8,105
edits
Changes
From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
no edit summary
* Overdosing on the descent can leave your legs trashed for several weeks, so be cautious.
* Avoid a treadmill descent during a [[Practical Tapering| Taper]].
=Measuring the Descent Angle=
There are various approaches to measuring the descent angle.
# The best option is to use a Digital Angle Meter (<jfs id="B006JR8XBG" noreferb="true"/>) to measure the actual angle.
# You can try a smartphone app, which should give you a reasonable estimate of the descent angle. I found [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clinometer-+-bubble-level/id286215117?mt=8 Clinometer works reasonably well]], and the compass app that's built into iOS will provide a simple angle meter.
# You can do some simple math by measuring the distance between the front and back supports of your treadmill. If you want a 10% decline, you'd need to prop up the back by 10% of the length of the treadmill. So if your treadmill is 54 inches long, you'd need to prop it up by 5.4 inches to get 10%. However, you need to check the floor is flat; my garage has a 2% slope on it!
=Gallery=
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Treadmill.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| Here you can see my treadmill with the rear raised up on blocks to allow for steep descents.]]
|[[File:Treadmill Blocks.JPG|none|thumb|x300px| A close up of the two I use wooden blocks used to prop up the back of the treadmill. This allows by about 8 inches/20cm, which provides for a 1612% decline when the treadmill is set to level. I've built a "wall" around the top of the blocks to prevent the treadmill from falling off. The treadmill coming off one of the blocks is quite dramatic and quite bad.]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Blocks For Treadmill.JPG|none|thumb|x300px| Here's the wooden blocks on their own. These are made from 4x4 inch posts glued together.]]|[[File:AngleGauge.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|I use this digital angle finder meter (<jfs id="B006JR8XBG" noreferb="true"/>) to measure the angle of the descent.]]
|}
