When it comes to weight loss, a treadmill is just as effective as any other cardio machine. Working out on a treadmill has several advantages beyond just aiding in weight loss. Here’s an example:
- A treadmill is a year-round fitness tool.
- While working out, you can even catch up on your favorite show.
- If you are injured and need assistance, the handrails on the treadmill will be a great help.
- Like other forms of cardiovascular exercise, it can help you sleep better, feel happier, and think more clearly, among other benefits.
All fitness levels can benefit from using a treadmill because they are readily available at most gyms. Treadmills are also adaptable enough to be installed in a home gym for those who would instead work out in the comfort of their own space.
Let’s review the fundamentals of Losing Weight on a Treadmill, including some sample workouts and helpful hints.
1. Interval Training at a High Intensity (HIIT)
Intervals of intense exercise followed by brief recovery periods characterize high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
A 2017 study found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be an efficient strategy for fat loss and calorie burning.
The goal is to perform intense work for brief intervals and then recover. A lot of calories are burned doing this; therefore, it can aid with weight loss.
Furthermore, your body will attempt to revert to a normal resting condition following a HIIT workout. The process relies on the utilization of fatty tissue for energy.
Following are the steps for completing a HIIT workout while on a treadmill:
- Make sure the treadmill is level. Take a five-minute walk at a pace of two miles per hour to get warmed up: Tempo: 9-10 mph for 30 seconds
- For a full minute, you should walk at a speed of 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour. Do this between 5 and 10 times.
It’s recommended to take a five-minute walk at a pace of two miles per hour. Jogging and sprinting alternating intervals is a great way to challenge your body and get a great cardio workout. Each intense set can have its duration extended by a few minutes. Your low-intensity periods should last for twice as long as your high-intensity ones.
2. Learn To Operate In Your Body’s Optimal Fat-Burning Range
Maintaining a fat-burning heart rate while running on the treadmill is an effective strategy for losing Weight. Calories burned per minute are highest here.
Your fat-burning zone can be determined by subtracting your age from your maximal heart rate. How many times can your heart beat in one minute of exertion?
A person’s maximal heart rate is calculated by subtracting 220 from their age. For illustration’s sake, let’s say your age is 40; your maximal heart rate is 180 beats per minute (220 minutes 40).
When your heart rate is at or below 70% of your maximum, fat is being burned most efficiently. Your fat-burning zone is 70 percent of your maximum heart rate; in this case, 126 beats per minute (180 x 0.70 = 126).
Calculating this number can help determine how strenuously you should engage in activities promoting weight loss. Method one could use is this:
- Adjust the incline of the treadmill to a flat setting. Put on a heart rate monitor and keep it on your wrist or chest. Take a five-minute walk at a pace of two miles per hour to get warmed up.
- A 2% incline is where you want to be. Maintain a four mph jog for 60 seconds.
- You should run 8 to 10 miles per hour to get into your fat-burning zone. Maintain this heart rate for 15 to 30 minutes of running.
- Maintain a four mph jog for 60 seconds.
- It’s recommended to take a five-minute walk at a pace of two miles per hour.
The typical fat-burning zone is 70 percent; however, this number is subjective. Factors such as sex, age, physical ability, and health status all play a role. Some people may be able to enter the fat-burning zone at 55% of their maximum heart rate, while others may need to increase their heart rate to 80% of their maximum.
At a slower treadmill speed, you may also enter your fat-burning zone. You can get the best results from your weight loss efforts by working with a personal trainer who can help you find your optimal speed and heart rate.
3. Break Out Of Your Routine
Changing up your workouts on the treadmill is another method for shedding pounds. The benefits of switching up your fitness routine regularly include:
- Taking precautions will lessen the likelihood of harm coming to you. Putting your joints through the same routine over and over is not a good idea. Overuse injuries become more likely, which can be a setback.
- To improve your physical condition, you must give it something to work towards. Preventing a training plateau is a must. If you keep doing the same workout repeatedly, you’ll eventually stop seeing any improvement.
- Avoid getting bored. If you switch up your workout regularly, you’ll be more motivated to keep at it.
Listed below is an example exercise program that includes several treadmill exercises:
- Relax on Sunday with a day of rest, light exercise, or yoga
- Twenty to thirty minutes of high-intensity interval training on the treadmill on a Monday
- Light cardio on the treadmill and strength training on Tuesdays
- On Wednesdays, you can sleep in, take it easy, or practice yoga
- Jogging on the treadmill and strength training on Thursdays.
- On Fridays, run for 20-30 minutes at a high intensity using a treadmill.
- Bodyweight workouts or barre on Saturdays
4. The Addition of Hills
Adding some hill work to your treadmill regimen will significantly increase the difficulty level. Increasing the intensity of your workout, such as walking or jogging uphill, causes your body to expend more energy, leading to more significant caloric expenditure.
It also helps you gain lean muscle mass by engaging more muscles. Since muscle uses more calories at rest than fat, this aids in weight loss.
Try this treadmill routine if you’d like to work out at an incline:
- Adjust the incline of the treadmill to a flat setting. Take a five-minute walk at a pace of two miles per hour to get warmed up.
- Adjust the slope to 1%. Do a minute of brisk walking at a speed of 4 to 6 miles per hour.
- Elevate the platform by 1 percent per minute. This process should be repeated until the inclination is between 8 and 10 percent.
- The inclination should be lowered by 1% per minute. Iterate until the incline is between 1% and 1%.
- It’s recommended to take a five-minute walk at a pace of two miles per hour.
- The typical jogging pace is between 4 and 6 miles per hour. For a more challenging workout, try increasing the pace or the duration.
- The inclination should be increased by 0.5 percent each minute for a less challenging experience. Continue until you reach an incline of 4.5 to 5%, and then turn the process around.
Advantages beyond Just Slimming Down
Cardiovascular exercise, such as a treadmill workout, has numerous advantages beyond simple weight loss. It helps in the following:
- lengthen your stamina
- managing glucose levels
- elevating levels of HDL (the good kind of cholesterol) is recommended.
- Boost Mental Performance and Recall
- defend against Alzheimer’s
- increase skin health
- building muscle
- lessen tiredness
- alleviate pain and stiffness in the joints
- reduce nervous tension and stress
- facilitate improved rest
- enhance vitality
- Strengthen Your Defenses
- enhance sexual desire
Signing Off
Using a treadmill is a practical approach to burning calories and reducing body fat because it is a cardiovascular activity.
Seek the advice of a professional trainer if you are unsure of the optimum treadmill program for you. They can help you devise a plan to use the treadmill to shed pounds.
When doing a treadmill workout, it is recommended that you also perform weight training. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise can aid in health and weight loss.
Talk to your doctor before beginning a new exercise program, especially if you are a beginner or haven’t exercised in a while.
