Why do some people choose to walk on treadmills at the gym?

[MagpiePi]

I will start off by saying, I am not trying to be goady or suggest that people are wrong, I am just curious.

When I go to the gym there are always people who walk on the treadmills and I wonder why they don't walk outside instead. They are often young (it is in an area with a lot of student flats) with no obvious mobility issues, they are not using cars as they are walking too and from the gym. It is daytime, the weather is fine - not raining, not too hot or cold, the gym is not in a dodgy area or surrounded by roads clogged with traffic and pollution. They are not setting the treadmill to an incline or walking at a sustained brisk pace, but are generally ambling along on the flat.

The only reason I can think of is that it means they can watch videos or scroll on their phones without worrying about walking in dog shit or having to look up to cross roads or avoid other people but still get their step count up.

Am I missing something?

At this time of year I have two options - go for a run in the evening when it is cool enough but I wont feel safe or go to the gym. I can't bear treadmills so I'll walk rather than run so I can read a book on my kindle.

Also I incorporate walking on a steep incline at 6 kph as one of my cardio activities in the gym. My heart rate for that is similar to jogging on the flat. I had an LCL sprain last year and sometimes running irritates my knee again whereas walking uphill doesn't.

Gym treadmill was one of my rebuild steps after I was raped and too scared to walk outside.

When I first started leaving my house I ran (after checking, re-checking and checking again there was no one around) to my car, drove the 3 minutes to the gym, ran to the building, walked on the treadmill and then ran to my car to get home.

Over time I built up to walking to the gym as it felt like a safe route. Then walked at the gym and walked home.

Getting out and being around people, and exercising, in an environment that felt safe was amazing for my recovery.

To the horror of many of the gym goers I literally only walked on the treadmill for many months. Didn’t touch a single other machine.

Oh stop it. Walk along any street and the dogs will be on leads. There are plenty of dog bashing threads, go and find one.

I walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I can't run as I get out of breath.
Sometimes the weather isn't nice enough to walk outside - it's been a shit summer.

Loads of reasons I would say.

• To warm up
• To cool down
• Killing time before meeting friends/ doing other stuff
• Had a particular goal in mind but too tired to run the whole way so walked the last few km
• Realised they’re too tired/ can’t be arsed doing a run
• wanted to feel like they’ve done some exercise so did a walk
• Drove to gym because too far to walk home or need to be somewhere else after the gym that they will drive to

Firstly it's none of your business, if they pay their membership they can do what they like. I walk on an incline at the gym to do a consistent workout in zone 2 as part of my training plan on other days I do interval training and strength training. Some people have to do a very low slow cool down after strength training to calm their nervous system.

I do also walk outside most days but walking inside on a treadmill is different an allows me to do something very specific. I might also walk at the gym if the weather is too hot, too wet or it's too dark. In the gym I can relax, lose myself in what I'm listening to whereas outside I have to keep my wits about me.

Also if you happen to always see people on the treadmill you focus on that, you might not be seeing what they do on other days of their training and you just assume that is all they do? It's like thinking that the people you see walking around town with lots of shopping bags are out spending that kind of money every week when its most likely an odd occasion they do that.

I feel that your post is a bit goady, you seem to want to imply they are just time wasters who want to stare at tiktok while pretending to be working out.

What do you do at a gym?

It's a useful warm up exercise, if they are female they may feel unsafe walking around on their own, especially at certain times of day.

how small minded of you!! Ridiculous

Yes, maybe they want to walk and look at their phone … so what, they’ve paid their membership!

I don’t get why you care?
There seems to be some obsession about other people and what they chose to do in the gym on MN.

Maybe they don’t want to fall down a pot hole (in the uk).

Because if I run I will wee myself. I can walk uphill (using the gradient) and adjust the speed.

Warm up for me. I lift weights and just need a brisk 10-min walk to get the blood flowing beforehand. I’m not interested in running,

-Generally prefer indoors
-Hayfever
-Hot weather (gyms are usually air conditioned). -Rain
-Scared of dogs
-Deathly wasp allergy
-The treadmill is tecchy and can them lots of stats
-Its part of another workout they are using other gym equipment for
-going to an exercise class in the gym afterwards
-meeting someone locally and want to shower after their walk
-don't live in an area with nice walks
-don't like to walk outside alone with headphones in but boring not to use them.

This list took me about 2 mins off the top of my head. It's really not difficult to come up with reasons. Although maybe MYOB...

Similar. To look at me, looks like I have no mobility issues. I’m waiting for a double total knee replacement on the nhs. I cannot cope with the inclines and surfaces outside

my dd uses the treadmill to warm up and cool down - no mobility issues

Allot of people record their stats to measure progress.

Because where I live is a **hole. Unfortunately I have to put up with it as I choose to live near the ones I love.

Theyre generally sprung so it’s lower impact. It’s also a consistent pace to get a warm up / down and you can ramp the speed down / up whereas walking somewhere is very stop start.

I wondered about this then Instagram started sending me loads of incline walking shorts with chat about muscle building and keeping cortisol levels lower than running. It chimed with something else I have been looking at in terms of overall health so I’ve started it too. I put the incline to the max and walk at 4,4 mph for 20 minutes. I was using the stairclimber and still use weights in the gym, I like running outdoors and still do that but it doesn’t fit with the cortisol chat. I try to do 10000 steps a day anyway and the dog gets walked ul a hill most days but the treadmill means the uphill is consistent.

Cerebral palsy and partial sight. Walking outside I need to be slower to be safe. CP limits my ability and balance for running. Falls are dangerous - so far in my life - all on the affected side - broken arm, leg, ankle, finger and worst hip (hip when I was just 21, youngest in the hospital ward by about 40 years).

It’s really frustrating 10 minutes because that’s what I can manage and 10 minutes on bike. Have to factor in physical energy for walking after and the rest of the day.

It means at least I’m doing something.
Luckily I can’t see if people are looking judgy as I concentrate on not falling over my feet.

Because they pay to be a member and choose to walk.

I always do a 5 to 10 minute warm up walking on the treadmill. Use that time to plan my playlist and see what machines/weights are free. But I have a friend who struggles with mobility and feels safer walking on a treadmill, although you wouldn't know that to look at her.

I usually do it as a warm up or cool down

Why do some people run? They could easily do that outside 🤷‍♀️