Wondering how to get the most of all that time you are spending on the treadmill? Well, there are some tips, which will help you burn more calories, make your muscles stronger and improve your performance and speed.
Running on a treadmill can burn from 600 to 1,200 calories for an hour. The metabolism of the body can be further boosted if you run at an incline at the end of the workout. You can easily find a decent treadmill under 300 and start exercising.
In order to boost the calorie burning process, you must consider interval running. Switching from running at a moderate pace for a few minutes with bursts of sprints or a quicker pace will burn more calories, and will also help increase your performance and your endurance. Plus, it has been proven that such interval running and training is very efficient for belly fat burning, which is the goal of most people.
Another tip from fitnessabout to help you burn more calories on the treadmill is to increase your running speed gradually. Start with quick walking and gradually increase your pace. The more you push yourself, the more calories you will burn.
It goes without saying that if you want to burn more fat and calories on the treadmill, you should consider running longer. You can perform long runs at a consistent pace at certain days, and on others do some interval running or running with gradual increase of the pace.
If you are working for more toned and stronger muscles, you may want to raise the incline of your treadmill. This is an excellent workout for the lower part of the body, especially for the calves, thighs, and the bottom. When you feel warmed up, alternate one-minute walks at the highest incline of the treadmill with jogging or running. You can do a set of three to six intervals and proceed to another movement.
Also, for toning your bottom and your leg muscles, you should periodically incorporate some walking lunges at a slower speed on your treadmill. Focus on how much you tone your legs, glutes, and thighs. Alternating between high knees and jogging as long as you like is also a good idea.
To include your upper body muscles when running on the treadmill, you can try letting go of the handles and try pumping your arms while running. This will help strengthen your core and will provide an extra workout for the muscles of your arms.
In order to improve your speed and your running performance, try doing some tempo running on your treadmill. Tempo running is running a tad faster than your normal pace for some time. Always start up by warming up.
You may also try incorporating negative splits when running on the treadmill. This means splitting the workout in two halves – the first part running at a normal or slower pace and the second half – running faster.
Also, improve your endurance and your running by doing hill running intervals. Raise the incline of your treadmill periodically to mimic the real hills when running outside. This improves the performance.
There are some workouts for treadmills, which will boost the caloric and fat burn and improve the cardiovascular fitness.
One such treadmill workout is:
Start with some good warming up and then performing a short sprint on the treadmill at the maximum incline, which you can handle. Then jump off the treadmill and do some push-ups, front planks, body weight squats, side and reverse lunges or mountain climbers. Once you are done hop on that treadmill and do another sprint again. Try doing this interval training 9 times.
Another excellent treadmill workout to help burn more calories and provide more efficient cardio is a workout in which requires that you set the speed of the treadmill at a slightly faster pace than your normal running pace. This will actually help train your muscles to move faster when running.
The third recommended treadmill workout includes wearing ankle weights, a weighted vest or holding dumbbells while walking on a steep incline for 20 to 30 minutes. If this is too much for you just do some interval walking by doing 5 minutes of flat walking, followed by 5 minutes of incline walking (at a 7-10% increased incline) of your treadmill.
Treadmill workout factors to consider:
In order to get the best out of your treadmill workout, there are several other factors, which you need to keep in mind:
Firstly, make sure you are wearing the right running or walking shoes. Wear shoes specifically for your foot type and issues – check Comforthacks for recommendations. Don’t just buy your sneakers for their looks. Make sure your shoes are comfortable and provide the necessary cushioning, support, shock absorption and comfort for you during your workout.
For home use, it’s also important to have the best treadmill for the money you spent. Avoid watching your feet while you are on the treadmill. Rather, you should look straight ahead, which will help improve your posture and will avoid the misalignment of the spine and body. Running can burn up so much time, so thinking about your form can help reduce physical exhaustion associated with a treadmill run. Correct your posture by imagining the back of your neck to reach toward the ceiling. You don’t have to scrunch it up. Pull your shoulder blades down and keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Swing your arms from front to back, letting your wrists relax and pass by your hips.
Make sure that when you are running on the treadmill, that your foot lands at the ball or the midfoot, rather than just landing the entire foot down, which can cause muscle straining.
Also, to improve the workouts and in order to make them less dull, make sure you periodically change routines. Do this at least once in every 4 weeks. Following the same treadmill routine for long periods of time can actually cause muscle strains from the repetitive motions and can also lead to a plateau in your performance and results.
You can run at different paces and inclines to avoid boredom. Try one-minute treadmill run intervals by alternating between walking, running, and jogging. Keep in mind that short high-intensity exercises can help burn fat. Also consider skipping and jogging alternately for 30-second bouts, which is a more fun activity on the treadmill compared to just straight-up running. Because treadmill exercises are also intense, make sure to invest in the best treadmill mat to avoid accidents if your old one is already showing signs of wear and tear.
Besides walking or running, you can also decrease your speed to 3 miles per hour. Then, you can turn your body and feet toward the left. Place your hands on the left handle of the treadmill for support. With your right foot, step in front of the treadmill and hop on your left foot, meeting the right one. Gallop sideways for up to 30 seconds and walk facing forward before turning to the opposite side.
For exercising the inner and outer thighs even further during your treadmill workout, you may do some sideways shuffling for about a minute on both sides after periods of running and sprinting. Repeat this several times.
Last but not least, if you want to burn about 425 calories for only half an hour on the treadmill, there is a way to do it without even turning the treadmill on! Hold on to the sidebars and make the treadmill belt move with your feet as you walk. Do this until you feel like you cannot continue, and turn the treadmill on to walking speed. Walk for a few minutes so that your hear beat becomes normal again. This is an excellent exercise to burn more calories, improve the strength and provide better cardio when using a treadmill.
Conclusion
By applying the tips above, you can make a treadmill highly beneficial and more fun. With training, interval pacing and movements, and knowing the important factors before doing a treadmill run, you’ll achieve optimum health and fitness, as well as make your treadmill run worthwhile.
