A treadmill can be a valuable asset to your fitness regime. If you’re new to exercising or don’t want to join a gym, you can use a treadmill in the privacy of your own home to get fit!
One of the main advantages of a treadmill is that you can use it in any weather conditions, and it could be your fitness routine’s saving grace in winter. Another advantage is that it’s kinder to your joints than jogging on hard pavement, and a short-but-effective treadmill routine can be even better than an outdoor run, in terms of calorie burning. Here are a few ways you can use a treadmill workout to get fitter, faster.
1. Speed Intervals
Running at a faster speed means more calories burned, so incorporate different speed intervals into your workout. Do a quick walk or run for 1 minute, followed by a 5-minute moderate pace, repeated three times. As your fitness improves, you can adjust the length of your speed intervals from 1 to 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, and so on.
2. Incline Intervals
You can also use incline intervals to burn more calories and improve fitness. Try the following 15-minute workout. Do a moderately paced walk or jog on the flat for 5 minutes. Increase incline 4 to 5% and walk or jog for 5 minutes, followed by another 5-minute moderate pace on non-incline. The trick with this one is not to lose your form when you raise the incline; you may need to slow to a walk rather than a jog.
3. Increase your pace
Improve your fitness by steadily increasing your run over several months. Run for 30 minutes at a pace that feels comfortable but that makes you breathe a bit harder. Cool down for 5 minutes. Aim to increase the length of the run duration week by week to 50 minutes in the next few months.
4. High-intensity interval training
Optimise your treadmill workout by incorporating high-intensity interval training to burn more calories and improve fitness, as well as beating boredom! Aim to mix in one to three days of high-intensity exercise with weights, for example, ten reps with 2- to 5-pound hand weights either off the treadmill or while walking on it. Then go back to two or three days of regular walks or runs. You could also spend the one to three days doing speed intervals or incline intervals.
Remember to always warm up and cool down at low-intensity for 5 minutes.
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