BladeMill skating Treadmill

As we like to say "FLAT IS WHERE"S IS AT!"

Options + Opportunities = Success

BladeMill with its ability to go 45 MPH is the ONLY skating treadmill that gives skating coaches these options and in the process allows them the opportunity to engage everyone from young learn-to-skaters right through to the elite NHL prospects.

And this should be a choice you have. Not a forced decision based on skating treadmill limitations.

Raise the deck for composition, cardiovascular or calories. Not for mechanics.

All these comments are accentuated with skating, as the natural environment is always flat. So where there might be a value in training at a 3% incline for running due to the natural terrain being uneven, there is no value to training on any incline from a skating perspective when we are talking about biomechanics, stride extensions, etc.

Synopsis for hockey and figure skating coaches:

• For body composition: slower speeds at higher inclines 
• For improved cardiovascular:  faster speeds with less incline
• For burning more calories: faster speeds at a higher inclines
  
  But none of these are ideal if youre looking to improve your running speed and technique

The faster you go the more total calories you will burn, but less of those calories will be coming from fat. You will improve your cardiovascular functioning (heart, lungs) with faster treadmills speeds, but again this will not necessarily elicit body composition changes.  It really depends on what your overall goal is. 

Training at a higher incline (10-15%) is beneficial for body composition (burning fat) as your energy requirements are low enough to utilize free fatty acids as a fuel source.

Studies have shown that the use of parachutes while running generally causes too much drag, thus again altering running mechanics too much. While muscle strength and power development does play a huge role in acceleration and speed, most improvements come from better biomechanics. This is why putting athletes on too high an incline is increasing their strength but sacrificing their technique, thus proving to be detrimental overall.

Some coaches suggest you can use up to a 10% incline to improve acceleration (Essentials of Strength and Conditioning by Baechle and Earle, both books are published by Human Kinetics), but again this comes at the cost of proper mechanics. The greater the angle you are running on, the more you must alter your normal stride pattern, which is detrimental when it comes back to normal running.

When it comes to ground sprinting mechanics, some coaches like to increase the incline in order to force the body to work harder (resisted sprinting).  Highly regarded literature such as Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness by Brown and Ferrigno, suggests that you dont go over a 3% incline as this will be detrimental to running biomechanics. Athletes tend to muscle through a run if the incline is too high, thus not focusing on proper running mechanics. 

The relevance of the next few paragraphs on running will be evident, so please take a moment to read it through.

To hockey and figure skating coaches:

As a skating coach you are not teaching a terra firma runner for sprinting mechanics or mimicking outdoor training. If you were then a 3% incline is approximately what most sources will tell you should set a running treadmill on to mimic the outdoor landscape since most trails/roads generally are not completely flat.

Generally speaking, at about the age of about 12, many skaters can keep up with a skating track going 20 MPH. To compensate, many trainers are left to their own thoughts as to how to keep things entertaining while trying to keep their students from skating off the front of the treadmill. Medicine balls, weights are used, as is the use of the incline, all in an effort to slow their students down.

Due to its speed capability of 45 MPH, this is the ONLY skating treadmill that allows for training on a level surface. No more need to raise the incline to slow the skater down when doing biomechanics. Stride mechanics is an exacting science and teaching this on the incline is counter productive to the student when they apply their new found knowledge on "level ice."

BladeMill is the standard by which the skating treadmill industry is set, but has yet to meet, let alone exceed.