Treadmill Workout Ideas

A good treadmill workout gets the heart pumping for good cardiovascular health, and it burns calories to help you lose weight. Doing different treadmill workouts helps avoid the boredom that occurs after days and weeks on a stationary machine. Some treadmill exercises promote endurance and help improve distance through running. Other workouts help increase resistance by engaging the treadmill's incline.

Alternate Running and Walking

Getting your heart rate up is a part of good cardiovascular health. A treadmill is one of the best machines for improving cardiovascular health even during the winter when jogging outside is less desirable. Start the treadmill and warm up for approximately three minutes. After the three minutes has passed, speed up the motor and power walk for another three minutes. Finally, speed up the motor even further and do a light run for another three minutes. Slow down to a walk for three minutes. Repeat this cycle six to 10 times to get a good cardiovascular workout and burn calories.

Resistance

Resistant treadmill training increases heart rate and helps tone the thighs, buttocks and legs. It's also a good exercise for people who don't have the endurance for a fast-paced run or job. Most treadmills have an incline setting, so you can walk as if your hiking in the mountains. Set the treadmill at a slight incline and walk for approximately three minutes to warm up. Increase the speed to a fast-paced walk and set the incline a degree higher. Every two minutes, increase the incline until it's at a resistance that can be felt in the buttocks. Continue walking at this incline for 30 minutes and lower the incline for the cool down.

Quick Workout

For those people who don't have an hour to spend in the gym or on a treadmill, adding weights to a treadmill workout will burn calories quickly, add resistance weight training for muscle tone and help with cardiovascular health. Using weights is a good way to burn calories within 20 to 30 minutes for those people who are limited on time. Set the treadmill at a fast-paced walk speed. Use small, 3 to 5 pound weight in each hand and lift the weights with each stride. For an added benefit, increase the incline of the treadmill. This adds resistance for the legs and buttocks and tones the lower body.