At this time of year, one of the goals we all set ourselves is to get in shape and get a good figure for next summer. If you don’t have time to go to a gym every day, treadmills are a good alternative to get in shape at home.
And the fact is that the treadmill is one of the most suitable devices to train without leaving the house, especially during the cold winter months, in which the low temperatures do not invite you to go out for a run on the street.
One of the advantages offered by the treadmill is that it allows us to exercise every muscle in our body in a totally natural way. That is, it is a comprehensive and complete training. In addition, as it is an aerobic exercise, when we have been running on the treadmill for a few days, we will begin to notice a considerable loss of volume and body weight.
The treadmill allows us to perform a constant exercise in which we move all the joints at the same time. Therefore, it helps to preserve the elasticity of the tendons, thus allowing us to always feel in top shape.
Start training with the treadmill at home
Before you start training with a treadmill, you should know that this device is not recommended for people who suffer from severe back problems, such as herniated discs, or pathologies that affect the knees or ankles. It is important to take this into account so as not to aggravate these types of problems.
If you start training with the treadmill at home for the first time, at first you should start the exercise by walking, to avoid jerks and gradually warm up the muscles, especially if you have not practiced physical exercise for a long time.
Once you build up some endurance and resistance on the treadmill, you can start running three to four days a week. However, always try to leave a day off between each workout so that the muscles can rest.
Guidelines for a good treadmill workout
How should you distribute the training on the treadmill? It is important to warm up at the beginning and allow the muscles to cool down before finishing the exercise. In turn, to achieve better results, you should not always do the same activity. To do this, you can use intervals and intensity peaks. Here are some guidelines:
1. Pre warming
Before getting on the treadmill, the first step is to do a warm- up in which you stretch the muscles involved in this exercise, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, and calves.
In addition to the previous stretches, a good way to warm up properly is to walk for five minutes. In this way, you will gradually increase the speed or slope as we notice the looser legs.
2. Interval training
After completing this brief warm-up, your treadmill workout should begin with a three-minute walk at a medium pace. Then you have to accelerate to run at a higher pace for three minutes, trying to get your heart rate up to 80%.
When these three minutes have passed at full speed, you should slow down the treadmill again at a medium pace for three minutes. Ideally, you should complete this set by speeding up and slowing down every three minutes, until you complete at least three reps. As you increase your physical form, you can expand the range of intensity.
What are the benefits of interval running?
The running interval has shown some great benefits for runners, always alternating with moderate intensity peaks career. These are some of its advantages:
- Help you lose weight faster: Fast-twitch muscle fibers work during these high-intensity periods and burn more calories.
- You improve performance: It increases metabolism and the cardiovascular system, which progressively increases your performance and lung capacity. This will allow you to do more kilometers and run faster.
- You burn energy for 48 hours: Unlike medium intensity aerobic exercise, which only burns calories during training, with the performance of intensity intervals your body continues to work after the development of the activity. The energy burn lasts up to 48 hours.
4. End of the exercise
Finally, before getting off the treadmill, you must cool down the muscles again by walking for two minutes to regulate the heartbeat. Upon reaching the second week of training, you will notice that you can gradually increase your exercise time. You can increase one minute of running on the treadmill for each week of training you pass.
Put on your shoes and start the race!
