Treadmill Workouts Guide: How to Use the Weight Loss Pre set Exercises
Across the globe, more and more people are buying
treadmills to
lose weight. You purchase the treadmill, it is brought to your home, you
take it inside, assemble it and... what next? Is it enough to jump on the
treadmill and start
running
your brains out while counting down the calories, as shown on the display? No.
You need a guide, and this is where this article will help. This is a complete
guide to help you use the weight loss preset exercises on your treadmill
effectively.
But, before going any further, you need to
have a clear image on what the following 3 terms represent.
You may have already stumbled upon the
fat
burning zone term before. According to specialists, this is the
heart rate value when you’re using 50% – 70% of your target heart rate. The
target heart rate is your heart rate value when you use 60% -90% of
your
maximum heart rate. And last, there is the maximum heart rate,
(MHR). There is a standard formula for this variable, but it’s pure theoretical:
All treadmills enlist in their console preset
‘Weight Loss Workouts’, and all of them use the above theoretical
variables to calculate the workout
intensity, but some of them don't do it correctly. If you want to lose
weight and keep track of the number of
calories
you're burning, then this guide will help you identify the mandatory treadmill
features and how to use them.
Step 1: Insert Your Personal Info
First, make sure you can insert your gender, age and
weight in the console and save your user profile. Almost all good treadmills
allow you to insert and save personal info about you, no matter their price
range. With these details, the console can offer you an estimation of your
theoretical target heart rate. For this reason, during a workout, the treadmill
can automatically control the incline and speed values to keep you in your fat
burning zone.
Step 2: Put The Wireless Chest Strap On
 When
using a wireless chest strap, the console receives information about your heart
rate throughout the entire workout. This means that it adjusts the intensity of
the workout automatically, which helps you remain in your fat burning zone until
the workout is finished. Make sure your treadmill comes with a wireless chest
strap.
One great advantage of the wireless chest strap is that your hands remain free
during the workout, so you can use them to grab the handles or drink water at
any time. Plus, it provides more accurate results than the handgrip built-in
sensors.
Step 3: Select the Preset Workout You Want to Complete
By scrolling up and down the workouts list, select the
workout you want to start. Most treadmills have a “quick launch” button for
weight loss workouts, which means you can easily access them from the console.
The easy part is that the treadmill automatically controls speed and incline of
each segment, which helps you maintain your heart rate in the fat burning zone.
Most treadmills allow you to manage intensity during preset workouts. The best
way to use this feature is to start with the lowest intensity level (Level 1)
and increase the difficulty after several repetitions.
Step 4: Warm-Up before Workout
It is crucial to warm-up prior to any workout. By doing
so, you avoid unwanted
injuries.
To ease things a little, most treadmills come with preset
workouts that incorporate the warm-up segment in the exercise. It usually lasts
up to 4 minutes, at slow walking speed and 0% incline.
Step 5: Start Running
After the warm-up, the preset weight loss workout begins. All you have to do
is keep running.
Preset weight loss workouts alter the speed and incline gradually, until
you’re in your fat burning zone. After that, the workout will change the
settings so that you remain in your fat burning zone for a predetermined period
of time. The structure of these workouts resembles hill intervals workouts.
Sounds difficult, and it is, but most importantly it is motivating. You will
definitely not get bored.
If there are users among you that are not big fans of running, you can
change the incline so that you walk at high inclines, instead of running at
lower inclines. The result will be the same as you will be working out in your
fat burning zone.
Step 6: Monitor Your Heart Rate
Monitoring your heart rate during exercise is equally
important as monitoring your breathing. Luckily, you are wearing the chest
strap, which means that your heart rate information will be directly sent to the
console, which will display the feedback. Whenever you stop feeling comfortable
on the treadmill or when you feel your pulse is too high, simply stop. You won’t
be getting anywhere if you continue.
My warm recommendation is to consult your physician
before any intense workout. A professional doctor can estimate your maximum
heart rate, after consulting your general health state. By having all this info
in mind, you can monitor your heart rate correctly, and you will know when you
need to stop.
Step 7: Don’t Go Beneath This Minimum Duration
For beginners, a 20-minute workout is fair enough. Users
with some extra experience can work out for 30 minutes. Advanced users can
increase the time with 10 minutes. They should be able to complete a 40 minutes
workout. But keep in mind that it all depends on your body. If you feel you can
exercise longer, do it. If not, start with short sessions. It's all about
getting your body used to the effort.
Step 8: Cool Down When You’re Done
Not only warming up is important, but also
cooling
down once the workout is over. It is mandatory to spend the last 4 minutes
of your exercise walking at a slow speed, right until your heart rate lowers
slowly, and you feel you have a normal
breathing
rhythm.
Built-in workouts usually include cool down and warm-up
intervals automatically.
Step 9: Be Consistent With Your Workouts
It would be much easier if one workout were enough. But
it’s not. You must be consistent with your workout sessions in order to see
results.
Beginners should repeat preset
weight loss
exercises about 3, 4 times a week. It’s enough to be effective, but also
to adjust your body to the new effort.
Once you are able to complete intermediate and advanced workouts, you can
work out 4 or 5 times a week. Never forget though to include rest days in your
weekly schedule.
Step 10: Slowly Increase Difficulty
Our body is smarter than we think, and from this
perspective, it will adapt to any effort we subject it to.
The important thing is to start slowly and then,
gradually increase intensity and difficulty. At first, you may have to spend 4
weeks working out at a beginner level and then, set the next level. The key is
to increase the difficulty at some point, because otherwise, you will not get in
your fat burning zone.
Step 10: Slowly Increase Difficulty
Our body is smarter than we think, and from this perspective, it will adapt to any effort we subject it to.
The important thing is to start slowly and then, gradually increase intensity and difficulty. At first, you may have to spend 4 weeks working out at a beginner level and then, set the next level. The key is to increase the difficulty at some point, because otherwise, you will not get in your fat burning zone.
Step 11: Save To Compare
Equally important is to save your workout results so that
you compare them in time. This may be the most powerful
motivation tool. You’ll know how much weight you lose, how many miles you’ve
run and what is your highest time. Being aware of all these details makes
runners want to go further, faster and longer. Solid treadmills save this info
for each user profile. All you have to do is keep running.
If you haven't purchased a treadmill yet, read the
treadmill reviews from RunReviews to see which models have the user profile
feature included. As we said at the beginning, there are good options for all
budgets.
And remember! Starting a running program to lose weight
is a good choice. But losing and
gaining weight happens mostly in the kitchen. It's not enough to run, if you
don't have a balanced diet as well.
About the author: Anna Moore is a runner, and she
trains most of the time on the treadmill. She is an advocate for treadmills
because she has had the opportunity to explore their advantages and benefits.
Dated 11 May 2012
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