How To Get The Most From The Treadmill

Studies have shown that we burn more calories on the treadmill than most other machines. I like the treadmill because it puts us in an upright position and focuses on hip flexion and extension more than knee flexion and extension. Why is that a good thing? I believe we sit too much!

Technological evolution and our “rat race” lifestyles put us at a desk, in a car, or on a couch for great lengths of time—and no matter where you are, you can always walk! Here are some tips to get you started or to maximize your use of time on the treadmill.

•Always start with your feet off the moving track incase the machine has a glitch or you hit the wrong button! Start out at a slow pace when you get on and gradually increase the speed and adjust the incline if your program dictates

•Start in a upright, neutral spine posture. Do not lean on the machine with your arms or slouch while doing this. Your work effort is less and you may encounter bad habits that lead to injury. This would include reading—if you can avoid it, you will have a better workout and avoid the back, neck or shoulder pain that may occur from leaning forward.

•Have a plan! Are you there to burn calories or are you preparing for a 5k race? Are you there for general health? Know what you want to get out of it before you get on. My recommendation is if you want to burn calories or just increase your general fitness level, get a heart rate monitor so you can track where you start and see your progress. You will also see if you are burning calories efficiently.

•F.I.T.T. principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type) This is your equation for success. Type= treadmill. Now to build your program, you decide how many days you do it and for how long. That takes care of Frequency and Time. Intensity is driven by 1. Your goal and 2. Your current fitness level. Getting a Heart Rate Monitor is critical for tracking this accurately. If you are just starting to work out, you want to start slow. You may want to do a longer duration say 30-45 min and a lower heart rate that is still in your target zone so there is less impact but you are still burning calories efficiently. If you have already been in that program and have seen results and now hit a plateau, it’s time to increase the intensity with or without decreasing the time. Did you know that working in a lower heart rate zone for 1 hour can be the same caloric expenditure as working half the time but twice as hard? You have choice on how to create the program. But you need the tools.

•Interval Training- is when you “zig zag” in your heart rate zone by peaking it and then slowing down. You do 5 min in the bottom range and then you run for 2 min at the top of the range. This is one example of an interval. Some believe that interval training is more effective than steady state. I say have a plan, try them both and track it to see what works for you!

About the Author:

J.J. Flizanes, director and founder of Invisible Fitness, was featured in Shape Magazine in 2003 and has been listed in Elite Traveler’s Black Book "Best of the Best" for 2007. She has been on NBC, KTLA, CBS, FOX 11 and in over 25 national magazines. http://www.invisiblefitness.com

Source: www.isnare.com