Treadmill Workouts for Weight Loss
Too many people think that just getting on the treadmill and going as fast or as long as possible is the best way to lose weight. But there’s no reason you can’t switch it up a bit and keep yourself mentally occupied as well as physically. After all, the best treadmill workout for weight loss is the one that you’ll stick to!
Best Fat Burning Treadmill Workouts
The best fat burning treadmill workouts will largely depend on what speaks to you. Because every body is different, there might be reasons why incline treadmill workouts don’t work for you, or why interval treadmill workouts might be your forte.
It’s worth giving each type of workout a try so you better understand what works best for you. You might find that one type of workout really makes you dread your treadmill time, and if that’s the case, it’s not the one for you. You might even realize that the best fat burning treadmill workout is one that combines all of the different types - as long as it’s something you can stick to, that’s the best fat burning treadmill workout for you.
Incline Treadmill Workout
Utilizing the incline on your treadmill will do a lot for building up muscles that you don’t normally use. When you do even a gentle incline, it changes the way your body pushes itself off from the ground when you’re walking or running. These small changes may not feel like much right away, but you’ll definitely notice it after a few minutes!
Changing things up with an increased incline will target supporting muscles that you don’t use in everyday life, unless you find yourself climbing hills regularly! This aids in burning fat because as your build up muscle, that muscle requires more calories to maintain. A 150-pound person who increases incline by just 1 percent will burn 12 percent more calories!
You also don’t have to keep your incline at the same height for your entire workout. It can be a fun challenge to regularly change it up and down. If you find that an increase in inclination is a little too much starting out, there’s nothing wrong with running the flats and walking the incline - this will still build up muscle and help you burn fat.
Treadmill Speed Workout
Treadmill speed workouts are a great way to not only burn calories, but also increase endurance. The faster you run, the more calories you burn, and it’s estimated that running full speed, you can burn up to 700 calories per hour.
Running full speed would mean running about 7 miles per hour, which is pretty fast for someone new to running or treadmills. However, this is an indicator that the sky is the limit when starting up a treadmill speed workout. With every session, you’ll improve your endurance and ultimately, be able to run faster, longer. Our fixed jogging treadmill is a great treadmill for speed workouts.
Speed workouts also have the added benefit of giving you a concrete number to stick to. If you are focused on speed, it’s easy to see when your numbers tick up, or when your body becomes comfortable running at a new speed for a prolonged length of time. It helps many people stick with otherwise difficult plans when they can see a concrete number going up.
Interval Treadmill Workout
Interval treadmill workouts are a great way to burn fat because they focus on very high intensity work for short periods of time, allowing your body rest and recovery time in between. This rest time lets your body prepare for the next round of high intensity activity, meaning you’re likely able to workout at that intensity longer than if you were to do it all together.
These workouts are a combination of fat burning and mental stamina. Many people, when exercising at such high intensities, can’t push their bodies for more than a few minutes, and interval training takes that into account. Rather than pushing to the limit for as long as possible, interval training helps build general endurance, as well as increasing your high intensity limit.
Interval treadmill workouts keep you moving for longer periods of time than regular high intensity workouts, which means you’re consistently burning more calories than you would be during short bursts of work. They also push the limits on what you can do during the high intensity limits, which can contribute to muscle gain and calorie loss.
These types of workouts also cause more calories to be used to repair the body later in the day, meaning an increase in metabolism that leads to greater calorie loss in the long run.
Benefits of Fat Burning Treadmill Workouts
There are plenty of ways to go about burning fat on the treadmill, but beyond aesthetics, there are some notable benefits to walking it off on the treadmill, including a decrease in fatigue, higher endurance, and an improvement in memory and cognition.
Because walking or running on the treadmill gets your blood moving, you can see many benefits that come from simply increasing blood flow. Fat burning treadmill workouts can be tweaked to your preferences, and they’re easy to change day-to-day, meaning you won’t get sick of your workout routine after a few days or weeks - and if you do, you can easily change it!
You might also notice that once you start a treadmill workout routine, you’ll find yourself more energetic throughout the day, and this can lead to additional fat burning. Many people find themselves in a slump when their physical activity is on the low side - even walking on the treadmill can help to combat that.
The Best Fat Burning Treadmill Workout
The best fat burning treadmill workout is the one you will stick to! There are many options for speed, incline, and interval training, but ultimately, if you want real results, try each program and find the one that fits your body best.
Treadmills are a great way to start burning fat and getting in shape. Treadmill programs can be customized to whatever your body needs to feel best, and sometimes a combination of incline, interval, and speed will be the perfect way to get your body in shape.
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Author bio: Alexandra is a health and wellness writer specializing in fitness and nutrition. She is certified in Pilates Core Mat I & II, and is working toward a NASM Personal Training Certification. She truly believes that lifelong wellness is built on the tiny changes you make today.