You already know that using a treadmill as part of a walking or running program can be a great way to get yourself into shape. In fact, some people maintain exercise programs that consist solely of treadmill training (with no exercise-focused walking or running ever done outside).
But how exactly do you know how much you should be exercising, given all your treadmill settings?
While there’s a good chance that you’ll be improving your health and fitness by simply working out however much you feel like, there’s always a chance that exercising without a plan can often be inefficient, and can sometimes result in overuse injuries.
It can be better to use your treadmill’s built-in computer workout programs. What you have available to you will depend on the model of your treadmill. But even the most basic motorized treadmills are going to have several different workout program options.
Types of Treadmill Program Workouts
Fat Burning Workouts
One of the most common types of programs is the “fat burning” workout. You usually enter your gender and weight (and sometimes age), and the treadmill will select a speed that is designed to burn a higher percentage of fat, as compared to workouts (usually conducted at a faster speed) that burn more glycogen (stored carbohydrate energy) from your muscles.
Hill Workouts
Another popular type of built-in treadmill computer workout program is the hill workout. In this workout, the treadmill first allows a warm-up period, and then begins the “hills.” The treadmill will increase the incline a bit for a short period of time. The treadmill will then ratchet the incline up and down (but trending on a generally upward path) until halfway through the workout, then begin ratcheting the incline back down.
Sometimes the treadmill will also slow the speed as the incline increases. This automatic workout is great training because walking or running on hills burns far more calories than working out on a flat surface. But with the program you don’t have to adjust the incline up or down, you just press a button and do what the machine asks.
Interval Workouts
Interval workout programs are similar to the hill workout programs, except that instead of the treadmill automatically adjusting the degree of incline, it automatically adjusts the speed upward. You must walk or run for a short period of time at a speed that’s faster than your normal workout “cruising” speed. In this way, your body gets used to moving at faster speeds, which will eventually increase your cruising speed.
HIIT Treadmill Workout Programs
Related to interval training is the concept of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). These intervals are usually much shorter, and much more intense, than the standard interval training workouts. Some studies have shown that these types of workouts can do a great benefit to any fat loss efforts, sometimes even more than “fat burning” workouts.
User-Defined (a.k.a. manual workouts)
Finally, don’t be afraid to try out a user-defined program if your treadmill has that capability. Your goal should be to program a workout that will challenge you, and once you get used to that, you can program a new one. For example, if you normally workout for 30 minutes at 3.0 mph, then program in a 5 or 10 minute period in the middle of that 30 minutes to go at 3.2mph or 3.5mph.
Whatever treadmill computer workout program you’re interested in trying, make sure to start small and build from there. It’s better go increase your workouts gradually than to try to much and injure yourself.
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