The Brutal History of the Treadmill

Running on Empty — how treadmills were used as punishment

Have you ever felt like a hamster on a wheel while running around on a treadmill? Some find solace in the rhythmic monotony of the belt moving under their feet as their heart rate rises, while others could think of nothing worse than using one.

Whether you love them or loathe them treadmills are now synonymous with our notion of fitness and health. However, their history is far less associated with freedom of choice.

Though a version of a treadmill was used in Roman times a more recent use dates back to the early 19th century when Sir William Cubitt, an British inventor, aimed to use the treadmill in prisons as a device to inflict suffering on inmates.

Historian David Shayt in his book Stairway to Redemption: America’s encounter with the British prison (1989) wrote about how physical punishment was commonplace in the early 19th century and inmates would often be subjected to using the treadmill for up to 14 hours per day.

Cubitt had imagined the treadmill to not only inflict great suffering but to also serve a practical use in pumping water or grinding wheat to support labor. One of the most notable implementations of the treadmill was at Brixton Prison and, from there, quickly became popular in prisons across England. Shayt…