I Tried the AssaultRunner

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Nothing beats running outdoors when it comes to challenging your body through running. Every stride on the real ground requires your body to generate the speed, momentum, and force needed to propel you over roads, up hills, down trails, and across uneven terrain. But, recently, I tried the AssaultRunner Pro for the first time at my new gym, and it is the closest I’ve ever felt to running outdoors while still being indoors. Many people in the fitness community have heard of the Woodway, which was marketed as a revolutionary treadmill designed to mimic the feel of running on the ground. The Woodway is certainly interesting and, in my experience, quite loud. While running on a Woodway it feels different from running on a traditional treadmill, it falls short of replicating the sensation of generating your own momentum, like when running outdoors.

The AssaultRunner is Different from Other Treadmills

The first time I stepped onto the machine, I nearly lost my balance because I didn’t realize the belt would begin moving from the slightest shift in body movement. Unlike a traditional treadmill that dictates the pace, the AssaultRunner responds instantly to your movement. What makes the AssaultRunner unique is that it is a self-powered curved treadmill. There is no motor driving the belt beneath your feet. Instead, the treadmill responds entirely to your position, posture, and movement. The curved design allows you to control your speed naturally. Move toward the front of the curve, and the belt accelerates. Stay near the center, and you can maintain a steady running or walking pace. Drift toward the back, and the belt slows, making it easier to walk or recover between intervals. As a result, you’re constantly making subtle adjustments to your position on the treadmill. Your core remains engaged as you control your speed, maintain your balance, and determine where you want to be on the curve. Rather than simply keeping up with a machine-set pace, you’re actively creating and regulating the workout yourself. That level of control is what impressed me most about the AssaultRunner. It felt remarkably close to running outdoors, where every variation in stride, fatigue level, or incline naturally affects your pace. In fact, the machine is so sensitive that even subtle changes in posture affect your speed. Tighten your core, lengthen your stride, lean slightly forward, or alter your gait by the smallest amount, and the treadmill responds. You can actually watch those changes reflected in your speed and other metrics on the machine’s display. 

Traditional treadmills require you to keep up with the artificial momentum created by a motorized belt. The AssaultRunner requires you to create the momentum yourself. There is essentially no “free ride.” Every step contributes to moving the belt. As a result, you work harder, stay more engaged, and, for many users, burn more calories than they would on a conventional treadmill. What surprised me most was the amount of focus the machine demanded. Before stepping on, I assumed I would casually watch a video while running. But the sensitivity of the machine forced me to pay attention to my stride and posture. Zoning out was not an option — at least for a beginner. Every minor movement altered my speed, and I became fascinated by how closely the machine mirrored the natural variations that occur during outdoor running.

When you run outside, your speed is never perfectly constant. Fatigue sets in. You adjust your stride. You navigate uneven surfaces. Your pace fluctuates naturally. The AssaultRunner captures that reality better than any treadmill I’ve used. I can easily imagine the same thing happening outdoors. I can become slightly fatigued, and my pace drops. Maybe I step over a few rocks or adjust my stride to avoid uneven ground. My speed changes naturally, even if only by a small amount. The AssaultRunner reflects those subtle variations in a way that traditional treadmills cannot. I was so impressed that when the time comes to outfit my home gym, a traditional treadmill isn’t even under consideration. Neither is a Woodway. The AssaultRunner has earned the top treadmill spot on my dream home gym wish list.

Have you tried the AssaultRunner?

If you have tried this revolutionary treadmill, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you haven’t, I recommend giving it a try. You may find, as I did, that it’s the closest thing to running outdoors without actually stepping outside.

LLAFIT Senior Writer/Editor

As a self-taught athlete for over 23 years and a broke single mom for most of that time, I created brokesinglemomfitness.com, now LLAFIT.com, to aid anyone who believes the road to fitness requires a lot of cash or time. In reality, the path to fitness is paved with knowledge and firm principles; this site aims to teach readers how to master both. LLAFIT: Lifelong Applied Fitness.