A 1996 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," designated the treadmill the best piece of cardio fitness equipment for optimizing energy expenditure. The treadmill is a versatile piece of workout equipment that allows you to walk, jog and run while simulating different types of terrain. Change up your treadmill routine often to prevent your workout from getting staid.
Speed
Your speed will determine the effectiveness of your workout. The faster you can go, the more calories you will burn on the treadmill. If you are walking for an hour at 3.5 mph and weigh 200 lbs., you'll burn approximately 346 calories. Jogging at 5 mph will burn 728 calories in an hour when you weigh 200 lbs. Running at 8 mph for an hour burns a whopping 1,229 calories if you are 200 lbs.
Interval Training
According to the American Council on Exercise, interval training is the ideal form of exercise when using cardio fitness machines. You can use a 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 exercise-to-recovery ratio on the treadmill to complete the workout. For instance, you can spend 10 minutes jogging at a speed of 4 mph and 10 minutes running at a speed of 6 mph. You can also choose to do 20 minutes of jogging at 4 mph and 10 minutes of running at 8 mph.
Incline Changes
Changing the incline can help you sculpt your rear end. "Fitness" magazine recommends a 20 minute hill workout on the treadmill to target the muscles in the glutes. For 20 minutes, you jog at a steady speed of 4 mph. You start off at an incline of 3 percent and increase the incline every two minutes until you reach a maximum of 12 percent. For the last five minutes, you stay at an incline between 2 and 4 percent.
Cross-Training
Combining exercise on a treadmill with workouts on other cardio machines can give you the benefits of cross-training. During cross-training, you exercise for short periods of time on different machines to target various muscle groups. For instance, you can spend 10 minutes on an exercise bike, 10 minutes on an elliptical trainer and 10 minutes on a treadmill.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Exercise for Weight Loss
- American Council on Exercise; What's the Best Piece of Cardio Equipment to Use?
- The Journal of the American Medical Association; Energy Expenditure With Indoor Exercise Machines; Anne Zeni, et al; May 1996
- Fitness Magazine; The 20-Minute, Glute-Sculpting Treadmill Routine; June 2006
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