The treadmill…… it’s one of the most commonly used pieces of kit in any gym, at any time, the world over. You can go to any gym in the world and you will find at least one treadmill. But recently, I’ve noticed people using this popular piece of equipment incorrectly.
Treadmills can be used effectively to burn body fat in the form of steady state walks, build endurance through time stretching runs, or as I’ve been doing a bit of recently; lung and leg busting HIIT sprint sessions. But setting the degree of incline up high, holding on to the handles and leaning back like it’s a rollercoaster is just…… not…… smart.
Think about it, if you set your treadmill to a 12 degree incline, you lean your body back at 11 degrees and hold on for dear life, you are then essentially walking at an incline of 1 degree. Therefore completely defeating the object of setting the treadmill to incline. Why not just set the treadmill flat and walk/run normally, which will also reduce the stress placed on your back and arms from clinging on to the handles. If you’re going to go on the treadmill for an incline run….. do an incline run!
I’m not saying don’t grab the handles at all, as the heart rate monitors can be a useful tool for training. So if you are to grab the handles for the purpose of monitoring your heart rate, then do so…… but keep your torso upright! Then once you’ve seen what your heart rate is, let go! You wouldn’t walk/run around town or a park holding on to something, so do the same on a treadmill!
But now that summer is coming and it’s finally warming up….. my advice is; leave the treadmills where they are and take your butts outside!
Yours in health
Ben