Treadmill exercise – Things to know

There are billions of people who use treadmills as they are the most popular fitness equipment in the world. They can be very efficient in burning up calories if only the user does his treadmill workouts the right way. Lots of us don’t know how to exercise on treadmill with the right technique. Here are a few things you should keep in mind while you do your treadmill exercise to reach your fitness goals.

The first and the most important thing to remember is to never hold on to hand rails when you are using your treadmill. Holding on to the handrails may come naturally but that is not the natural way of walking or running. It also does not allow you to move in your normal stride or motion. Many people also grip the front bar pulling their body forward with each step. Any kind of holding on eliminates walking and running weight-bearing benefits. It reduces the efficiency of your workouts as well and you may even strain your back or shoulders.

 
You must walk or run in the right posture that is look straight with your head up and not looking down or hunching forward. This can also happen if you try and watch videos or TV mounted on your console or high up the wall. Bad posture will again strain your back neck and shoulder muscles.

With proper arm motion, you can go faster and burn more calories. Without holding on to the hand rails or making them stiff, move them along in a natural walking or running motion.

You should try and walk with proper stride and not over stride with extra long steps.

Besides the basic functions and safety features like emergency stop button in a treadmill, you should also know about the other features like incline and speed adjustments, programmed workouts pulse monitors or calorie counters which will help you in making your workouts more planned.

As with other exercises, after a while your body will get used to the amount of efforts you put in, so you have to be progressive in your efforts and intensity to get the real benefits of your treadmill exercise. Changing the intensity will also make it interesting for you to exercise. You can incorporate new programs in your exercise routine; change the duration or intensity levels of your workouts.Treadmill exercises can be very intensive and interesting with the right techniques.