Treadmill Tips: How to Get the Most Out of Your Cardio Workout
The dreaded treadmill – is it friend or foe? Get-Fit Guy explains how to get the most out of your treadmill time. Plus, check out the 3 best treadmill workouts to get a combination of cardiovascular fitness and fat burning.
In the very first Get-Fit Guy episode, Which Exercise Machine Burns the Most Calories?, you learned that running is a full body workout that can burn 600-1,200 calories per hour – and specifically that running up an incline on a treadmill is one of the best ways to boost your metabolism for hours after you’ve finished exercising.
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But is the treadmill a “natural” way to exercise? How can you get the most out of your treadmill workout? What are the best treadmill workouts to get a combination of cardiovascular fitness and fat burning?
You’re about to find out.
Are Treadmills Natural?
AÂ fascinating study released this week found that if a running wheel is placed outdoors in a natural setting, wild animals will come and run on it voluntarily. In the study, the researchers conducted a very simple experiment – they simply set up a running wheel in their backyard, then used an infrared camera to capture on tape how animals in the wild would respond.
The researchers claim that the wild animals chose to run on the wheels (one mouse in particular for an astounding 18 minutes!) because they enjoyed it. And this experiment put to rest the argument about whether mice in the lab are running on wheels simply because they live in cages or for some other reason. Turns out, wild animals will run in place anywhere they get an opportunity.
In exercise science research, a treadmill is to humans as a running wheel is to mice, rats, hamsters, or any other running rodent – so this study suggests that it may not be so “unnatural” for us humans to actually grow fond of running on a moving belt (although I have to admit, I’ve met relatively few people who actually have a love affair with the dreaded treadmill!).
What NOT to Do on a Treadmill
So now that we know that it’s likely a totally natural, hardwired, endorphin-driven reward response for us to hop on a treadmill at the gym, the question becomes: Is there anything we shouldn’t do while on that moving belt?
Firstly, an exercise like walking, at which your body is very efficient, should be avoided on the treadmill if your goal is to burn calories. As a matter of fact, I have to frequently point this out to clients who walk through the parking lot, walk up the stairs, walk into a gym, and complain to their personal trainer that they’re not losing any weight with their morning fitness walk. Why is this? Well, they walk so much during their regular day that their body just doesn’t get much of a metabolic boost from walking during their cardio session.
See also:Â 5 Ways to Beat the Boredom of Indoor Cardio
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Next, unless you are holding weights or wearing a weighted vest while going up an incline, walking on the treadmill burns far fewer calories than running on a treadmill, and even fewer calories than walking outside – about 200-400 calories per hour of walking. That’s not much. The primary reason for that is that humans are very efficient at walking, as most of us have done so since an early age. So if you’re using a treadmill, then either sprint, run, jog, or use an incline instead of walking at a leisurely pace in a straight line.
Finally, avoid the common mistake of choosing a ridiculously high incline, then holding on to the handrails to keep up. You may look like a champion Everest ascender, but the fact is, whether you’re walking or running, the treadmill rails should only be used if you have extreme balance difficulties, or must stabilize yourself to change a setting. If you do walk up an incline on the treadmill, be sure to vigorously pump your arms too.
3 Best Treadmill Workouts
So what are the best treadmill workouts for blasting calories, burning fat, and boosting cardiovascular fitness? Here are 3 of my top treadmill routines:
1. The Hurricane Workout
I can’t take the credit for inventing the awesome name for this next workout. I discovered it through the writing of Martin Rooney who trains Mixed Martial Artists (MMA) around the world. Here’s how you do The Hurricane Workout:
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Warm-up well
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Do a short treadmill sprint (choose a speed that is 3-5 miles per hour faster than your normal jogging speed and choose the maximum incline you can handle with good running form).
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Immediately after your sprint, hop off the treadmill and do two back-to-back exercises. Here are 3 good options:
- Push-ups to mountain climbers
- Body weight squats to front planks
- Reverse lunges to side lunges
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Do another short treadmill sprint.
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Continue this for a total of 9 times.
2. Overspeed Treadmill Workouts
I first introduced these nerve-building workouts in the How to Run Faster episode. Set the treadmill at a slightly faster speed than you’re comfortable with. That trains the nerves and muscles in your legs to move faster. Because that belt keeps moving underneath you no matter what you do, a treadmill is a great way to teach yourself to keep your running cadence up and keep you moving forward at a steady pace (often quicker than you’d choose to move if you were running outside).
Try walking one minute, then running one minute – with the runs at a 0.0-1.0 incline and the speed for the runs at a slightly faster speed than you’re comfortable with.
3. Uphill Walking
In my recent episode on 5 Tips to Get a Beach Body, I introduced the idea of steep incline treadmill walks. For this workout, walk 20-30 minutes at a 7%-10% incline and add a weighted vest or hold onto dumbbell weights or even wear ankle weights for added benefit.
If you get tired, you can use intervals, in which you do 2-4 rounds of 5 minutes flat walking, followed by 5 minutes of uphill walking. If you have a hard time getting outside to hike because you’re watching the kids, the weather is bad, or your favorite TV show or sporting event is on, this treadmill uphill walking workout is a great substitute.
See also:Â How to Get Fit While Watching TV
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Do you have more questions or suggestions on how to get the most out of your treadmill workout? Leave your thoughts over at Facebook GetFitGuy.
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About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.
