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So. Which do you prefer?

BoredShirtless wrote:So. Which do you prefer?

To go biking on a real bike. I can't stand treadmills or stationary bikes. I want to go some where damn it!

Bikes are good, but you still can't beat running when it comes to burning calories at an intense rate.

I do the treadmill at the gym before I lift. Many people don't like standing in one place and running simply because it is pretty boring. When I do it, I visualize keeping my fat off and getting in better shape. That's the way to do it.

Running on the road is better for people who get bored on the treadmill.

Overall here is how I break the treadmill down:

Treadmill
Pros: Gyms have temperature-controlled environments. This is important for people who suffer from things like exercised induced asthma. Also, the digital display readouts keep track of your time, how many calories you burn, the level of difficulty, etc. Treads are great for beginners and veterans.

Cons: Staying in one place. Also, the impact is significantly lower than actually running somewhere (but this can also be a pro for some people). Since my weight is about 250 lbs, I find many treadmills that have loose running belts. This can obviously be very dangerous.

Treadmill or stationary bike for myself. 1) I like to work out alone, and 2) I have exercise-induced asthma, and biking or running outside nearly kills me. I don't get bored because I daydream a lot, and sing along with my discman.

So many people seem to have EIA. I find that very cold morning weather will sometimes cause me to weeze a little, but for the most part, I don't seem to have it.

Superman wrote:So many people seem to have EIA. I find that very cold morning weather will sometimes cause me to weeze a little, but for the most part, I don't seem to have it.

Yeah, my lungs close up and just stop working. I need three different kinds of inhalers to be able to breathe again once an attack starts, and I have been rushed to the emergency room a few times in the past when the sprays didn't work.

Biking on the road or trails is the only option for me. Running on a treadmill or really anywhere for exercise places a huge amount of extra stress on your knees anyway.

Yep. Many people can't run much because of knee stress too. This can usually improve as the body gets into shape, but it can be bad in some people.

I go to the park on my bike once a week. Exercise is a bit easier when you have scenery to take your mind of the throbing in your knees. I usually do a few laps of the park before breakfast on a sunday. So far it's helped me drop a stone in weight since July.

Its gotta be the trails for running. I've tried treadmills, but they are bar none the MOST boring things in existance.

For biking, I can handle stationary.

I prefer the road, because not only do I get bored on the treadmill, but I also get nauseous on treadmills and when I get off the treadmill I get very dizzy. I don't get that stuff when I run normally, and I don't know why the treadmill does it to me but it does.

Superman wrote:Yep. Many people can't run much because of knee stress too. This can usually improve as the body gets into shape, but it can be bad in some people.

Even if you knees are perfectly fine when you start they will get worse, especially when you get older, arthritis and other aliments can be made much worse as a result.

Excercise bike in the winter, when the air is cold and my asthma kicks in. Actual biking in the summer/spring.

Road & trails for me. 10 seconds on a treadmill or stationary bike and I'm ready to shoot myself from boredom. I need trails to run on or ride on my bike, that's just the way it is for me. I'd rather bike in -30 degree weather (and I've done it) than spend time on a stationary bike going nowhere.

Indoors is no fun at all.

Well, for me it's no choice at all. They make me run on the road. So that's what I do. It's too much of a pain in the ass (for me at least) to sign in, show 'em my ID, and all that other crap, than to just simply park somewhere and take off.

Admittedly my knees don't particularly like the road, but cross-country works too.

Road or cross-country is the only way to go, so far as I'm concerned. Preferably cross-country.

Road or crosscountry is the only way to go, so far as I'm concerned. Preferably crosscountry.

I hate running, but when I do I use a quarter mile track.

I don't run because I'm lazy, but for walking I like the road, I end up getting somewhere.

BoredShirtless wrote:So. Which do you prefer?

Whether it is biking or running roads are always superior to treadmills. Treadmills do have one advantage. They have sensors that monitor how much work the user did. This is good for overweight people who need to measure their progresss.

Its all about getting outdoors. For one its a more dynamic workout. No matter how hard treadmills try they just can't simulate runnign up a good hill, nor can they simulate the exhilirating downhill once you've crested. Moreover the scenery makes runnign outdoors an infinitely mroe enjoyable experience than running on a treadmill. That plus, as others have mentioned, the impact on your knees is generally worse on treadmills. Now granted you ankles tend to get a bit mroe wear if you run trails like I do but I'll take it in exchange for healthier knees.

Don't run much, sure I can run around the park but my feet would start to hurt when it hits the pavement. I need someplace filled with grass or something soft to cushion or I need to start looking for some running shoes, but even then that takes the train to get there and I don't feel like wasting a fare every day or so.~Jason
Edit: Both are fine with me.

I'd prefer to run my 5K outdoors, but it's not really much of an option for half the year. I'm not about to go and run around outside when it's -20 deg C outside.