What Are the Different Types of Treadmill Workouts?
Most people have this misconception that using a treadmill is an extremely monotonous and boring exercise because all you can do is walk or run forward without actually getting anywhere.
Moreover, as the scenery does not change for a treadmill user, this concept has become established further. In fact, owing to this belief, many people do not even bother buying a treadmill as they think that they need regular changes to remain motivated towards their goals of fitness and good health.
However, the whole concept of treadmills being monotonous and dreary is something that is based on the simple assumption that the exercise is the same. On the contrary, as any experienced treadmill user would tell you, there is a wide variety of treadmill workouts that a person can use to keep the interest alive. Here are some common treadmill workouts that most fitness trainers recommend.
1. Walking backwards:
Walking backwards on a treadmill may be something that your gym mates might look at askance but the truth is that it is a form of workout that will challenge you and, at the same time, exercise completely different muscles for you. It is worth pointing out that you need to take it slow because walking backwards is not something that people take to easily.
2. Dumbbells and weight combinations:
Using dumbbells or weights in beat with your walk steps on a treadmill is something that will not only give you variety but also let you build up your upper body while you are working on your lower body. Different variations of weight in your hand can make the whole thing extremely fruitful and interesting for you.
3. Speed intervals:
Speed interval exercise is widely known amongst the fitness freaks as a method through which you can increase your performance levels drastically. Speed interval exercise is where you have quick bursts of extreme exercise sandwiched between gentle and relaxing jogs or even strolls. You can start with a gentle two minute warm up, follow it with a minute of running at full speed and then go back to the gentle two minute walk and so on and so forth. This will allow you to exercise more and also keep your interest alive.
4. Incline intervals:
Incline interval exercise follows the same procedure as the speed interval exercise in that the incline run or walk is sandwiched between flat runs or walks. Needless to say, using these varying challenges is a great way to exercise different muscles.
5. Toes and heels:
Finally, you should also have a routine where you walk on your toes or heels because this would allow you to exercise completely different muscles. Alternating between toes and heels walking would help significantly.
In addition to these, you can even try a side step treadmill exercise which is a completely different experience. As is evident from the above mentioned various treadmill workouts it is entirely possible for a person to use his treadmill for exercising different muscles, and a treadmill workout is not as monotonous as it is made out to be by people.
Please always consult a physician before beginning any workout and only do workouts that you are capable of doing easily. Some of the above workouts are advanced and are not for everyone.
Moreover, as the scenery does not change for a treadmill user, this concept has become established further. In fact, owing to this belief, many people do not even bother buying a treadmill as they think that they need regular changes to remain motivated towards their goals of fitness and good health.
However, the whole concept of treadmills being monotonous and dreary is something that is based on the simple assumption that the exercise is the same. On the contrary, as any experienced treadmill user would tell you, there is a wide variety of treadmill workouts that a person can use to keep the interest alive. Here are some common treadmill workouts that most fitness trainers recommend.
1. Walking backwards:
Walking backwards on a treadmill may be something that your gym mates might look at askance but the truth is that it is a form of workout that will challenge you and, at the same time, exercise completely different muscles for you. It is worth pointing out that you need to take it slow because walking backwards is not something that people take to easily.
2. Dumbbells and weight combinations:
Using dumbbells or weights in beat with your walk steps on a treadmill is something that will not only give you variety but also let you build up your upper body while you are working on your lower body. Different variations of weight in your hand can make the whole thing extremely fruitful and interesting for you.
3. Speed intervals:
Speed interval exercise is widely known amongst the fitness freaks as a method through which you can increase your performance levels drastically. Speed interval exercise is where you have quick bursts of extreme exercise sandwiched between gentle and relaxing jogs or even strolls. You can start with a gentle two minute warm up, follow it with a minute of running at full speed and then go back to the gentle two minute walk and so on and so forth. This will allow you to exercise more and also keep your interest alive.
4. Incline intervals:
Incline interval exercise follows the same procedure as the speed interval exercise in that the incline run or walk is sandwiched between flat runs or walks. Needless to say, using these varying challenges is a great way to exercise different muscles.
5. Toes and heels:
Finally, you should also have a routine where you walk on your toes or heels because this would allow you to exercise completely different muscles. Alternating between toes and heels walking would help significantly.
In addition to these, you can even try a side step treadmill exercise which is a completely different experience. As is evident from the above mentioned various treadmill workouts it is entirely possible for a person to use his treadmill for exercising different muscles, and a treadmill workout is not as monotonous as it is made out to be by people.
Please always consult a physician before beginning any workout and only do workouts that you are capable of doing easily. Some of the above workouts are advanced and are not for everyone.