Treadmills have long since been considered one of the most popular pieces of fitness equipment on the market, but why? In this article, we’re discussing the importance of the treadmill for cardiovascular fitness. It not only covers the overall benefits of cardiovascular exercise. It also covers how treadmills can provide a more convenient cardiovascular fitness program.
Benefits of Treadmill Workouts
Weight Loss
The most notable benefit of treadmills is their ability to help individuals lose weight. They can help you burn calories efficiently and on a routine basis, unlike other forms of aerobic exercise, which can be more sporadic. You can also use a treadmill to accomplish a HIIT workout so you can reduce your body fat quickly and safely. Even lower-intensity treadmill workouts can reduce body fat through a monitored and structured program. You can walk or jog at an incline or alternate between sprints and jogging, which creates a structured variation for your program on a treadmill.
Heart Health
Treadmill exercises are excellent cardiovascular exercises that improve your heart health. Treadmill workouts can maintain a steady heart rate throughout your exercise routine. For people with heart health concerns, this is particularly beneficial on a treadmill because they can monitor their heart activity and optimize their exercise routine while keeping it safe. Elevating your heart rate to a manageable level will enable you to perform exercises, such as weight training or other cardio exercises.
Muscle Tone
Working out on a treadmill engages multiple muscle groups throughout the body. While the leg muscles bear the brunt of the workout, you will also have to stabilize your core, use your glutes, and stabilize your body with arm muscles. Having to maintain a healthy posture on your treadmill will also engage your core and can improve your stability. Pairing your treadmill exercises with some light strength training will help engage your arm muscles during your workout. You can also hold weights while exercising to make the resistance training more intense.
Reduced Impact
When compared to the street and other hard surfaces, a treadmill significantly reduces your impact. Over time, the steps you take on hard surfaces can wear down your joints and even damage cartilage or ligaments. As you age, these complications become more and more noticeable.
That’s why the sooner you decide to use a treadmill, the more you will save your body in the long run. The longer you run on hard surfaces, the more likely you are to suffer from bone fractures and other damaging injuries.
Increased Control
Running on a treadmill gives you complete control over the settings so you can better gauge your workout and ensure you are using the correct metrics to meet your goals. Depending on your fitness level, you might want to complete a light workout. You might also be an experienced runner looking to add variance to their running program. Regardless, having a treadmill gives you the power to control these variables so you can get the most out of your running routine.
Simulated Race Courses
Treadmills can be the perfect tool to get you ready for your next race. With their adjustable inclines and speeds, you can not only plan for the terrain. You can also plan the speed to match your track and simulate your target race time.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Treadmill Routine
Start with Heart Health
Rather than shooting for target speeds or distances, you can focus on reaching a target heart rate training zone. You can make it a long-term goal to work towards a sustained intensity level for various periods of time. Don’t worry if you’re only able to stay in your target zone for five to ten minutes. Your body needs time to adapt. One of the best things about a treadmill is that you can gradually increase your routine to improve your overall health.
Tracking your pulse is one of the most effective ways to track your heart health. For most healthy individuals who aren’t taking heart medications, you can take the following steps to achieve your heart rate zone:
- Subtract your age from the number 220. If you are 30, your maximum heart rate might be 190.
- Your target heart rate should be 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.
Start Slowly and Build Toward Your Target Heart Rate
Once you know your target heart rate, you will almost be ready to exercise. You can start by warming up for at least five minutes. After warming up, you can increase the speed to a comfortable pace. You should refrain from increasing the grade until you’ve had ample time to adjust to the treadmill’s speed. This process can take several workouts. Your heart rate should level out after three to five minutes of continuous activity. If you are still below your target heart range after that time, you should increase the treadmill speed or incline until you reach your target heart rate.
Add Variety to Your Treadmill Sessions
To add to the long-term benefits you can receive from using a treadmill, you should mix up your routine. As you increase your fitness level, you will be able to increase your duration and intensity. But that doesn’t mean you should continue to increase the intensity of your workouts indefinitely. You should vary your workouts in an undulating pattern to ensure you keep recovering while training.
Continued Tracking
Whether during your treadmill training or over time, you should track your heart rate and how it changes. You should be able to track your heart rate for at least 20 minutes. You might prefer to use your fitness tracker’s heart rate monitor or an independent heart rate monitor so you don’t have to interrupt your workout.
Treadmills Accomplish a Varied Workout Routine
Treadmills are the perfect way to control your heart rate and ensure you get a sustained workout over the long term. Lifespan Fitness has a variety of treadmills, including desk treadmills to fit your workout needs. They can prevent you from sustaining joint damage, give you access to simulated race courses, and ensure you have access to a more consistent fitness routine.
