How to simulate wind resistance on a treadmill

It is possible to simulate wind resistance while running indoors on a treadmill by increasing the gradient by 1%. — dpa

One advantage – or disadvantage – of running on the treadmill is that you’re not facing any wind resistance, which means you might not be burning as many calories as you’d like.

One common trick to simulate the wind resistance you’d face running outside is to adjust the treadmill so that you’re running at a 1% gradient.

However, how accurately this mimics going for a jog outside is a long-running debate among runners.

Researchers found in a study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences that anyone running between 12.8 and 18 km per hour could offset the lack of wind resistance with a 1% gradient.

Any slower and the gradient doesn’t really matter.

Any faster and you’ll have to set the gradient even higher.

Another thing about running on the treadmill is that there’s no cooling wind, meaning that you’ll sweat more than you would if you were outside.

This means that you should pay more attention to hydration.

You should be drinking at least half a litre per hour on the treadmill.

There’s also a question of what shoes to wear: Treadmills are generally more cushioned than the ground, so there’s no need to wear extra-cushioned shoes while running indoors.

It’s better to wear lighter shoes, says the magazine Fit for Fun. – dpa