Treadmills are a dynamic piece of workout equipment because they can burn a high amount of calories, while also helping to tone your body. Excess fat on your thighs hides your muscle definition; performing on your treadmill regularly can help alter your body composition and reveal lean-looking legs. Creativity on your treadmill also allows you to shape and tone your thighs beyond traditional running or walking.
Cardio Training
The treadmill is essentially used as a cardio training machine, allowing you to increase your heart rate and burn fat. Interval training is a method of training that focuses on burning fat and boosting your resting metabolism. Interval training requires short bursts of high intensity followed by a moderate effort. For example, sprint on your treadmill for 1 minute followed by a 2 minute jog. During your sprints, you place a greater demand on your lower body. Your hamstrings work with knee flexing as you drive your heel towards your glutes, and your quadriceps work with knee extension as you straighten your knee.
Incline
The treadmill not only can increase the speed at which you move but it can also increase your incline. Your hamstrings work to bend or flex your knee. As you walk or jog uphill, your knee flexion is greater, causing you to increase the muscle activity in your hamstrings. Focus on using your leg strength to move uphill and resist holding onto the machine handles, which takes away from your leg effort. Run or jog on an incline for 30 minutes to target your thighs.
Push Your Treadmill
No need to turn on your treadmill to get a leg-burning workout. Treadmill pushing uses your own leg strength to push the treadmill belt. Treadmill pushing activates your leg muscles because -- unlike a traditional treadmill workout that moves the belt to propel you forward -- treadmill pushing forces you to activate your legs to push the belt without any mechanical help. Begin treadmill pushing by holding onto the handles and use strong lunge steps to push the treadmill belt with your legs. As your treadmill picks up momentum, increase the speed of your push by engaging in a small jog. Build strength in your legs by pushing your treadmill belt for 5 minutes and turning it on and jogging for 5 minutes, alternating between the both methods for 30 minutes.
Considerations
Stretching before you workout on your treadmill is crucial to preventing injuries. Stretch dynamically, with movement, before your workout to help warm up your body. Dynamic stretches include leg swings, butt kicks and lateral lunges. After your workout, do static stretches, with no movement, such as a standing quadricep stretch or a forward fold to stretch the hamstrings. Recovery is also necessary when training on a treadmill to avoid overuse injuries. Take one to two days off during the week from your treadmill to rest and recover your muscles.
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