Treadmill Tips for Success

Talking about the treadmill may seem like a rather simple and obvious topic, but sometimes those are really the best. Now, while this might not seem all that exciting, I hope to change your mind. I’ve helped a LOT of people figure out how to feel good moving on this piece of equipment because it was best for them – they were not up to venturing outside for many reasons. Also, as an analyzer of human movement, I need to understand how a machine can harm or help the mechanisms that the body works with. When we are walking on the ground, we don’t have a moving belt under us and no bars to hold onto. The treadmill seems so unnatural. Well, on one hand yes, it is, but on the other it’s not a bad way to practice balance on a moving belt. It also solves the issue of too hot or cold outside and is a great way to feel the body at a given pace that you can see on the screen. You can try to correlate what you see on the screen to what you feel in the body. So ,while being outside is far superior for a number of reasons, let ‘s take a bit here to discover what can be done on the treadmill to use it to it’s capacity.

Initial Approach

DO NOT jump on at warp speed. Take 5-7 minutes to reach your top walking speed – no matter what kind of treadmill program you have planned for that day.

Here are some programming ideas and some tips to make this feel great and be productive.

Pyramid Program

Let’s look at a ramp up type of program – a pyramid program. After you do the 5-7 minute warm up and you are at your maximum speed, bump up the incline 1% and try to keep the speed the same. Go up 1% every 2 min. until you get to 6-7%. (7% on account of time, can do 9-10%– if advanced you can go up 2% each bump up)…If you can’t get to that much incline, I will explain that in a bit if you can’t get to 7%. The idea is to try and keep the speed the same as you increase the incline. Now, at some point, when the percentage of incline gets steep, you will have to take the speed down. But, I have a little trick as you get to higher incline. In order to keep the speed the same for as long as you can, before you push the button to increase the incline, start walking faster on the belt. It’s  a weird sensation, but by the time you hit the button, you are ready for that incline at the same speed. After you reach your top percentage of incline, come down 1% at a time, depending on how much time you have. By now you may have spent about 20 minutes with the warm up and ramp up, so if you have to skip a few coming down that is fine. You want to aim for at least 30 minutes. If you are a very beginner,  you may start with 15-20 minutes and less incline, but you get the idea. Do no more than 45 minutes and the more intense the speed, make it under 40 minutes – that is plenty.

Decreasing Incline Tip

Here is another little trick when you are decreasing the incline – your body feels like it is a decline even though the belt is still facing up – at an incline. But, to the body, it’s less incline detected and sometimes the quadriceps (front of the thigh) get tight. To alleviate this extra tightness, as you decrease the incline by 1%, take the speed down one or two bumps for 30 seconds and let the legs get used to the decline feeling – then bump the speed back up until you change the incline to one less percentage. The cool down will be 2-5 minutes until you reach 1.5 mph for at least 1minute

Fast Flat Program

Another program is a fast flat program. You will warm up as stated before – taking 5-7 minutes to get to your top speed you will stay at. You will maintain at that top pace for the designated time you are going to walk that day – 20-30-40 minutes. If at any time during this bout of exercise you feel you can go faster, bump up the speed one time and see how it feels. If you are struggling, take it back down. Also, by the same token, if you feel your top speed is not sustainable for the duration you have set, take it down one bump (eg: 3.4 from 3.5) and see how that feels. You may do what I call toggling – where you play with the speed in order to sustain the duration you have chosen. THE MOST important factor here is the duration, NOT the pace (or intensity). A fast flat program is that – flat. However, if you want a bit of variation, you may increase the ramp to no more than 2% here and there. In life, a flat path does have some small inclines, but most of this routine should be 0% or 1%. Then, cool down. The cool down should be 2-5 minutes until you reach 1.5 mph for at least 1minute. If 1.5 mph is too fast, take the speed down even further.

Jogging Introduction Program

If you are looking to get some practice with jogging, here is another simple program – the walk/jog. Warm up as stated a moment ago and then jog for 30 seconds or 1 minute and then return to a walking pace for a designated time (eg:2-3 min.) This is incorporating what is known as interval training, where you are alternating between low and higher intensity. You can listen to Episode 25 of my podcast (The Body Uncovered) for more information on interval training. I wanted to at least mention this use of the treadmill to transition into a jogging program because the treadmill is a great way to do this.

There is also the random setting on the treadmill. I would suggest doing this after you have some experience with incline. Most treadmills allow you to set the level at which you will execute this random setting.

In conclusion, I’d like to mention how you can translate this to outside. There is no moving belt and it will feel different, but after you get through the initial push, you can better correlate how it feels in your body. What I mean by that is, when you walk at 3.5 mph on the treadmill, you can have a better understanding of that pace and try to mimic that on the real ground. You can drive your car for 1 mile on a certain path and then mark that area. Then, walk that course and do the calculations to see how fast you are walking. From my experience, walking on the treadmill at a certain pace seems easier because there is a moving belt. When you are outside on the ground, you are propelling yourself with no help. Now, the treadmill can still be challenging, but when you are outside, there is no help. You have to learn to keep that internal pace and learn how it feels in the body. And, speaking of that, conditioning the fascia can help greatly with this task. Visit michelebond.com to see how I can help you. You can also sign up for my free webinar. It’s just 42 minutes and you will learn A LOT about what your body needs to be successful with exercise. I have published research in this area and was just recently selected as a member of the education committee for the fascia research society. This special connective tissue is KEY for your success. I am here to help with my years of experience, continued education, and custom plans just for you!

I hope you are encouraged to try a few of these things. If you do, I’d love to hear from you. You can drop me a note at [email protected]. Stay moving and be well!