Increasing Treadmill Exercise - Any Recommended Strategies?
Next weekend, I will have completed my first two months on a treadmill. Currently, I am doing 3.8 or 3.9 mph with 1% incline.
Is there any recommended strategy how to increase the workouts? Should I start increasing speed first, then incline; or incline first, then speed? Or both at the same time? Or is this one of those 'it's totally individual; everybody is different' things? TIA |
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I've been working out on a tredmill for a while now and after talking with my Personal Trainer, she gave me some tips for it that have been a GOD SEND! Forget jogging... forget running or even speed walking on the thing. I was doing 5 mph sprints on it and wasn't getting anywhere... Now I do 2.5 - 2.8 on an 6% - 8% incline for a 30 min every other day and i come off that thing DRENCHED in sweat and breathless. I wouldn't have believed going that slow would give one such a KILLER cardio session!
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Thanks for the tip, Sugar. I googled some articles last night and they stressed the importance of using incline. So I started playing with it more at my last night's workout. I had to laugh though - I went as far as 9% (just to test what it feels like) and I thought I may fall off! Hahaha. I did not dare to go to 10% since the treadmill is in my rec room in the basement and the ceiling is now that high (I am 5'9" myself). I think I will try to vary my routine, I still want to improve enough so that I CAN jog (regardless whether I will be or not), but I will be definitely using the incline more. |
Hey TS -- thanks for this tip. I will be checking it out and adding it to my repertoire. I can do a 7% incline at 4.8 - - - but only for short interval bouts. Never thought about trying it so low for a longer duration. I'm always looking to change things up. Thanks again!
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My trainer devised an incline interval training for me.
Speed 3.5-3.8 (depending on my mood) The first five mins you walk at an incline of 2%. At minute 5 you increase the incline to 5%. Every minute after that you increase the incline by 1% until you hit the 8% mark. Drop it back down to 5% for a minutes recovery than repeat until you hit the 8% mark again. Do that 4 times. On the final "peak" go for an extra minute and push it to 9%. Then cool down. It doesn't sound that hard, but man it's a butt killer. My heart rate is way up there and I'm covered in sweat! I love it. As you get better, keep the speed the same but increase the incline. Instead of starting at 5% I now do 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%. I definitely notice a difference in my butt.... |
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Hahaha, ask me next year if I am at 11% yet! :^: Seriously though, thanks for your reply. |
Shantroy -- thank YOU also for sharing this. I had done my own abstract version of this once a few wks back then forgot about it. Seems I had cranked the thing up every minute or 2 an incline level till I got to 8% or 9%; oooo, my butt was a tingling when I was done. I love having all these different workouts for the TM. Thanks!!!
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When you all are listing the incline %, is that the number on the treadmill?? For example, the first time I push the /\ button it goes to .5......does that mean .5%??? If so, I feel like I'd fall off at anything above 4%!!!
I'd be glad to add more incline, I feel like I need a little butt kickin right now! |
lol.. you guys are lucky you got tredmills that have a % and an incline button! Mine I did the math with and came up with a "jimmy-rigged" system. My hubby and I built a little platform that is raised in the front of boards by about 4 inches. Mines a manual incline (you flip a braket on the back of the machine and you can have flat, low, and lowest...about a 3 - 4 inch difference) so I have it on the lowest braket with the front of the machine on boards. lol... so, by my calculations, its about a 6% - 8% incline. haha... More than enough for me though. So I can't varry the incline when I want, but I can varry my speed. I'm hopping to get an elliptical soon (next few months) so i can do the tredmill first to warm up then hit the elliptical to really pump my legs.
But yes, the incline makes ALL the difference in the world! |
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Do you have a manual for your treadmill? Mine does not increase the incline by half a percent, always by 1%. I guess each machine is different. But I guess it must be the incline since there are buttons only for incline and speed, so if it's not the speed it must be the incline. I tried today as suggested and it was good. I was doing 3.5 mph at 3% and in one minute intervals, I went to 4, 5, 6, and 7% (that was enough for a start). I did three reps. Now I am ready to sit back, relax and watch The Biggest Loser (go, Kelly, go!!!). |
Well, it's not my treadmill since I go to a gym, but I suppose it doesn't really matter since I can feel a good workout!!
I upped the incline today -- did 4.0 speed at 3.5 incline for 30 mins...and that felt like SUCH a better workout!! Not that I wasn't working before, but that definitely felt like a more productive 30 mins. Thanks, ladies! |
The incline on my old TM broke waaay long ago and I didn't think it was such a big deal. Then the whole machine died and I got a new one. What was I thinking?? The incline is great! Sun. I did my normal speed intervals, today I just ran (mostly) and tomorrow I'm going to try one of the incline w/outs. My machine also goes up and down by 1%. I think it goes up to an incline of 12% or 14%. Haven't ever gotten past 9% -- and THAT was brief.
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