Cardiovascular exercise offers many health benefits, including controlling weight and building heart and lung strength. For cardio exercise to be effective, it needs to be done at an aerobic intensity level sustained for at least 30 minutes or at intervals with lower intensity for 30 minutes. The treadmill is a tool for achieving a cardio workout because it provides aerobic intensity feedback as well as a variety of workout options.
Target Heart Rate
Cardiovascular workouts are exercises that are done at a specific intensity to increase the heart rate. Your target heart rate during a cardio workout is between 65 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Most treadmills have a chart that provides your target heart rate range based on your age. Or you can calculate your target heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 and multiplying the difference by 0.65 and 0.85. A 35-year-old would have a maximum heart rate of 185 and a target heart rate range of 120 to 157 beats per minute. Many treadmills offer hand sensors to check your heart rate during your workout to ensure you're working out at the right intensity. When you want to check your heart rate, slow the speed of the treadmill to a walk and wrap your hands around the sensors until the display of the treadmill shows your current heart rate. Once you know your heart rate, adjust the treadmill setting to work harder or less hard to stay in your target heart rate range.
Walking
A treadmill is a popular tool for beginning exercisers because it provides a soft walking surface, heart rate feedback and the ability to adjust speed and incline to beginning levels. Novice users should check with gym staff on the correct use of the treadmill before using one. Use the emergency "Stop" clip by pinning it to your shirt. This will automatically turn off the treadmill if you trip or fall. Always start your treadmill workout with a slow-paced warm-up and then slowly increase the speed until you're walking briskly. Use the hand sensors to check your heart rate. During the cardio phase of your workout, you want to be walking fast enough that your heart rate is at least 65 percent of your maximum heart rate. Consider increasing the incline if you're walking so fast that speeding up would cause you to run. Raising the treadmill simulates walking uphill, which can increase the intensity of your workout without adding the impact of running.
Running
Treadmill running is common for exercisers who have bad knees and can't run on pavement or for when the weather is too hot or cold for running outside. Always use the safety clip when running to avoid injury if you trip or fall. Start with a brisk walking warm-up and slowly increase the speed until you're running at a pace you can sustain for 30 minutes or more. Between eight and 10 minutes into your cardio phase of the workout, slow the treadmill down to a brisk walk and use the hand sensors to check your heart rate. Adjust the speed of the treadmill if needed to remain in your target heart rate range.
Treadmill Programs
One of the best features of treadmills are pre-programmed workouts. Not only can these be tweaked to meet your fitness level, but they offer a variety of workouts to prevent boredom. Treadmill programs simulate fat burning workouts, hills and intervals. In each program, you can specify your intensity level. Some allow you to create your own settings. For example, in the interval program, you can give your minimum and maximum speeds. Not all treadmill programs prompt for a heart rate check, so you'll want to be sure to slow down and use the sensors at least one time during your workout to ensure you're exercising at the right intensity.
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