5 Tricks to Help You Make the Most of Your Treadmill Workout
Both group fitness classes and personal training sessions utilize this piece of equipment in order to torch calories and improve endurance: the treadmill. Some love the treadmill, and others dread the idea of running in one place for an extended amount of time. Regardless of your feelings, it’s safe to assume that you want to make the most out of every minute you’re on the treadmill, right? Whether you’re jogging for 10 minutes or sprinting it out for 45 second intervals, these tips can help you get the most out of your time on the treadmill:

Observe your form
As much as you might not want to stare at yourself while you’re running and sweating, having a mirror in front of you makes it easy to keep a close eye on your form. Maintaining good form while running can prevent injury and help transform you into a better runner overall. Keeping your elbows bent at 90 degrees, relaxing your hands and keeping your core tight are just three proper running mechanics you’ll want to watch out for.

Keep hydration nearby
This may seem obvious, but keeping your water bottle close by will prevent you from continuously interrupting your workout with trips to the water fountain.

Get creative
Pressing the start button isn’t the only way to break a sweat on the treadmill. Instead, don’t turn the treadmill on at all, and use your feet to move the tread, which will get your heart rate up and work your quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes.

Sick of running? Try a side gallop. Reduce your speed to a slow rate you can handle (about 2 to three miles per hour) and side step on your left side for 30 seconds, then switch to your right side for another 30 seconds. This is a great alternative if you’re bored with running, and still challenges your muscles.

Take advantage of incline
You don’t have to increase your running speed in order to maximize your workout. Instead, try amping up the incline. As you’re jogging or sprinting, experiment with increasing the incline to really challenge yourself. The extra effort it takes to keep running results in a more efficient workout overall, as the amplified intensity leads to more calories burned.

Compete against yourself
Running on the treadmill isn’t always the most thrilling exercise, so you have to find ways to keep your workout interesting. Whether you’re in a personal training session or a group fitness class, focus on competing against yourself. Try to increase your speed or incline by even one interval, or see if you can improve on your mile time each time you step on the treadmill. When you’re focused on accomplishing a specific goal, you may not find yourself staring at the clock or thinking about how tired you are.

Come run with us at our West loop gym or our new Lakeview location! Sign up here for group fitness classes and here for personal training sessions.