The Best Exercise Treadmill Plan

Treadmill users have seen a vast increase in the features that are offered on their home gym machines; machines that used to calculate speed are now almost capable of getting you a cup of coffee…until it takes your pulse rate and decides that coffee might not be such a good idea after all, of course.

The Features That are Available

First of all, an exercise treadmill plan should include some fun, so you shouldn’t forget to keep it amusing. Some people read a magazine during their warm-up and cool-down periods, but have to focus on their physical action during the main part of their treadmill exercise plan. Magazines are one option, while television or music is another. 

Some treadmills, would you believe it, come complete with a laptop stand in front of the handlebars and all the screens that inform you of your speed, calories burned, heart rate and more. This is useful if you are a busy professional who finds it hard to fit exercise into your daily routine.

For those of you for whom the treadmill exercise plan is actually about the exercise and not the simultaneous entertainment, let’s devise some smart plans for exercise on treadmills.

One important consideration is that of your speed. You should remember to always start slowly, and only after stretching properly of course, and remember to complete at a consistently moderate distance; normal walking, then quick walking, then a slow jogging pace, and finally up to running if you like. As well, you should always cool down with a reversal of the aforementioned process. The time in the middle is where it is easiest to get creative.

A couple of different plans for treadmill exercise are to either go for intervals or to go for a sustained speed for a sustained period of time. Both have their benefits, as while interval training burns more calories and can be a much more enjoyable exercise on the treadmill exercise plan, endurance in the form of sustained speed is also beneficial. Some also prefer the ups and downs of interval training.

To do this, you should alter your speeds, going for a minute at a true sprint pace and then cooling down for at least 2 minutes at a quick or moderate jog pace. These intervals can go up and down in intensity, and many different variations exist. A different effect comes from going from a sprint pace to a slow jog than the effect of going from a slow run to a hard jog. Again, each has its own benefits, and different people prefer different things, and as well will benefit differently from different types of exercise treadmill.

When making your official treadmill exercise plan, remember to make it interesting for you. Remember also to make it modifiable, but preferably only in an upwards direction.  For example, when the endorphins kick in, a moderate run can be replaced by a sprint, but a sprint can not be replaced by a moderate run. Challenge yourself and make it fun; these two combined will get you results and get you excited to get back on the treadmill on your next training day.