How To Run On A Treadmill for Beginners

Despite the bad rap it gets, the treadmill is one of the most vigorously-intense aerobic exercises you can do.

Learn to tread and shred as you tame the treadmill with our easy-to-follow tips.

Intervals

Running at a consistent pace is great for longer workouts, but if you’re after a short, sweet workout, increase your intervals.

By mixing up speed, timing and rest periods, interval training will continually change your focus so you’re less likely to spend the whole duration of your workout staring at the clock. 

Additionally, interval training on the treadmill is great for cardio conditioning. Keep it short and sweet, feel the burn and notice the difference.

Check out some treadmill interval plans here.

Raise the incline

Boost the intensity of your workout and raise your incline to mimic an outdoor run – perfect if you’re looking to escape the winter weather or don’t wish to stray too far from other gym equipment. By adjusting your incline, you work different muscles, particularly the calves, quadriceps and glutes. This is essential for improving cardiovascular fitness, muscle activation and bone density.  

Break it up

You don’t need to push yourself to do intense, hilly terrain training every day – we guarantee that will get old, fast. As with any exercise, you need to break up your routine. If you’re feeling sore and sorry for yourself after an intense interval training session, go easy with a longer walk on flat incline, or mix it up with a little cross training.

Fat burn your own way

Don’t be too tempted by the auto-set “fat burn” button. This lower intensity workout means your calorie expenditure will come from fat; however, you’re far better off increasing your speed to slim down. 

Pump your arms

Move your arms as you run, and not only will you be blessed with tight toned arms, but a shredded set of abs. Instead of clinging onto the handrails for dear life, swing your arms across your body and concentrate on keeping them parallel.   

This will keep your body in a strong, central position while engaging your abdominal muscles.

Toe to toe

As your heels are the shock absorbers of your feet, you need to ensure you’re balancing your weight correctly. If you’re walking, you will be placing the majority of your weight on the soft pads of your heels. Once you step up the pace, you will be shifting your weight to move forward into your mid foot region and toes.

Make sure you’re keeping on the ball of your foot as you increase your speed to engage your calves. This will allow your legs to absorb the impact of your body weight as you are running.

If you’re interested in training yourself – and others – to be the best, consider a qualification like the Complete Personal Trainer^Program. Call 1300 616 180 today for further details on the course structure.