Curved Runner - how SKILLMILL & Co. are competing with classic treadmills

Curved Runner - running under your own steam

The best-known curved runner in Swiss gyms is made by Technogym and is called SKILLMILL. While the Curved Runner looks very similar to a regular treadmill, there are some significant differences: Here, exercise is done without a motor; the treadmill is set in motion by the user's strength. This blog explains what this new and intuitive piece of sports equipment has to offer and how we can make the most of it to achieve our sporting goals, regardless of our personal fitness level.

Technogym as a pioneer

While various companies now produce such non-motorized treadmills, the Technogym SKILLMILL is one of the first of its kind and has yet to be surpassed in quality, efficiency and user-friendliness. With its minimalist design and subtle yellow tones on a black surface, Technogym has hit its target: Anyone who sees the SKILLMILL wants to try it out and anyone who uses it won't want to stop. It is supplied with a display where the most important parameters such as resistance, time, speed, heart rate, etc. can be read. The treadmill offers 11 resistance levels, but is not limited in speed and can therefore be used even by advanced and professional athletes. 

Unique functions

The SKILLMILL is not only unique because of its power drive, but also because of its intuitive handling. As the name Curved Runner suggests, the running surface is slightly curved, with the rearmost and foremost ends being the highest, while the treadmill is lowered towards the middle. This characteristic creates the main feature of intuitive operation: if you want to increase the running speed, you have to move towards the front of the treadmill. If, on the other hand, you want to reduce the speed, you have to move back towards the center. At the same time, there is a lever on the right-hand side with which the 11 resistance levels can be adjusted. This creates dynamic and varied workouts that can be tailored to the user's own needs.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

As an example of such a workout, we mention the classic HIIT, which has not yet been surpassed by any other workout due to its efficiency and enormous fat burning. HIIT is easy to explain and requires significantly less time for a training session than regular endurance training. During training, active and passive phases are alternated. An active phase of intensive exertion is followed by a passive phase of short recovery. If we take the SKILLMILL as an example, a HIIT could look like this: 15 seconds active, 45 seconds passive. In the active phase, we run or sprint with full power and a strong resistance setting. After 15 seconds, we move towards the center and walk at walking pace for 45 seconds. These two intervals can initially be performed ten times, i.e. for a total of 10 minutes. A maximum duration of 15 to 20 minutes is recommended for HIIT. As HIIT puts more strain on the body than regular endurance training - even if the duration is significantly shorter - more fat is ultimately burned in this short time. But that's not all, because HIIT is characterized by the well-known afterburn effect. Because this form of training is so strenuous, our body needs a lot of energy to return to a resting state after training. During this time, which in concrete terms means up to 72 hours after training, the body continues to burn more fat than after regular endurance training.

Curved Runner also as rehabilitation

Now that we've talked about HIIT, let's touch on one more point for the sake of completeness: Rehabilitation. Moderate endurance training is used for the rehabilitation of countless diseases and conditions. Examples include all kinds of musculoskeletal restrictions or potential immobility in old age. With a normal treadmill, if you are in poor health, you are quickly exposed to the pressure of having to keep up the pace, as normal treadmills do not adapt to your own speed. With the Curved Runner, on the other hand, the speed adapts to the user in the moment, which makes this device very valuable for successful rehabilitation.