[TempleBody]

I just joined the gym and I've been using the treadmill for my exercise the past few days. I was just wondering what do you guys do when you are on the treadmill. The first time I put manual and kept the incline at 1.5 and I did about 2.5 miles an hour for the warm up (five minutes) and then 3.3 - 3.5 miles an hour for about 20 minutes and then cooled down for 5 minutes on 2.5 and then did my stretches. I kept checking my heart rate to make sure it was at a good pace.

This time I select Fat Burning (as opposed to Cardio) and the treadmill kept constantly asking for my heart rate and moving the incline up and down. I didn't feel to comfortable with it going up and down on me all the time. The speed didn't change though. I had to change that myself.

Any comments?

What should I be doing? Cardio or Fat burning routine? Or should I just select Manual and adjust it myself? What about the incline? Can someone elaborate on that please? I do feel my leg muscles differently with the incline.

Last question is about the heart rate. When I grip the bars for my heart rate I find that it is very inconsistent. For example I gripped the bar and it said 144 during my warm up. Absurd. I held it again (didn't change my speed or anything) and it went down to like 100. I find that each time I'm checking my heart rate it is very inconsistent. I have to check like three or four times before I get anything that looks normal. I can put my hand on the rails and it will go 144, 120, 140, 100, 130. Any thoughts? Am I doing it wrong? How long should I hold my hands on the rail before I pay attention to the reading?

[cakses]

If you're absolutely new to walking I'd say just pick one incline and stick with it. I did the fat burning program the other day and OUCH and I have been running/walking for 6 weeks. It almost killed my shins! So I would build up to that.

As for the heart rate monitor, make sure your thumbs aren't touching it. Your thumb has a pulse of it's own and can screw up the heartrate you're looking for. Also, if you're sweating you might have to wipe your hands on your shirt or pants to get a good read. I have to do that when running or else it doesn't register at all.

Hope that helps a little bit!

[TempleBody]

Definitely!! I have been putting my thumb on the monitor every time. lol

I do alot of walking outside the gym because I take the public transit. I don't have a car so I walk to the grocecry store etc. When I used a pedometer, I always average about 70,000 steps a week. If that makes much of a difference. I noticed I'm a slow walker. Most of my friends (pretty fit college girls) walk practically double my speed (and I'm talking just about walking to get somewhere).

[MariaMaria]

I do alot of walking outside the gym because I take the public transit. I don't have a car so I walk to the grocecry store etc. When I used a pedometer, I always average about 70,000 steps a week. If that makes much of a difference.

Huge huge difference. You're pretty active already and you're probably able to walk for some time without a racing heart rate and without tiring.

The heart rate monitors on the machines are notoriously inaccurate. If you want to train by heart rate, get a monitor that you wear. Polar is the big brand but there are others.