How To Use A Treadmill Properly – Read Before Using It

Treadmills are motorized fitness equipment that allows for running or walking in the place. Also, they can burn the same amount of calories that walking or running does. It helps to improve cardiovascular fineness as a revolving belt moving under your feet. Many treadmills come with the digital console.

Also, let you adjust incline setting and speed, so that fits well with your fitness goal. But you need to choose the right treadmill. There are different models and brands of treadmill available in the market. Even, you will get some best treadmill under 500 with advanced features. You need to read treadmill reviews before choosing finally.

However, it is essential to know the use of treadmill accurately. A study found that more than 460,000 people injuries during the use of exercise equipment. More than 32,000 people are hospitalized or even dead after those accidents. According to the survey, more than 60% of exercise equipment injuries are involved with the treadmill.

How to use treadmill properly

1. Learn about the control panel of Treadmill

Know the functionality of the control panel of the treadmill that you are going to use. If you are on the gym, ask the instructor to assist you. Otherwise, read the instruction manual throughout. You should learn how to incline and speed up, before turn it on. Almost all treadmill has similar features like Off and On button, manual or preset workout feature, incline adjustment and speed, etc.

2. Get familiar with safety features

You should learn about safety features before starting to ensure your safety. Find out the position of emergency off switch and learn how to turn off or on it. It is a large red button and placed in the machine console’s middle.

3. Take a test

If you are on the treadmill for the first time, take a test. Stand on the side rails of your treadmill. Remember, I mentioned side rails, not the belt. Then, select a treadmill’s manual program and increase belt speed about 2-3 miles per hour.

4. Start slowly

It is not too hard to start walking on the treadmill. Hold the handrail and then place your feet on the belt. Follow the pace of the machine. Once you feel comfortable with the speed, step into the machine’s belt and you will be able to walk normally.

5. Start walking

Start walking slowly at a comfortable speed. It might be 1-2 miles per hour. Keep head on up position. Don’t go back or forward of the belt, try to stay in the middle.

6. Comfortable speed

Find a relaxed pace for you to walking. Warm-up a couple of minutes before increasing the speed.

7. Choose a program

The benefit of the preset program is that the treadmill takes you to all the phases such as warm-up you, exercise and then cool down. So, a preset program is the better way for the beginner to become comfortable with the treadmill.

8. Improve exercise

If you are comfortable with walking on the treadmill, you are ready to improve your exercise. You can improve from walking to jogging and then running. Although, it needs some practice.

Also, you may feel embarrassed for the first few days. But, after continuous careful exercise, you will be overcome nervousness and start to feel comfortable and enjoy it.

9. Don’t hold handrails

You should avoid holding the handles while walking, jogging or running on the treadmill. Because it creates many problems for users such as low burn calories and decreases the benefits of the aerobic condition.

Besides, increase muscle strain risk. Moreover, it reduces coordination, proprioception. Even, it prevents to improve your body mechanism and posture.

10. Use treadmill incline

The incline of the treadmill allows you to increase exercise effort, but you don’t need to increase your motion. Remember, don’t grip the handle again. Walking in incline blend your knees and hip naturally because your body leans forward whereas holding handle tends to lean back your body.

11. Stop your treadmill

There are some steps you need to follow to stop a running treadmill. Using the machine’s control panel decrease the speed. Press the large red stop button to decrease the speed of the treadmill.

3 Benefits Of Using Treadmill

Exercise on the treadmill provides so many health benefits. For example, improves the tone of muscles, joint flexibility, weight loss, low impact, burn fat, improves stamina, improves endurance, etc. Especially it is very helpful for the heart patient. It comes with a heart rate monitoring feature for the user who has heart disease.

1. Stop Your Treadmill

The treadmill is the excellent equipment for the people who are suffering from coronary artery blockage, heart problems, or any other heart issues. The human body does not show the symptom of the heart problem in the first stage but when to take under stress it may show symptoms.

So, a treadmill is the best way to keep your body under pressure. Also, it able to monitor your heart rate using heart rate monitor feature at the same time and easily determine if you are currently suffering heart disease or not.

2. Diabetic’s Benefits

The treadmill is excellent fitness equipment to exercise regularly. Besides, regular exercise works as a medicine for type 2 diabetics to control insulin. Regular exercise and diet is a great and effective way to control the symptom of diabetes for the people who are not dependent on insulin. A session for 20 minutes or more encourages muscles to take glucose as fuel.

Thus, treadmill exercises lower the overall glucose level of blood. Expert suggests at least 30 minutes of workout in a day for 3-4 times per week to maintain good heart health. Also, the 30 minutes of exercise improves stamina and cardio capacity.

3. Weight loss

Treadmill exercise helps you to lose weight. You will be able to burn more than 229 calories just 20 minutes exercise on the treadmill at 6 miles per hour’s speed. Also, you can burn 300 calories, if increase the speed at 8 miles per hour.

Verdict (How To Use A Treadmill)

The treadmill is not difficult to use. But, many people exercise with treadmill incorrectly. Improper use of treadmill does not provide a better result. If you use it incorrectly, there is a high risk of a short-term or long-term injury. On the other hand, you will get an effective and safe workout with proper use of the treadmill.