The treadmill was invented as a prison rehabilitation device | Hacker News Reader

The treadmill was invented as a prison rehabilitation device

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55 pointssamclemens44 comments

Treadmills are an ancient invention[1] and not invented in 1818 as the article suggests. And I'm sure they were frequently "fitted" with slaves or prisoners

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treadwheel

> These devices are no longer used for power or punishment, and the term "treadmill" has come to mean an exercise machine for running or walking in place.

Weird, they still feel like industrial age torture devices ^_^

Lobster used to be prison food

I dare you to eat overcooked boiled lobster - day in day out without butter.

Somewheeere beyond the seaaa

    Now 'tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet
    And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,

https://www.reddit.com/r/Poetry/comments/2p88e1/help_can_som...

The poem is also a reference to Wilde's trial.

Like the song says, "The more it stays the same, the less it changes."

The one at Sugar House in Charleston, SC was famous for punishing slaves.

IMO stationary bikes fall into the same category. A major brand of these gizmos, that buys much TV ad time, shows people using their device, while outside the window it appears to be a glorious day--the sun is shining, and the trees are all green. Get on a real bike fer Pete's sake; improve your balance, improve your driving, sweat your ass off and have a blast!

This assumes that you have enough space to go biking, that the area is safe for biking, that the temperature is comfortable for biking, and several other factors that could all tilt the scale away from "riding a bike would be more enjoyable than a stationary bike."

So I think you're much too eager to dismiss the value of stationary bikes.

Well, this rebuttal reminds me of "not everyone has the time to exercise, I know someone with three jobs and eight kids."

I definitely agree with their characterization of these infomercials.

My retort is if you put your family before your health and you end up dying young you're no good for your family.

I don't think living in an area that's hilly or where it gets uncomfortably hot or cold or has lots of traffic is all that much of an edge case. Those are all pretty common things.

Hilly just means you get your exercise in a shorter amount of time ;)

Assuming the point is exercise, of course. Bike commuting and utilitary cycling in hilly areas can be more of a challenge, but I'm assuming that if we are comparing to stationary bikes, commuting isn't the point.

I live in Guadalajara where I'd be hard-pressed to find a jogging route free of diesel fumes. But I find it sheepish to invoke it in these discussions because I know why I have a treadmill and don't need to defend it.

While I think OP is misdirected, I knew all sorts of people when I lived in the suburbs who had exercise equipment they bought for the idea yet it was left unused year round. And the idea of taking a walk outside through the clear air of suburban Texas seemed lost on most of my neighbors who, of those I knew personally, did not have the excuses we like to make up for them in these threads.

Though I'm not so sure guilting them in these threads is the most effective way to change behavior -- we probably both agree there.

Given that there are few places where people live where there aren't people riding bikes, it's probably reasonable to assume that most stationary bikes are installed where riding outside is perfectly feasible. Which may in part be why so many of them end up as coat racks.

You could get a trainer--a device that allows using a regular bike indoors, which takes up less space and only needs to come out when you don't feel like going outside.

I don't use bikes but I do have a home gym with weights a treadmill and an elliptical. I never liked running outside. I don't have to worry about the weather, I can do it while catching up on TV or watching a technical video.

My exercise induced asthma has gotten worse over the years. I can do strength based workouts for hours with out breathing problems like brisk walking at the maximum incline and high resistance and incline on the elliptical. But my running days seem to be over.

You might want to try a bit of outdoor biking. I have exercise induced asthma as well and I've been riding for the past couple of years instead of running (knees).

While I still think running is the easiest way to lose weight, riding a bike regularly has greatly improved my lung capacity and for some reason isn't as big an allergy load for me.

Running draws pollutants and allergens deeper into your lungs. You dont aspirate as hard when biking so you're breathing less of either in.

"Not aspirating as hard" probably explains why I can work harder (ie calories per minute) with resistance based exercising than hard cardio these days.

I wouldn't be surprised if the modern westerner has issues related to never being alone with their own thoughts instead of always needing the mother's tit of music or Netflix while they do anything.

Though it's not something I discovered the value of until I was halfway through my 20s.

That may have been a reason once, but I think it's unlikely ever since the Walkman was invented.

> IMO stationary bikes fall into the same category.

Stationary bikes alone suck, but as part of a gym (home or otherwise) they are pretty useful for exercises that are rotated through fairly quickly. Regular bikes are quite awkward for that.

I hate stationary bikes. Out of all of the classes I taught when I was a fitness instructor, indoor cycling was the one I liked least. There is only so much variety you can do safely on a stationary bike.

I also don't like biking outdoors I can't imagine biking in the streets with all of the distracted drivers. At least you can legally jog on the sidewalk.

Besides if you want something that gives you a good cardio workout without the stress on your body of running and you want to work out in doors, you might as well get an elliptical.

I think ellipticals are quite a bit pricier.

It looks like you can get the same caliber of exercise bike as elliptical - about $700.

I wouldn't recommend that most people spend money on at home exercise equipment though. Most people don't use it unless they are already in the habit of going to the gym.

Most of the advertisements I get for real bikes are e-mails from my coworkers explaining why they're in the hospital and won't be coming in today. An exercise bike avoids these hazards as well as sunburns, seasonal allergies, weather, and temperature. You also get more control over what kind of exercise you're getting and can easily scale it as needed.

Have you considered that the glorious day featured in the ad is for aesthetics and mental association, and not actually representative of when most people use their stationary bikes?

I try to get out on the trail when I can, but not all of us live in locations where regularly getting on a real bike is compatible with having a full-time job. Between sunrise/sunset times and weather, in the Seattle area you're going to have to be quite dedicated to get on a real bike 3-4 times a week year round.

Please don't post flamebait to HN. There's an interesting historical article here. We don't need to start provoking one another about whose lifestyles are better.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

They still are, IMO.

This comment doesn't even make sense. How is it a point of opinion? And how is someone jogging at home or the gym paying reparations for something in the context of TFA? Are they making atonement for being a couch potato?

>Are they making atonement for being a couch potato?

Yeah I think that's what they were getting at.

Yes. This is in the category of "ignore what people say and watch what they do."

It's a joke.

I believe the headline changed. Used to say something to the effect of "treadmills originally invented as a torture device"

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