Treadmills allow you to burn calories and lose weight in a low impact workout that can be done indoors. People of different fitness levels use treadmill exercises with different speeds, degrees of incline and durations, to achieve their objectives. The best treadmill exercise for you depends on your goals, capabilities and workout preferences.
Beginner Workout
You will benefit from this interval workout from fitness expert Craig Ballantyne if you are new to a treadmill or if you are just starting a weight loss program and have not developed high speed or endurance. To start, warm up at a low intensity, about 5 out of 10 of the treadmill speed levels. After you're warmed up move the intensity up a notch to 6 for two minutes. Then increase the intensity to 7 for the next three minutes.
The key to interval training is a thorough recovery so set the intensity back down to 3 for two minutes. After you have recovered set the speed back to 7 for three minutes. Repeat your 3 to 7 rotation three times and then cool down for five minutes. Using this routine, you will be able to get more minutes logged at a high intensity than you would if you just tried to run at 7 for as long as you could last. Working at a higher intensity burns more calories.
3 Hills Weight Loss Treadmill Workout
Using the incline settings on your treadmill can simulate running up a variety of hills and can jump start your weight loss goals. You will notice while running up the incline that your quadriceps are working much harder and your core is activated, burning calories and helping you to shed pounds. Start with a warm-up for five minutes, then begin your workout by increasing the speed to 5.5 miles per hour and increase the incline to 5 percent. The incline increase should take two to two-and-a-half minutes. Plateau at this speed and incline for a full minute.
Next, decrease your speed to 4.5 miles per hour with an incline of 0. Repeat this progression three times until you reach 7 miles per hour at 7 percent incline for one minute. Next, gradually reduce your speed and incline just as you increased it. This type of workout is also referred to as pyramid training.
Advanced Workout
This is a simple and very effective workout from Craig Ballantyne for advanced runners looking to lose weight. If you have mastered the previous workouts and want an intense challenge for maximum fat burning, this is an interval workout that will expedite your weight loss goals.
Warm up for 10 minutes this time so your muscles are thoroughly limber and ready for maximum intensity. Start your workout with an eight-second sprint. Your heart rate should increase to the 75 to 85 percent range by the end of the sprint. Once you've gotten up to this range, run at a speed that maintains this pace for five minutes. After five minutes take a 12-second recovery. You can jump onto the side bars of the treadmill and stop running so your heart rate drops quickly. Repeat this process two or three more times depending on your fitness level. A portable heart rate monitor is your best option to continually monitor your beats per minute.
Member Comments