It is advisable to consider a treadmill workout ideal for beginners before you proceed to other extensive exercises. Such workout plans allow your body to ease into the treadmill exercises comfortably.
Equally important, you won’t have to overexert yourself to get results. After all, putting too much pressure on your body, especially suddenly, can do more harm than good.
To avoid such unfortunate outcomes, read on to find out what’s best for you at the beginning. Here’s a detailed discussion on various treadmill workouts for a beginner.
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Is Treadmill Workout Suitable for Beginners?
It turns out that beginners can enjoy a treadmill workout without worries. So, you don’t have to visit the gym if you can afford one for your home.
Besides exercising from the comfort of your home, a treadmill workout has other benefits. For instance, you can set a comfortable pace, thus giving you control.
Thanks to the incline of the treadmills, you can work on various muscles intensely enough to become a professional quickly. Given its various settings and workout options, you don’t need an expert.
Top 5 Treadmill Workouts for Beginners
If you are looking for a treadmill workout for beginners, consider one of the following choices.
Walking and Jogging Intervals
If you have started running, it would be great to start with this treadmill workout for beginners. It is also suitable for returning to your usual running after an injury.
Ensure that your body gets a lengthy warmup. Such a period allows your blood to flow and the muscles to move.
Ensure you proceed with moderation since overdoing it harms more than good. As your body adjusts, you can increase your pace and move faster.
An effective workout considers the following tips;
- The ratio of walking time to jogging time should be 1:1.
- So, if you walk for a minute, you should jog simultaneously.
- The jogging should only be sufficient to make one’s breath heavy and increase the heart rate.
- Go back to walking and continue this trend for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remember, you are at liberty to set the pace during this workout. The idea is to increase the pace of your jogging after every run.
Nevertheless, only do so if you feel good and your body is ready for a faster pace. With time, you will be ready to jog longer and walk less, which is more effective.
Treadmill Sprints
Once you can comfortably run faster and further, proceed to this treadmill workout for beginners. You will notice its striking resemblance to the walking and jogging intervals.
For instance, it also involves walking and jogging at intervals. The only difference is the intensity since it is more in this workout than the other one.
Its procedures are as follows;
- Turning the treadmill up to a sprinting speed that you are comfortable with while straddling it.
- Hold the treadmill’s sides for balance before jumping onto it since it is moving.
- Don’t let the sides go until you are steady enough to avoid falling off.
- Sprint for up to 15 seconds
- Take a break of about 45 seconds
- Do this workout routine for 7 to 10 minutes
It is essential to begin at a relatively low speed. Otherwise, you may not easily adjust to jumpin on and off the moving treadmill.
At first, the breaks between two sprints should be longer than the period of each sprint. However, once your body has warmed up enough, make the breaks shorter than the period of each sprint.
It is always good to remember how your body feels when sprinting. It ensures you only go with a pace that’s okay with you.
Remember, balancing while jumping on and off the moving treadmill may be hard. Under such circumstances, ensure you set it to a walking speed before jumping.
Jacob’s Ladder
This workout is worth trying out if you can access the treadmill ladder. After all, hill climbing is a crucial part of any running routine.
This treadmill workout for beginners involves the following;
- Adjusting yourself on the treadmill ladder using the belt
- After that, climb the rungs the same way you climb typical ladders. In other words, grab the rungs using your hands and step up a rung after the other.
- Interestingly, adjusting most of Jacob’s ladders in advance is impossible. Therefore, you have two options, and one of them is climbing faster if you can. The other one is climbing slowly and letting the machine slow down to match that pace.
Instead of running on a flat surface, using Jacob’s ladder would be more effective. After all, it positively affects your hamstrings and glutes, thus making it ideal for crosstraining.
Hill Workout
Sometimes, a treadmill ladder may be inaccessible. That’s where the hill workout setting comes in.
Treadmills have default settings, but you can customize a hill workout that suits your needs. Due to its intensity, this workout should be about 4 minutes long.
Such a short workout is perfect when starting; hence, it is ideal for beginners. As you set your hill workout, ensure your body can keep up with its demands comfortably and consistently.
You can set up a hill workout as follows;
- Similarly to the sprints workout, straddle to the treadmill as you start it
- Ensure that the treadmill is set to a running pace
- Whereas it should be a challenging incline, ensure your body can cope with the pace.
- Workout at that pace for about 20 seconds
- After that run, take a break of up to 10 seconds
- Hop back on the treadmill and work for up to 4 minutes this time around
Despite running outside, incorporate this treadmill workout for beginners since its benefits when training is indisputable. It has proven effective in training and keeping fit.
After all, it prepares you for the actual terrain since it can be quite challenging. You will be ready for the race thanks to such a setting.
High-Intensity Interval Training Workout
It is popularly known as a HIIT workout and lasts up to 10 minutes. However, it would be best to try it once your body can handle its high intensity.
This workout is suitable for beginners aiming to build core and leg muscles. Equally important, it helps your body burn hundreds of calories.
It should proceed as follows;
- Begin with a 2-minute walk at a moderate pace, but not jogging
- Turn your treadmill to level 6 and engage in a 2-minute jog
- Walk for a minute before resting
- Turn your treadmill to level 7 and engage in a 2-minute jog
- Walk for 30 seconds before resting
- Turn your treadmill to level 8 and engage in a 45-second jog
- Walk for 30 seconds before resting
- Turn your treadmill to level 8.5 and engage in a 45-second jog
- Walk for 30 seconds before resting
- Turn your treadmill to level 9 and engage in a 1.15-minute jog
- Walk until you cool down
How Long Should a Treadmill Workout for Beginners?
If you have just started, start with workouts lasting between 15 and 20 minutes. Thrice per week is a good routine.
Over time, as your endurance improves, you can extend these sessions to 30 minutes and increase the frequency to at least four times a week.
Prioritize your comfort and safety as you alter the pace. However, it should be relatively challenging for effectiveness.
Conclusion
Any of the above treadmills work for beginners. Some are more intense than others, and starting with the simpler ones is advisable before proceeding to the complex exercises.
Remember to pay attention to how you feel and adjust the pace accordingly. However, any workout that’s too comfortable for your body won’t have much impact.
