Treadmill - Workout & Benefits

For those who cannot go out to do physical exercises like walking or running, the treadmill is a handy device. It lets you walk in the same place. It is a sure way and a fast means to shed weight.

As a matter of fact, the treadmill was used to grind grains in the olden days, and it used the power of men or animals. It was a way of punishment for prisoners.

However, in the current century, the treadmill is aptly utilized as a means of fitness where it will be connected to a power source, and users are required to strain themselves by walking or running on it.

Importance of interval training

Interval training will give exercise to your heart and body. It will be fascinating to work in various intensities. While you struggle to exert energy, with the rise in intensity, you will burn more amount of fat in less time. You will be able to work at higher intensities as you work in a systematic way. Your endurance limit will increase.

Before you start your serious activity on the treadmill, you are advised to go through a warm-up session of 5 to 10 minutes. Further, you should also ensure that the incline will be at least 1% or higher.

In a typical interval training practice, you will have to warm up at 3.5 mph for 10 minutes. The speed could be gradually raised to 5 mph, and you will have to recover at 4.0 mph for 1 minute. Again, you will have to run at five mph, and you will recover at 4.0 mph.

This process continues as long as you can do without stretching much beyond your limits. In this way, you will be spending 20 to 25 minutes on a treadmill session.

Changing pace and pattern

There are different ways to get the most from treadmill exercise. By following the ‘side steppers’ method, you can burn fat at various locations of the body. After walking at a normal pace for 20 seconds, you will turn your body to one side, and you will step onto one side.

All the fat present in the thighs will be burned. You should perform this step quite naturally so that you will not get any kind of muscle cramp. After walking at a normal pace again for 20 seconds, you can turn the body to the other side. This exercise can be done for ten to fifteen minutes.

‘Hill walk & low run’ is another method where you will jog for a while and walk slowly at an inclination. The incline increased by 1% gradually. ‘Hill Run’ is similar to ‘Hill Walk & low run’ except that there will be no slow walking. You are made for jogging on a continuous basis.

Instead of raising 1%, the incline is raised by 0.5% on a continuous basis. ‘Sprint to jog’ is another workout where you will vary between fast running and jogging. Typically, you will jog for 1 to 2 minutes at 6.5 treadmill speed. The speed will be raised to 7.5, and you will again recover at 6.5. This pattern can be repeated as long as you can.

Treadmill workouts are really useful for burning fat in less time. The ability to select various speeds and inclinations makes treadmills popular as users can check the statistics and will be able to shed weight in a definitive way.

Exercising will help you stay fit. There are various kinds of exercises. Some exercises can be performed at your own home, while some can be performed at a gym or fitness training center only.

The treadmill gives you greater convenience as you can do exercises in the comfort of your home. You can do workouts at your own pace and at your convenient time.

Treadmill exercises have their own advantages compared to other kinds of exercises. They will cause less wear and tear to your joints.

You will shed your weight gradually. Let us check the health benefits of treadmill workouts.

To shed weight

The treadmill is a great way to shed your body weight. The Cardio workouts that you perform through the treadmill will help burn the excess fat present in your body. The muscle will become strong.

The metabolism will improve. Your body’s immunity will improve. By doing workouts on a regular basis and taking appropriate food, you will be able to shed your body weight in an effective way.

You will have better sleep the night. Your body will get the proper shape, and you will be slim and trim.

Fun & excitement

While exercising, you will not be lost in a different world. You will enjoy your exercise sessions as well when you perform various kinds of workouts on a regular basis. You can turn on your radio or music system, and thus, you can enjoy your workouts.

In fact, you can watch your favorite TV show or movie while performing the workout, and you can perform the workout for a number of minutes. As you listen and perform exercises, you can enjoy physical as well as mental harmony.

Thus, you can have fun & excitement while performing various kinds of workouts. The excitement will be more as you change the workouts on a regular basis.

Safe terrain

Performing exercises on non-hazardous equipment will take care of your safety. You will not face uneven terrain.

You will not dash against speeding cars or animals. As treadmills are designed to give least or no strain on your legs, it is the safest exercising option.

Weatherproof workouts

The workouts that you perform on a treadmill are waterproof. You are not required to bother about the climatic conditions prevailing in your area as you will not be walking or running on the streets.

The heavy outpour of rain, snow, or sunshine will not disrupt your daily workout. Your skin will not be exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays.

Heart rate monitors

Treadmills will be fitted with heart rate monitors. You will be able to understand the stress level. This will help you perform exercises within your limits.

You can improve your capacity in a gradual way. Thus, exercising on a treadmill is harmless to your body. Your stamina will improve as you perform various workouts on a regular basis.

You can have control over the number of calories being burned by you. It is helpful to track your progress.

A variety of fitness equipment is at your disposal to shape your body and muscles. Some of these fitness machines can be purchased and practiced in your home as well. The treadmill is one such kind of machine which gives you flexibility both in terms of time and kind of exercise. Let us explore how the treadmill will help you stay fit and to shed excess weight.

Before purchasing a treadmill

Treadmills are available in the market in different price ranges. The advantage of the current generation of treadmills is that you can easily procure a quality treadmill within reach of your budget. Now, you are getting high quality and a number of features at a lesser price.

