Treadmill workouts are gaining popularity due to colder winter temperatures outside and also due to social distancing and individual desires to workout solo away from large gatherings. Treadmill workouts can give you a great work out and have many benefits including environmental stability, temperature regulation, and safety. If you’ve ever taken a fitness certification course, you have learned that starting a new career, such as sports coaching or starting a personal training business, require the ability to adapt quickly to changes in routine and use creativity to avoid burnout and maintain motivation. Treadmill workouts fall into both categories this year due to current events and public health. When routines are disrupted, the treadmill can be one of the most reliable tools an individual can have for training. It allows you to work out when it is convenient for you and you control the workout and the intensity of it. When gyms closed earlier this year and/or individuals had to cancel gym memberships, the treadmill provided solitude and satisfaction of getting in a total body workout. The following treadmill workouts are some of the creative ways that individuals have been able to maintain or improve personal fitness during these challenging times:
- Climb that mountain! Adjust the incline on the treadmill so that you are building stamina, endurance and strength. Power walking is all you need to do for this challenging workout. If your treadmill has ten different levels of incline options, break each level into 1 min intervals. For example, start the first minute with no incline, or level one. At the beginning of the second minute, increase the incline to level two. At the beginning of third minute, increase the incline to level three and so on. When you get to the last level, then work your way backwards. Hold level ten for one minute and then decline the treadmill one level at the beginning of each minute until you are back down to level one where you started. It’s the perfect workout for individuals that are short on time and need a power workout. This entire sequence can be finished in twenty minutes! You can modify the intervals to extend the workout if needed.
- Use modern technology to connect to other treadmill users and workout together in real time. You can race or compete using these same methods as well. For social runners and exercisers, this method can help prevent boredom and help you feel connected to others while getting in your workout.
- Use sports training app workouts to choose from a variety of different workouts that you can do on the treadmill to help you perfect a specific skill or reach a specific goal. For example, speed drills can help build agility and quick turnover of the legs allowing you to compete faster in real time. Training in a controlled environment like the treadmill can help reduce the risk of sports injury as well.
- Adjust the speed to alternate from fast-to-slow to help strengthen functional fitness and build up the muscle supporting the knee joints to prevent future risks of sports injuries. Getting your heart rate up multiple times also helps to burn more calories and improves cardiovascular fitness. An online fitness consultant can also help you create personalized treadmill workouts to help you meet specific fitness goals.
