Treadmills are a popular exercise machine that offers more than just cardiovascular benefits. The treadmill's incline capabilities can increase the intensity of your workout and give you sexy, sculpted legs. Before starting any new workout, always consult your doctor to determine your fitness level.
Benefits
Walking or running at ground level will give you some toning results, but you will not significantly strengthen your upper leg muscles unless you use the incline setting. Running and walking naturally utilizes your lower leg muscles; however, as you begin to incline the treadmill, you will feel the intensity in all areas of your leg. The incline setting mimics outdoor uphill walking or running, and it forces more workload on the muscles, so you get quicker results.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage of using a treadmill to tone your legs is the inability to decline. Going downhill has just as many toning benefits as going uphill since it forces your legs to use muscles that are not naturally used while walking at ground level. Treadmills also tend to be easier than hill walking or running outdoors. The constantly moving treadmill belt does a lot of work for you. Running outdoors provides wind resistance, which forces your body to use more energy to push forward against the wind, so you lose this added intensity by using a treadmill.
Routine
Warm up your muscles by walking at a steady ground-level pace for five minutes. Once your muscles are warmed up, properly stretch your calves, quadriceps and hamstrings to avoid an injury. Most treadmills incline up to level 12, but some go as high as level 15. You must use 4 percent more energy for each 1 percent incline on the treadmill. Gradually increase the incline of the treadmill to prevent overworking your muscles. Whether you plan to run or walk, increase and decrease your speed in intervals. Run four ½ miles that average two minutes each. You can walk or lightly jog between these ½ mile intervals.
Considerations
For the best leg toning results, use the treadmill in combination with targeted strength training exercises, such as lunges or leg presses. In order to reveal your toned muscles, you must lose excess layers of fat that cover them. There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat, so you need to cut 500 calories a day in order to lose one pound per week. If you weigh 160 pounds and jog at 5 miles per hour for 60 minutes, then you can burn 584 calories. Keep in mind that if you jog with an incline, you will burn a higher number of calories. Treadmills also have a calorie count setting, so you can keep track of the amount of calories you burn during your workout routine.
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