7 Treadmill Exercises: Treadmill Workouts to Try at Home

A treadmill is an aerobic exercise machine for walking and running. There are different types of treadmills, but the exercise equipment generally involves a flat, rotating belt that enables you to move forward while remaining in place. Most treadmill exercises center around walking and running.

Designing your own treadmill routine leads to a lot of benefits. Trying out treadmill exercises can help you:

1. 1. Burn calories. Walking or running on a treadmill can encourage fat-burning and weight loss. Even if you have a priority other than body fat loss, consider consulting a doctor or personal trainer to see if burning calories can help you achieve other fitness aspirations.
2. 2. Complete a cardio workout. Use this aerobic exercise machine as a building block for your cardio exercise routines. Cardio workouts boost cardiovascular health in multiple ways—regulating blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease, increasing good cholesterol levels, and so on—and can boost mood and improve your overall sense of mental health and wellness, too.
3. 3. Enjoy versatility. How long and how hard you work out is entirely up to you when you use a treadmill. You can program the machine for different levels of ease or intensity on a variety of metrics. Increase the treadmill speed rapidly for a high-intensity interval workout or keep it slow and steady for a low-impact alternative. Change the incline on the belt if you’d like to simulate walking up a hill.
4. 4. Exercise indoors. Running outside has plenty of perks, but indoor exercise offers many to consider as well. If you have a treadmill in your home gym or use one at a nearby facility, you can use it in any type of weather. Similarly, at the end of a thirty-minute workout, you can immediately move on to a different task or sit down and rest—something that would be harder to do if you’d just walked or ran that far from home outside.
5. 5. Release endorphins. Any kind of physical activity, including treadmill workouts, can release feel-good endorphins—known as the “runner’s high”—throughout your body, contributing to feelings of well-being or even elevating your mood.

The best treadmill exercises are the ones most tailored to your unique needs and desires. Here are seven basic ideas for treadmill workouts:

1. 1. Combine it with a broader workout. You can use a treadmill as just one of many aspects in a new exercise or workout plan. Start out on your treadmill for a few minutes of jogging, then get off to exercise different muscle groups. Repeat the cycle two or three times. You can also use other exercise equipment—such as an elliptical or indoor cycling machine—to sample different forms of cardio in the same workout.
2. 2. Give HIIT workouts a try. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, treadmill workout routines cycle between quick sprint intervals and cooldown periods. After a quick warm-up, run at full speed (as fast as your fitness level will allow) for about thirty seconds, then turn your treadmill’s speed level back down to an easy jogging pace for two minutes. Repeat this cycle eight to ten times.
3. 3. Simulate a hilly terrain. You can raise your treadmill incline to facilitate a more vigorous exercise routine for your lower body and leg muscles. Lower the speed as you raise the incline, especially when you’re first starting out. As you become more accustomed to these indoor “hill” workouts, you can try to keep the speed more constant.
4. 4. Train for a long-distance race. You can use your treadmill for as many minutes of exercise as you need when training for a long-distance race. Work with a running coach or decide yourself on the amount of time you should spend every day to gradually prepare for your upcoming 5K, 10K, or marathon. Wear a heart rate monitor to ensure you hit your target heart rate but stay below your maximum heart rate.
5. 5. Try some bodyweight exercises. Your treadmill provides you a decently sized surface to do bodyweight workouts if you want to avoid turning it on to run or walk. If there’s no room in a gym on the floor, you can exercise your lower back, do lunges, or perform a set of push-ups on top of a treadmill’s belt. Though the machine is not specifically for strength training like this, you can still use it as a platform.
6. 6. Use weights while walking. Use strap-on weights or dumbbells for toning purposes during a walking workout on your treadmill. This will enable you to work out your arm muscles, upper body, quads, and other muscle groups during your cardio workout.
7. 7. Walk laterally. Turn on your treadmill, start it on a low speed, and stand off to the side. Put your hands on one of the handrails for support and then climb sideways onto the treadmill belt. Side shuffle for a more unique approach to treadmill exercise. Once you get the hang of it, do this sort of lateral walking while in a squat position, which will help exercise your glutes and hamstrings.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for twenty-four to forty-eight hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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