A treadmill is a simple and effective way to burn calories and strengthen your cardiovascular system. It is also an excellent way to start your fitness journey if you are a beginner and want to set your own pace.
But those who are into waking and running on this machine for quite a while may find treadmills a bit of a trap. When used the same way daily, you might reach your plateau level and stop losing weight and excess fat before even beginning to shed most of it.
That’s why it’s important to concoct a plan. There are several ways on how you can maximize your treadmill workouts and we have them all below. ‘
Begin a fitness routine and stick to it
The first thing you need to do is to ask yourself this, “what do I want to achieve?” Are you looking into losing fat or do you just need a casual run every morning to help you maintain your weight?
Once you have established your fitness goals, check if your treadmill offers programs that are in line with what you want to achieve. Otherwise, you can plan on getting an upgrade.
If you want to be able to run a 5k or 10 km marathon seamlessly, you should use a treadmill designed for running and capable of absorbing shock in the knees and joints.
If your goal is to strengthen the lower body and build muscles, check for other features such as the incline and the decline setting.
Get to know your treadmill or get an suitable one
If you’re working out at home, the treadmill is your next best fitness friend. These cardiovascular fitness machines come in a lot of variety, from the basic units to the more high-end machines offering a handful of fitness programs and routines.
Some units come with pre-programmed workouts, so why not make the best out of it? Familiarize yourself with all the settings on your treadmill and see which one can satisfy your fitness goals. Learn the ins and outs, and how to operate the machine. Some may come with a Bluetooth function or a heart rate monitor where you can connect the unit to the app on your phone for a more convenient and streamlined workout routine.
Take advantage of everything your treadmill has to offer. You might be surprised that there are a lot.
Use the treadmill settings and features
Let’s dabble on some of the features that can help you get the results that you need.
Incline and decline
For instance, you can work on the incline and decline functions to help you strengthen your upper body and build muscles at the same time. Try increasing the incline every time you workout, this helps amp up the intensity that can challenge your legs and butt so they can build more muscles. Always begin with an easy pace so that your body can get accustomed to the new movement. This helps establish consistency. And in order to achieve our goal, you have to be consistent.
And if you want to engage or train your quadriceps more, make use of a decline function of the treadmill. The downhill walk challenges this particular muscle group. Just keep in mind that not all treadmills have this setting.
Lunges
Lunges are a great way to kickstart your lower body exercise and even with treadmills, you’ll still be able to incorporate these simple yet efficient leg exercises.
Begin by slowing down the speed and take wider steps, with one leg in front and one leg behind. This is a great way to tone the legs, hips and butt.
Pumping the arms
Treadmills primarily work out the lower body, but you can also work out the upper body by moving the arms.
Let go of the handles and pump your arms as if you were lifting a dumbbell. Remember to engage your core so that you will be more stable. Once you are used to the movement, you can start incorporating weights, starting with lighter dumbbells first.
You can do a hammer curl, biceps curl, or even a triceps pushback while you are walking the treadmill. Just keep in mind that these exercises are best done in a waking mode rather than running on a treadmill. If you need to amp up the intensity, then start to increase the incline as your body allows you to.
Intermediate treadmill workout
If you want to push your limits and challenge your endurance, this workout program will gear you up for improvement. This type of routine includes walking and running at a consistent pace followed by a variable. For the variable, you can choose to add a .5 percent incline every 5 minutes. The alternating routine of low and intermediate-intensity workouts can challenge not just your endurance but the muscles in your lower body as well.
Work on your posture
You will be surprised at how proper posture during a treadmill workout can make a lot of difference. Keep your spine straight, gaze forward, avoid a hunched back, keep the shoulders pushed to the back, and engage the core at all times.
This stance of a proper posture helps engage and challenge the core, so you can lose fat more. At the same time, this helps keep stability so you don’t easily fall off the treadmill, thus avoiding injuries and accidents.
Proper posture also avoids stiff neck and undue back pain. This will help you finish your routine and stick to it.
Track your progress
One of the ways to keep yourself motivated and hooked into your routine is by tracking your progress. See what you have accomplished in a week or two. Be happy even with the small achievements, this will help you be motivated.
But still remember to be easy on yourself and work in small steps at a time. Don’t push yourself too hard and only increase the intensity when your body is ready. At this point, consistency is more important than increasing the intensity.
That means that you have to walk first before you run. Give your muscles time to get used to the movement before increasing the intensity.
You can do more than just walking and running
While treadmills are specifically cardiovascular fitness machines, you can do a lot more. You can improve your endurance, tone, and develop the muscles of your lower body, even your upper body as well. Introducing these simple yet efficient routines can spice up your mundane treadmill sessions and improve your fitness level at the same time.
