When I exercise, I focus a bit more on weights than I do on cardio. But that is not to say that I neglect the latter. Ever since I graduated high school and started to make up my own workouts, I have incorporated a cardio portion into each one. However, It just so happens that this “portion” I am alluding to has remained pretty much the same over the last dozen years.

My favorite way to get cardio in is to run on a track. Both of my home gyms at the universities I have worked at boast indoor running tracks. I have always completed my weight training first and then started running circles. This went on for year after year after year.

During Hurricane Matthew when the Coastal Carolina gym was shut down, I went to a variety of different area gyms to work out. Of course, none of these particular places had indoor tracks. I was forced to scope out an open treadmill and hope I didn’t look too stupid as I pressed the different settings to begin. During this week where I ran on these types of machines, I actually found them not that bad. However, once my home gym opened up again I was right back on the track.

This holiday season I found myself in a couple more different gyms where I was a visitor. Once again I was on the treadmill working to complete my cardio. This extra time running on the machine made me warm up even more to it. It got to the point where my treadmill experience shifted from “not that bad” to good.

When the Coastal gym opened back up last week, I didn’t exactly “hit the track running.” While I did still use it on certain days, I also used the super nice treadmills we have at CCU on other days. So far this week, I have used the track for one workout and the treadmill for another workout.

Here is the thing: I find running on the track harder than running on the treadmill. However, I sweat more on the treadmill. I can run on the track for 10 minutes and feel much more exhausted than if I ran for 25 minutes on the treadmill. But I am still more soaked after getting off that treadmill than when I exit the track.

My question for my readers who are fitness buffs is this: track or treadmill?

I know I can Google this (I actually already have) and receive a million different opinions, but I rather get feedback that is current and from people I know. If you were forced to do cardio on either a treadmill or on a track and you had to choose the one that would have the most positive results for your body, which one would you choose? Why? Any advice is welcome. Don’t Blink.