The treadmill is one of the most popular pieces of cardiovascular equipment in the marketplace. Its main function is to simulate a walking or running motion that you would encounter outside. When it comes to workout programs on the treadmill, there are ones for the beginner and ones for the advanced athlete.
Walking
When you are new to exercise, a simple walking program is your best bet. This can get you familiar with the controls and how fast the sped goes up when you adjust it. To do this workout, step onto the side platform located on the sides of the track. Clip the safety kill switch to your clothing and turn the machine on. Immediately, the track will start moving at .5 miles per hour. Carefully place your feet on the track and start walking. Hit the "up" arrow on the speed control to get moving faster. Stop when you are walking at a pace that is comfortable, yet challenging. Continue for 20 to 30 minutes and hit the "stop" button. The track will then slow to a stop and you can take off the kill switch clip. When you adjust your speed, you can also hit a numerical value on the keypad and then hit "enter" button. The machine will then go to that specific speed. This is quicker and easier than continually hitting the up arrow. Once you get used to walking on the treadmill, you can progressively increase your time and speed.
Interval Training
Interval training is a more intense workout that can be done while walking or running. Basically, you are alternating between bouts of high intensity and low intensity. According to the Mayo Clinic, interval training can improve your aerobic capacity, prevent boredom and cause you to burn more calories than steady state training. As an example, start out going 3 mph for 5 minutes as a warm-up. Turn the speed up to a point that you are jogging and go for 30 seconds. Bring the speed back down to 3 mph and go for 60 seconds. Repeat for 30 minutes and walk for 5 minutes to cool-down. Your higher speed can be anywhere from 5 to 7 mph. It depends on your fitness levels.
Incline Training
The incline on treadmills goes from 0 to 10. You can use the incline feature as part of an interval workout where you go back and forth with no grade, or you can simply leave the incline up and walk, jog or run. Working out on the incline causes more leg muscle recruitment, it can give a high calorie burn without having to go as fast and there is less impact than running on a flat surface.
Wind Sprints
Sports such as football, basketball, soccer and baseball involve explosive bursts of speeds in the form of sprinting. The treadmill can be used to train specifically for these imposed demands. To do this, you start out with a 5 minute jog at a light intensity to warm up. Then crank the speed up to a point that you are sprinting all out. Run for 20 seconds then grab the handrails and lift your body off the track. Place your feet on the side platform by the track and rest for 40 seconds. Lift yourself back in the air and slowly lower yourself back down and go into a sprint again for 20 seconds. Being that sprints are intense, you do not need to do them for sixty plus minutes. As a rule of thumb, 12 to 15 sprints will suffice. Make sure to finish with a light 5- minute cool down.
Member Comments