Treadmill Advice
 

Hi -

I just restarted WW(again) and this time I'm determined to make it work. I have a great treadmill at home and have been using it for the last week. I was wondering if anyone had a good source of info on treadmill workouts. I need to know how long to work at what heart rate to burn fat and build muscle.What benefits are there with speed and incline? I need help on keeping from getting bored as well. I'm not a runner and high impact workouts leave me in pain. Any advice?

Thanks-
Kristin

Hi Kristin,

I have just started on the treadmill 6 weeks ago. I have worked up to 45 min (including a 5 min warm-up). I have not yet purchased a heart rate monitor and the treadmills in my gym are waaaay off, so I just use the "talking test" and gage by my breathing. I walk at 3.7 mph, but everyone is different so start out slow and gradually increase. It is amazing how quickly the body responds. I was barely able to do 20 minutes at 3.0 mph when I started.

Ilene suggested that I start HIIT (high intensity interval training), which I tried for the first time today. I was able to manage 1 minute at a time every 4 minutes. Because I am not a runner either, I just increased the incline and felt the difference in intensity immediately.

I also incorporated the stationary bike for variety.

You may also want to try to work in a weight training regimen to help build muscle.

Go at your own pace and have fun so that you can keep it up.
Hugs,
Regina

Nevrtoolate-
Thanks for the help. I printed the Walking Magazine's workouts to post in front of my treadmill for inspiration(and a chuckle, or two!).

Regina-
Today will be my 6th day on the treadmill and I can honestly say the pain is starting to diminish. I've been playing around with the speed and incline. I always do 30 minutes, including cool-down. My top speed is 3.7 but that is only for a few minutes so far. Sometimes its a struggle to just keep going so I slow it down in order to meet my time requirements. I have a heart monitor with my treadmill but its still too distracting-besides, I don't know where my "zone' is. I guess I should get one of those charts to post in front of the treadmill. Know of any sites where I can find one? At this point, I listen to my body. If I'm struggling to catch my breath or my legs are screaming at me, I slow it down. Yesterday was the 1st day I felt improvement. Next week I'll try to add more time. I'm starting to work stretches in. Its amazing how much better I feel when I stretch. Do you walk everyday? I haven't figured out that aspect of my workout yet. I'm afraid if I take a break I won't go back.

Thanks again for all the help.

-Kristin

Krintin, It sounds like you are on the right track. Keep up the good work. I currently walk 5-6 times per week. As far as I am concerned, you can never do too much cardio, particularly as in our case it is only for 30-45 min. As for target heart rate, I think that your own body is the best guide particularly in the beginning. From what I read, you should take the number 220 subtract your age and then multiply that number by .60 and also by .80. This will give you an approximate range. There is also another, more precise measure that takes into account your resting heart rate, etc., and is a bit more involved. I will try to remember where I found it and post for you or you can always "google" it. I have yet to be able to hit my 80% number and be able to stick to it for any period of time. Hopefully that will come with time as I get stronger.

Regina-

I took your advice and googled. It seems you were on the mark with range. I found a chart at www.achieve-fitness.com/cardio.htm. I googled treamill workouts and found a great site that will take a while to go through at www.about.com/od/treadmillworkouts. Lots of workouts and info. Its like having my own trainer. I guess I have no excuse for boredom now.

-Kristin

Kristin,

The about.com site is great! loaded with tons of info. I am glad that you feel inspired to get informed. I think that that is really important if you are serious about doing anything!

Keep up the good work!
Hugs,
Regina

Regina-

I love that about.com site. I've poured over it and feel I've been able to develop a safe,effective workout for me. What's great is there's all kinds of workouts and suggestions to keep me progressing and to fight off the boredom. I used the heart rate calculator and I was able to come up with a range to work within. Now I have to figure out how to work the monitor that came with the treadmill!

Thanks for all your support and happy treadmill trails to you!

-Kristin

Kristin, I wanted to check out the About information, but the link's not working?

I look back at when I started on the treadmill (around June of 2003) and feel I've accomplished wonders. I started walking at 3.2, and running (when I wasn't feeling like I was passing out LOL) at 5.2. I now walk about 1 hour at 4.0 and run between 2 to 3 miles at 6.2. I alternate my walking, running, and aerobics videos, along with stretching, weights and abdominal exercises 5 to 6 days a week.

I have a friend who just bought a treadmill and thought she wasn't getting anywhere because she was walking so much slower than I was. For one...she's got short legs. :lol: But I told her to keep a chart of her progress. She now notices how much her walking speed has increased in just a few weeks time.

I used to walk next to this girl with long legs doing 4.2 and felt like a failure. But she'd been walking all her life and walked about 5 miles a day.

almostheaven -
You are so far ahead of me but it is an inspiration to see your progress and know that if I stick to it, it'll be worth it. As far as the about site, try http://walking.about.com. See if that gets you there. You may have to search for the treadmill info from there.

Good Luck.

-Kristin

I bought a used manual treadmill and am not liking it very much. I find I am exhausted after the first minute or so. Can anyone give me any tips on how to make the manual a little easier to handle?
TIA
Patti

I found a 12 week treadmill workout plan on Prevention.com