Treadmill Workout Program
Treadmills are a convenient way for people to get quality exercise in all climates. Many people are intimidated by treadmills for fear that they may fall off. While treadmills can be a bit awkward at first, simple safety procedures will ensure that you have a healthy, injury-free workout. One of the best ways to get the most out of your treadmill is to approach the treadmill session with a workout program.
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Warming Up
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Before you even attempt to implement a workout program, you must warm up your body so that your muscles are loose and ready for the workout. To warm up, begin with some jumping jacks, followed by leg and arm stretches. If you want to use the treadmill itself to warm up, begin at a very low speed. If you plan to run during your treadmill workout, begin your warm-up at a low speed (under 4 miles per hour). For a walking workout, warm up with a walk at 2 miles per hour.
If you have never operated a treadmill before, take the time to read your treadmill's manual. Since a treadmill is a machine with moving parts, injury is possible with improper operation. Your treadmill workout will focus on building endurance and working your muscles. Do not waste your time by trying to learn how to use a treadmill as you work out. This includes learning how to read treadmill data such as distance and calories burned.
Running Workout Program
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A running treadmill program varies based on what you want to accomplish. If you are looking for a good cardiovascular workout that burns calories and helps reduce weight, run at a constant pace for 20 to 30 minutes. Beginners should run at a pace of 3.5 to 4 miles per hour. More advanced runners can run at higher speeds. Your speed should always be comfortable so that you are in control of your legs. As you run, alternate the elevation of your treadmill. Begin at a slight incline and, after 5 minutes, increase your incline by 4%. Run at the higher incline for 2 minutes and then lower your incline by 3% for a minute. Continue this process, each time raising your incline a bit until you eventually reach an incline of 12%.
Another workout that is good for cardiovascular health is one that increases the speed gradually over time. Begin at a comfortable speed (between 4 and 6 miles per hour) at a relatively flat elevation. Warm-up at the comfortable speed for 5 minutes, then increase your speed .2 miles per hour. Every 2 minutes for the next 15 minutes, increase your speed by .2 miles an hour. Never increase the speed so much that you feel like you will fall off the treadmill. After you reach 20 minutes into your workout, decrease the speed by .2 miles every 2 minutes until you reach your ending point.
If you want to push yourself on the treadmill, consider a speed interval workout plan. After you warm up for 5 minutes at a low speed, increase the speed so that you run as fast as you safely can run on the treadmill. Run at this high speed for a minute and then return the speed to your warm-up speed. Allow your body to recover at the warm-up speed for 2 minutes and then return the high speed for another minute. Repeat this process another 5-10 times depending on how tough a workout you want to give yourself.
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Walking Workout Program
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If you prefer walking to running, shift any of the above running programs to walking programs by walking at speeds of 2.5 to 3.5 miles per hour. Another good program is a hill-walking program. Begin by walking at a slow pace of 2 miles per hour. Once you are warmed up, increase your walking speed to 3 miles per hour. For the next 2 minutes, increase the treadmill inclination a step at a time every 30 seconds. Then, keeping the inclination consistent, increase the walking speed by .1 miles per hour every 30 seconds. Once you reach a brisk walking speed of 3.5 miles per hour, increase the inclination a step at a time every 30 seconds, while you also increase the speed .1 miles per hour. After 3 minutes, gradually decrease your speed and inclination. Depending on how long you want to walk, continue this routine 3 to 5 more times.
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