Treadmills are one of my favorite pieces of home fitness equipment.
I use my treadmill a little different than most people, though.
I don't use mine for jogging or running.
Believe it or not, I only use mine for walking on an incline and extra calf work for building the calves.
Running is a high impact cardiovascular exercise that is very hard on my knees at my current body weight.
So, I never run or jog at all.
My knees aren't too great so I do everything I can to save them.
If you love to run and have no problems with it, go ahead and get going. I'm just here to let you know that a tread mill has many other uses too.
The Many Functions And Uses Of The Treadmill
Let's talk about some of the types of cardio you can do with your new piece of fitness equipment for your home gym.
A tread mill is a great addition to your home gym due to the variety of different uses.
1. Walking
Walking is a great low intensity cardio exercise that anyone can do. Beginners should start out walking on the tread mill and slowly increase over the weeks if that is their goal.
For the very muscular guys and gals who like to hold onto all their muscle during low calorie dieting, walking is a great exercise due to the low amount of stress it puts on your body.
2. Walking on an Incline
Walking on an incline is one of my favorite forms of cardio. If you're not used to incline walking, it can get pretty difficult at first.
Your heart rate will climb with incline walking… that's for sure!!!
I like to walk on an incline first thing in the morning to get my day started right. I'll drink BCAA's during the cardio sessions for muscle building cycles only. For fat loss cycles, I drink lots of water instead of water plus BCAA's.
3. Jogging
If you want to progress from walking, you can up the intensity a notch by jogging. Set the treadmill at a comfortable speed for you. Start out slow and increase over the weeks.
You want to be able to jog at a comfortable pace to keep your heart rate at a specific fat burning zone. We teach you how to find this fat burning zone within the WLC System.
4. Running
The next step up is running. If you enjoy running, just remember that it's a high impact cardiovascular exercise. I try to avoid high impact cardio due to my genetic disposition towards knee problems.
My Dad had 11 knee surgeries on one knee and 9 on the other knee before having one of them replaced at an early age. My knees have always given me trouble when running regularly.
Don't take this the wrong way, though. Running is one of the best cardiovascular exercises you can do. If you don't have any joint problems, start running today on your new treadmill… ease into running if needed.
Start with walking, then incline walking, then jogging, then running, then incline running.
5. Building Calves using the Tread mill
I use the tread mill all the time for special muscle building cardio for the calves. I've lived my life with small calves until I made the decision to start lifting weights.
I was always too embarrassed to wear shorts… not any more.
I plan my cardio program with these special calf building cardio sessions on the tread mill. If you have trouble building your calves, you need to start doing this cardio today.
As you gain weight, you are naturally adding more resistance to the calves. Put your treadmill on the highest incline and lean over the control panel as far as possible. You may need a towel or something else for padding.
Some foam would really help.
Get comfortable and get ready for some very tough exercise. Building calves can get very painful, so get ready. You'll be forced to use your calves to walk on a steep incline.
Ensure the tread mill you buy has a steep incline setting if you want to use it for calf building purposes.
Get A High Quality Tread Mill If You Can… The Right One WILL Last A Long Time
I use Amazon.com for almost every purchase I make now. Even if I don't purchase a product from Amazon, I still use their website to see how other people like the product I am thinking about buying.
I also use it to see if there's something else out there that's better or cheaper.
Check out Treadmill Reviews from Amazon right here
Go to the link above if you're thinking about purchasing a tread mill. You can get one there or you can just look at the reviews there.
Be sure to download your copy of the WLC System for building muscle and burning fat.
Some Other Secret Tips for Using a Treadmill
WARNING: You have to be very careful with this advice and use at your own risk. You can fall if you're not careful here so make sure you start out really slow. Remember, if you try this… you are taking the risk.
You can walk backwards on the treadmill which will really be different for your body and make it work harder.
You can also try shuffling side to side on the treadmill and then switching directions and shuffling side to side in the other direction. This will also work your body very hard.
When you do the side-to-side shuffling, it should mimic how a basketball player moves side to side when they are playing defense. Get in an athletic position, start out very slow, and go for it.
Again, be careful and use at your own risk.
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