Working out on a treadmill allows you to burn calories, improve speed and cardiovascular fitness. Whether you are walking or running, a treadmill is a convenient option for exercise that enables you to monitor speed and distance. Strength training is valuable for increasing lean muscle mass and improving resting metabolic rate. Combine treadmill workouts with strength-training routines for optimal health and wellness.
Recommendations
The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and two days of total-body strength training each week. While you can walk or run on the treadmill every day, always allow at least 48 hours of recovery in between working the same muscle groups. Strength training complements your cardiovascular training by building strength in the muscles needed for running and walking. Your treadmill workouts also complement your strength training by increasing muscular endurance.
Body-Weight Exercise Circuit
Complete a total-body strength training routine without using any equipment. Alternate between pushups, squats, triceps dips, lunges, jump squats and abdominal leg lifts. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise and take 30 seconds of recovery in between. Repeat the circuit four times. For an additional challenge, decrease your recovery period to 15 seconds and increase the number of repetitions of each exercise. Complete the circuit on two to three nonconsecutive days each week.
Dumbbell Exercises
Incorporate dumbbells for added resistance to your strength training. Select medium- to heavy-weight dumbbells. Select a weight with which you are able to maintain correct form yet you feel challenged completing the last repetitions in each set. Complete three to four sets of 15 to 20 repetitions of the following exercises: chest dumbbell presses, overhead shoulder presses, standing bicep curls, lateral raises, triceps kickbacks and isolated lat rows. Allow no more than 20 seconds of recovery in between exercises and two minutes in between sets.
Speed Intervals
Intervals alternate phases of high-intensity work with spurts of recovery or low-intensity work. Interval workouts stimulate your fitness by varying from steady-state exercise. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of light walking or jogging. Begin your work phase by increasing your treadmill speed to a pace at which you feel challenged and would have difficulty holding a conversation. If you have a heart rate monitor available on your treadmill, your challenging pace should be about 70 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Maintain your working phase for two minutes. Slow your treadmill to a comfortable pace for one minute for your recovery phase. Your recovery phase is run at a pace that feels comfortable and is significantly less challenging than the work phase. Repeat the intervals for five to seven cycles and follow with five minutes of easy jogging.
Hill Repeats
Simulate sprinting up hills with hill repeats on the treadmill. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of easy jogging. Increase the incline of your treadmill up to 6 percent or 8 percent elevation. At the same time, increase your speed to a challenging pace but not an all-out sprint. Maintain your speed and elevation for one minute. Return your treadmill to zero elevation and maintain your pace for one minute. Increase your elevation to 8 percent or 10 percent elevation and maintain your speed for one minute. Return your treadmill to zero elevation for one minute. Increase your elevation 4 percent to 6 percent elevation and maintain for two minutes. Return the treadmill to zero elevation for one minute. Increase your elevation up to 6 percent to 8 percent elevation and sustain for two minutes. Return to your starting elevation for one minute. Repeat the cycle and follow with five minutes of easy jogging or walking.
Member Comments