out and dont continue, take it easy but keep going is much better than push yourself too hard and be unable to continue the next day.

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ajlee613 said: power walking burns more than jogging.
to loose weight it is better to keep your heart pumping for length of time, so longer, less intense, while for building up cardiovascular system it is better to push ur heart.
personally, walking very quickly puts more strain on my muscles compared to jogging at around the same pace. as just a general calorie burner, walking is fine if done for a long amount of time, which is why you see people walking for... long amounts of time
as you get older, running is hard on your joints as well. also some people start running, and just go too fast, they tire themselves out and dont continue, take it easy but keep going is much better than push yourself too hard and be unable to continue the next day.

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Guest Kerriganton

frenchtutor said: Also please consider the fact that there are people in the gym with chronic health conditions and functional or physical limitations.

Walking may be the best form of fitness for people who have coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis/rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and lung diseases especially common chronic obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and emphysema

People with these conditions may not even be able to run for even 5-10 minutes especially people with decreased bone mineral density where their knees simply cannot endure the pressure ( doesn't matter the terrain, treadmill or outdoors ) or people with lung disease who have decreased ventilation, gas exchange ability, and aerobic capacity compared to someone like you or me.

The elderly may come in mind but there are many age groups with these conditions even in the teenage years.

So to answer your question, yes and yes it will build fitness levels efficiently for certain people.

A gym should be a fun environment for everyone and a place that can keep people motivated. Be considerate of others and remember not everyone has the same fitness goals as you.

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Guest Kerriganton

frenchtutor said: And yes you could be right as well. Some people may not want to challenge themselves and choose to just walk. But in the end, we wouldn't know unless we directly ask them. Good point

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I see where you're getting at so I'll do my best to explain.

Tennis and badminton involves a lot coordination, speed, agility, quickness (especially changing of directions), power (force x velocity) and strength. All these will benefit an individual especially for activities of daily living. Running on a treadmill lack most of these qualities. Sports also have a lot of potential of burning a lot of calories, fat, and toning up. Sports have a lot more benefits as you can see

For being beneficial in losing weight, it all comes down to how intense the exercises are. If you are going all out, playing the sport intensely for a hour, you are able to burn more calories than doing aerobic exercises ( running, jogging) for a hour. But if you're not playing the sports that intensely for a hour, an intense workout of running/jogging has more potential of burning more calories and burning fat in a hour

An advantage sports may have is that it may be more fun to engage in for some and will increase exercise adherence. Some people may not want to run on treadmills for prolonged periods

An advantage running/jogging on a treadmill has is that you are able to be measure a few things such as heart rate, time, and speed. So basically you have the advantage of calculating how much calories you can burn within a certain amount of time. With all these variables, you able to run/jog in a constant motion. Sports can be very random, you are not always hitting and changing directions all the time. There may be some rest periods such as when your opponent is retrieving the ball. Every match will be random.

So to answer your question, yes sports do have the POTENTIAL of being more beneficial so you are not wrong. But it all depends on one's fitness goals and how intense they would like their workout

The most beneficial workout is a workout that works best for you and your fitness goals

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Guest chibi_chibi

I don't remember where this quote came from, but it was printed on my group fitness card and I think it applies here, "The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen". So, even if these people are only walking on the treadmill, they're still being active. Maybe it's what they like doing to de-stress or it's a warm-up or it's their "rest" day and they chose to just walk on the treadmill instead of not being active all together. It's down to the preference of each individual and how they planned their fitness routine.

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The treadmill works...-___- , but if you're intent on being truthful/truly improving yourself  the way to go is intense cardio circuits; ultimately, it's an effective way to improve muscle density and build a strong cardiovascular system.I'd say the treadmill is a weak transitional tool(mainly b/c it locks you down + little variety). you can definitely use it for warm ups and cool downs and for those who are physically unable to do other workouts. For me personally i do some free style top rock to music as a transitional tool and that works wonders. it's pretty funny how some people like op mentioned sit on the treadmill for 40 minutes, get off and brag to the world about how great of a workout they just had.
not really my job to tell others how to work out- but imho treadmill sometimes full of bs(need to be careful how you spend you time)-peace

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  • 4 months later...
Guest JamesAustin

 Treadmill walking is a great way to burn extra calories. If you are doing so then it is very much helpful for your heart and leg joints also. 

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