A treadmill is an effective workout tool. It is easy to use, is appropriate for most fitness levels and has the potential to help you burn a lot of calories. In order to lose weight, augment your treadmill training plan with a reduced calorie diet. Maximize your treadmill's ability to help you lose weight by following a few specific guidelines.
Let Go
Holding on to the rails while walking or jogging on the treadmill decreases your calorie burn. As Lorra Garrick, certified personal trainer, notes in a 2007 issue of "Vibrant Life," holding on to the treadmill takes away from the weight-bearing benefits of walking. So wean yourself of the habit of gripping the front bar, bracing yourself on the side rails or holding the heart rate monitors while on a super-incline to haul yourself up a steep hill. You are better off reducing speed or incline slightly and pumping your arms with your walking or running movement to enhance momentum and calorie burn.
Don't Believe the Calorie Counter
Before you eat an extra treat after your workout because the treadmill said you burned 500 calories, understand that treadmills (and other exercise machines) usually over-report calories burned. Although these counters may be accurate, they can also be up to 30 percent too high, notes John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, in the "Los Angeles Times." To get a better estimate of calories burned, input your weight at about 10 to 20 percent less than actual. Do not eat more calories during the day to make up for those burned during your workout.
Interval Training
Instead of using steady-state training at a manageable aerobic level, push your comfort zone. Performing interval training---periods of high-intensity work alternated with more moderate work---improves overall calorie burn and fat oxidation. On the treadmill, alternate minutes of running and walking or jogging and sprinting. Australian researchers reported in a 2008 study published in the "International Journal of Obesity" that a high-intensity interval program followed three days per week for 15 weeks correlated with reductions in total body fat. Push your heart rate toward 80 to 90 percent of maximum during high-intensity periods to maximize calories burned.
Member Comments
scissorbells May 10
That is a really helpful article!