Running outside vs treadmill – which is actually better for you? Running can be an enjoyable and effective form of cardio exercise, but many runners fall into two camps: those who love exercising outdoors and those who prefer the steady state of the best treadmills. But is there really much difference between them?

To find out whether running on a treadmill can truly match the benefits of an outdoor jog, we looked at the latest research and spoke to a team of qualified physiotherapists to understand how speed, calorie expenditure, injury risk, and motivation differ depending on what version of this cardiovascular exercise we choose. And why, depending on what you’re training for, running outside might have more performance benefits than exercising on the treadmill.

Stride length and injury risk

“There are mixed thoughts in terms of whether the running patterns alter if you’re on a treadmill,” says Physiotherapist and Founder of Physio Fast Online, Katie Knapton.

“Some research says that people tend to take shorter strides and others say that it makes no difference. Stride length on treadmills tends to be uniform because of the predictable nature of the surface, and while it’s likely to vary from individual to individual‌ there may be a tendency to take smaller strides on a treadmill than you would running outdoors.”

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Certified physiotherapist

Phil Evans is the lead physiotherapist at Urban Body, UK. He qualified in 2008 with an MSc in Physiotherapy from University of Birmingham. He has over a decade’s worth of experience treating a variety of injuries and working with professional sports bodies.

“Road running is generally harder on your body as you need to propel yourself forward, which requires more energy and muscle activation. There is, however, an increased risk of injury due to the impact of the hard and uneven surfaces. A middle ground between road running and treadmill running is using a non-motorized curved treadmill. The curve runners will reduce the impact compared to road running, but will still activate your muscles as you have to drive the belt backward, using more energy to keep the momentum going.”