The treadmill is often scorned upon by running enthusiasts who enjoy running outdoors. They find treadmill workouts to be boring and too easy, complaining that you don't have to work as hard as you do when you are running outside. Perhaps, you have a treadmill in your home yourself and are becoming a little bored with exercising on it. What, then can you do to make the workouts a little more exciting and so make it more likely that you will come back and use the equipment more often?
One thing you can do is add proper speed to your routine. Many people get into a comfort zone pace when using a treadmill. They will set it at decent jogging pace and then run for 30 minutes or so and then get off without every varying the speed. The key to getting a better cardiovascular workout is to regularly ramp up the speed on the treadmill. Every 5 minutes or so, try going at almost top speed for about 20 seconds. This will get your heart pumping a lot more and lead to a more satisfying exercise session.
Try to be more progressive in your workout. Instead of running for the same length of time at the same speed every day, try to progress and and exercise at higher levels every session. Try, for example, to run more miles within a set time limit or to run for a longer period of time each day. Setting goals like this to improve on each day will keep you interested and motivated to continue working out.
Another technique to vary your treadmill workouts is to use the incline button more. Running uphill is difficult and tiring which is why most people who use treadmills do not use this feature. However, as with adding more speed it is a great way to get your heart working a lot more. Most treadmills come with preset programs that contain various levels of hills to try.
Running on a treadmill is a great way to lose weight and to tone your lower body. However, to further vary the workout and to help tone your upper body, try walking or running with a small dumbbell in each hand. You can do various different arm exercises while walking or running on the treadmill to work different parts of your upper body.
Try these and any other variations you can think of and hopefully working out on your treadmill will become less of a chore for you.
