The treadmill is a common piece of fitness equipment that can be found at local gyms or purchased for home use. They feature settings, such as speed and incline, that can be utilized to change your workout and increase intensity. The incline setting on the treadmill offers many benefits that can help to reduce body fat, build muscle, increase cardiovascular endurance and improve overall fitness.
Cardio & Muscle Building
The treadmill challenges your cardiovascular system to burn calories, improve heart health and reduce body fat. In addition to cardio exercise, the treadmill can offer muscle-building properties by utilizing the incline setting. Exercising on an inclined treadmill will force your body to build muscle on the ankles, calves and upper to lower thighs, depending on how steep you set the incline. Building muscle and cardiovascular ability in one exercise makes it a great time saver for those with a hectic schedule.
Increased Intensity
Exercising on an incline forces your body to recruit new muscle fibers and increase the intensity of your workout. You can set an automatic adjustment on the treadmill, which will randomly change the incline while you are walking or running, providing you with conditions that are more easily associated with a natural environment such a trail or mountainous terrain, says Reebok Treadmill. Increasing your intensity and mixing up your routine will burn more calories and help you reach your fitness goals.
Thigh and Glute Muscle Toning
The incline setting on a treadmill will target your quadriceps, hamstring and glutes. According to Free Motion Fitness, leg and butt muscle activation increases by 50 percent when you change your incline setting from zero to 30 percent. Training the muscles on the back of the body can be difficult if you have limited equipment. The treadmill allows you to target those hard-to-train muscles by utilizing inclined walking, hiking, jogging or running.
Convienence
The convenience of a treadmill with an incline setting will allow you to workout indoors regardless of weather conditions such as extreme heat, cold or downpour. Also, many treadmill machines work in conjunction with heart rate monitors which will allow you to gauge if you are working within your target heart rate zone.
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