When you purchase a treadmill, you should focus on the quality of the motor and the size of the walking deck. You should not be carried away with the fancy features which are generally highlighted by sellers to attract customers.

If you want to save a few bucks by going for a used treadmill, you should ensure that the treadmill is in working condition. You should select a treadmill carefully as you will not have a warranty on used treadmills. You should not choose a treadmill that was not used for a long period of time. If the treadmill is not in running condition, chances are high that it will corrode, and it will be difficult to revive such dilapidated machines.

Before purchasing the treadmill, you should also ensure that you have got all the requirements on the treadmill to fulfill your exercise requirements, and you should not compromise for the price alone. A viable option in this aspect is that you can go for a rented treadmill.

After using the treadmill for some months on a rental basis, you can purchase the same by deducting the rental amount from the purchase price. Some companies are offering such kinds of facilities. The advantage is that you will not end up with the wrong choice.

How to practice

After purchasing a treadmill of your choice, you should work out on the same in a consistent manner to train your body. You should be able to adjust to the workout as quickly as possible. You should start with low intensity, and it should be raised gradually.

Here, consistency refers to the maintenance of workout schedules on a daily and weekly basis. Your body will be tuned to the exercise and will not accumulate excess fat.

You should also exercise on a regular basis. Having extended workouts on certain days and having no workouts at all on some other days will impact your health and fitness. You can start your workout from as little as 10 to 15 minutes per day, and it can be increased gradually in steps of 10%.

Instead of imitating others, you should figure out your own pace of walking. It should not be too slow or too fast. You should settle down at the speed where you are comfortable. Ideally, you can set the speed at 5 to 6 kilometers per hour.

As the speed calibration differs slightly from one machine to another machine, you should be able to select the judicious speed by walking at a comfortable pace. You will be able to burn the fat as you walk for a long period of time or as you walk in a brisk manner. The number of hours you walk or the intensity of the walk should be increased in a gradual manner for effective results.

Having procured a treadmill of your choice, you should strive to utilize the same to get the maximum benefit out of it. You should focus on catching the right exercise routine as quickly as possible. As you own a treadmill, you will have complete freedom in deciding the duration and timings on a daily basis.

You are advised to follow the same timings as far as possible so that your body can adjust to the routines without any difficulty. You should be consistent enough in spending the number of hours on a daily basis and on a weekly basis.

Working on routines

It is important that you should be able to exercise at optimum walking speed. The speed should be neither too slow nor too fast. You should decide the ideal walking speed when you can walk without much strain.

The next step would be to increase the speed on a continuous basis. If you are comfortable at three kmph, you can try 3.5 kmph in the next week.

You should be careful in selecting the deciding the walking speed on the treadmill. Since the calibration differs from one machine to another machine, you should check the speed and should settle down at the speed where you feel comfortable. On the other hand, if you would like to try the higher speed achieved on the first machine, you might be strained more.

It is not only raising the speed but also working for a set number of hours that matters most. You should not put a burden on your body and muscles by working more time on some days. You should not be completely idle as well. You should avoid such kind of disparity.

If you are working on the treadmill for 20 minutes on the first day, you can go for 25 minutes in the next week. You can increase the duration gradually week after week as per your capacity.

Workout intensity and variation

After getting accustomed to walking on your treadmill, the next step would be increasing the intensity. As you walk on a daily basis, you will be very comfortable at a particular speed.

In order to burn more calories, you should increase the walking speed or increase the intensity of the workout. In addition to the regular walking exercise, you can add jogging for 5 minutes in the first week.

Another technique that can be implemented to increase the intensity is to change the speed in alternate workout sessions. For example, if you are walking at the rate of 5 kmph for a duration of 30 minutes, the 30-minute session can be divided into five mini sessions, each of 5 minutes in length. You can plan alternative speeds of 5.5 kmph and four kmph to change the intensity.

You can also come out from the routine workout by including other forms of exercise. You can work on the exercise bike, Swill Ball, Swivel Ball, etc. To change, you can also attempt to work on the treadmill on one day and jog on the other day.

Safety and maintenance

You should take some precautions to protect yourself while working on the treadmill. You should also store the treadmill safely so that it will give you long life.

You should always go through the instructions mentioned on the treadmill before working on it. You should ensure that enough free space is available in all directions around the treadmill, especially on the backside of the treadmill.

Treadmill speed should be adjusted in small increments. You should wear appropriate and comfortable shoes while working on the treadmill. You should not forget to keep the treadmill out of reach of children. You should also provide an electric circuit breaker to prevent power surges.

Enhancements

To enjoy your workouts, you should also procure some useful accessories along with your treadmill. This will make your sessions more relaxing and productive.

A pedestal fan is ideal for giving you a nice breeze. It will be soothing to your body. You can also arrange a music system to relax your mind while your body strains for a better purpose. A heart-rate monitor will help you measure the intensity of your workouts, and you can always safe play by monitoring yourself.

Other factors

In order to continue exercising on a regular basis, you should introduce changes in the workouts. You can split the time between walking and jogging. You can also perform workouts on other kinds of machines, such as a bike. By introducing variables, you will not be bored, and you will not want to quit exercising altogether.

Purchase required accessories to further broaden your interests. A heart rate monitor, music system, and pedestal fan are some of the accessories. You need to follow the guidelines mentioned on the treadmill to utilize the machine in an optimum way and to use it in a safe way.