If you’re a treadmill person, listen up- You’re probably not using the treadmill to the best of its capability. You’re not letting it flex it’s true treadmill muscles.
Ever notice all the buttons in front of you on the screen? Yeah…those aren’t there for aesthetics. Those are there for YOU. They’re there as gifts. Use them!
I’m about to share with you the treadmill workout I’ve been doing for years. I started doing it when I lived in L.A.- before kids, did it when I was pregnant (both times) and haven’t stopped since.
It’s so simple. And I happen to enjoy it WAY more than running. When I run, I do so on the weekends, outdoors, but during the week whenever I go to the gym- this is what I’m doing.
•Step 1- claim your treadmill. Put your keys on it, something. Gym people can be very grabby.
•Step 2- go get you some 5 lb. dumbbells. I’ve done this with 8’s but prefer the 5’s because I get a better range of motion for the full duration of the workout.
•Step 3- hop on that treadmill, press Quick Start, set the time for 30 minutes and bump up the incline to 15 (or the highest incline). Then bump up the speed to anywhere from 3 to 3.2. (This us totally dependent upon my energy level that day). And you’re still holding those weights.
•Step 4- start walking. And pump those arms like an old lady in a track suit at the mall. Just walk. Just walk and hold the weights. You’re walking up a steep hill, at a steady pace, with some resistance. That’s all.
When I do this workout I watch something. I watch something to make the 30 minutes go by faster. I take my Nokia Lumia given to me by AT&T (because, unless you’ve forgotten, I’m an AT&T brand ambassador!! …yeah, I forget that too sometimes) and I use Netflix to watch anything from back episodes of ‘What Not To Wear’ (pictured above), to an entire season of a show I missed the first time around. This is how I started watching ‘Revenge’ (when it was good). I’ve even watched movies, it just takes me a week to get through one.)
•Step 5- at certain points throughout your walk, you’re gonna take running breaks. Carefully place the weights down on the floor and take the incline down to 10 and the speed up to 7.
And just run. Run hard for 2 minutes. Then stop, grab your weights and adjust your settings back to 15/3-3.2. (Note-Sometimes I don’t even do the running part and it’s still an awesome workout with just the incline/resistance walking. But when I run- I usually do 2-3 intervals.) And when I’m all done, and cooling down, depending on the intervals, I’ve walked/run 1 1/2-2 miles.
That’s not a lot of mileage, but that’s not the point. The point is that you got a really good, quick workout done in just 30 minutes that incorporated intervals, which are great for fat burning throughout the day, and you worked multiple muscle groups at the same time.
I work up the best sweat when I do this- better than any outdoor run or any hour long class. And I sweat this much every single time. This workout has never, ever failed me.
It’s consistently a great workout and I do it about 5 times a week, changing up my exercises on the other days to keep my body guessing. I also add other exercises to it- things I can do at home using my own body weight for toning. But this, like I said, is my go-to gym cardio workout. I’ve never grown tired of it.
Try it next time you’re at the gym and let me know what you think!!
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