How to use a treadmill? Running while watching TV is most likely to cause injury

Every year, about 50,000 people are injured from using treadmills, fitness balls, skipping ropes, dumbbells and other sports equipment. Among them, injuries caused by treadmills account for the vast majority, and the most common injury is accidentally falling on a treadmill. A fitness coach at a fitness club pointed out that the reason why treadmills are easily damaged is mainly due to improper use. So how to use a treadmill best? What are the misunderstandings about using treadmills?

Common usage errors include:

No warm-up. You should do warm-up exercises before getting on the treadmill, otherwise it is easy to strain the thigh and calf muscles. Stretching the legs, squatting, stretching the muscles, flexing and extending the joints, etc. can increase the temperature of the muscles and make them softer. After getting on the treadmill, you should start with "dynamic" warm-up such as slow walking or jogging, and gradually increase the amount of exercise. This process usually takes 10-15 minutes. In addition, you should gradually slow down when getting off the treadmill to avoid dizziness and falling.

The speed setting is too fast. The first thing to do when using a treadmill is to understand your own exercise limits. If you don't have the physical strength to keep up and the set speed is too fast, it is easy to fall. This is a problem that "newbies" often encounter.

Excessive exercise. The time and intensity of exercise on a treadmill should be determined according to the purpose of exercise. Jogging for more than half an hour will consume fat, and jogging for more than an hour will consume protein. Therefore, if the purpose is to lose weight, the exercise time should not be too long, 40 minutes is appropriate, otherwise it is easy to overdraw your physical strength and cause sports injuries.

It is also important to remind you that running is an aerobic exercise that involves the whole body. If you hunch your back or hold the handles all the time while running, it will not only fail to achieve the effect of exercise, but will also increase the pressure on the lumbar spine, which will cause lumbar muscle strain over time. Therefore, when exercising on a treadmill, you must tighten your abdomen, chest, and waist and back muscles.

Wang Jun, a doctor of exercise physiology, pointed out that because the bottom of a treadmill is relatively hard, it has a great impact on the knee joint and can easily cause knee injury. Therefore, people with bad joints should use treadmills less often.

Many people like to watch TV while running , which will distract your attention and may cause injury if you are not careful, especially for those who are not familiar with treadmill operation and those who exercise at a high intensity. If you feel bored, you can listen to some relaxing music while running. Studies have shown that music with a brisk rhythm can effectively improve exercise results and increase the fun of exercise.