To use a treadmill, you must select a specific speed that will allow you to match your speed to your physical goal. Many individuals select a treadmill speed by guessing at an appropriate rate. Guessing, however, can lead to feelings of boredom from pacing at speeds that may be too fast, or feelings of exhaustion after burning up all of your energy too quick.
Using a pace chart allow individuals to select their proper running speed for their body. By using a pace chart, an individual can determine whether they need to burn calories, build endurance, or perform another specific task at a certain rate. Slow speeds are often used to allow the body to recover from any strenuous exercise.
Choose the Right Treadmill Speed
By using slow speeds on the treadmill, the heart rate of the individual decreases, which allow for the body to flush out any muscle soreness. Individuals that are just beginning to run may prefer slow speeds to allow for their bodies to rebuild without stress their muscles. By increasing an individual’s speed to a brisk walking pace, individuals enter a zone that is effective in burning fat.
Brisk walking speeds can be effective in enabling individuals to lose weight because these speeds can be sustained for longer period of time than running speeds. Jogging speeds fall somewhere in the middle of walking and running speeds. At jogging speeds, individuals can speak in full sentences but still maintain a moderate conversation with others.
Jogging speeds allow individuals to build their aerobic system, which can enable them to run for longer distances. As individuals transition from easy jogging speeds to moderate jogging speeds, their running efficiency and lung capacity improve. Additionally, individuals should consistently jog at these speeds to build their running strength over time.
Higher speeds require different methods of increasing endurance. For instance, tempo runs allow runners of various distances to increase their lactate threshold. Increasing an individual’s lactate threshold enables their body to run at faster speeds for longer periods of time.
Threshold runs are more strenuous than tempo runs but enable an individual’s VO2 max. An individual’s VO2 max is their body’s ability to utilize oxygen, and increasing that ability allows individuals to run at faster speeds. Lastly, intervals and sprints allow individuals to increase their speed for short distances, but require periods of full recovery after each sprint because of the strenuous nature of these distance. An individual’s heart rate is a measurement of their running effort.
An individual’s maximum heart rate can be calculate by subtracting their age from 220. Zone 2 represents the range between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Training in this zone is important because it help to build your endurance without providing your body with too much physical overload.
If you train in high zones of your heart rate, your body will experience burnout. Therefore, you should include training in zone 2 in your treadmill routine. The more calories that you burn on the treadmill is correlated with your intensity level.
Additionally, if you use the incline setting on the treadmill, you will burn more calories. Using a five percent incline will increase the number of calories that you burn by 15 percent. Using such an incline will also allow your workout to target your glutes and hamstring.
Another factor of calorie burn is your body weight. If your body weight is higher, you will burn more calories than someone of a lower body weight. There are many different training programs that can be used on a treadmill.
The Couch-to-5K program includes intervals of walking and jogging and is appropriate for beginners. This training program allows beginners to find their rhythm when jogging. Another program is High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, which uses intervals of sprints to burn fat.
However, rest periods is required for HIIT training. Hill climbs use the incline setting on the treadmill to build the strength of your muscles. Long steady runs use a slower jogging speed to develop the mental strength required to run long distances without experiencing physical fatigue.
Choose a program that best suit your running goal. Depending on the speed of the treadmill, your form when running on the treadmill will change. If you are walking, walk tall and use your natural arm swing.
When jogging, aim to land on your midfoot. When running, maintain a quick cadence while keeping your core muscles tense. Regardless of your speed, always aim to land your feet under your body rather than in front of your body.
This will avoid injuries to your limb. Breathe rhythmically, and increase the tightness of your breath as your speed on the treadmill increases. Paces that can be targeted on the treadmill include the pace that a beginner runner runs for a 5K race.
For instance, the beginner might target a pace that allows them to race a 5K in 30 minutes. In addition, the pace of an intermediate runner will likely be faster. Use these pre-defined race paces as goals for your treadmill training.
Use your heart rate zones to guide the speed at which you will run on the treadmill. By using your heart rate zones on the treadmill, you will be able to use the treadmill with a specific purpose.
