Many newcomers to the world of sports are interested in how to properly run on a treadmill. The simulator looks simple outwardly, but the impressive display with buttons, handles and other attributes is a little scary. Despite this, the treadmill is perhaps the most popular machine in the gym. It allows you to set a high-quality cardio load that is adequate for a particular organism.
You can adjust the speed, pace, duration of the activity, see your calorie consumption, distance traveled, heart rate, as well as the result achieved. Running on a treadmill has both benefits and harms, and their sizes are incomparable (in favor of the former). Do you want to be convinced of this?
Benefit and harm
- The entire muscular skeleton is strengthened, because such an exercise involves the muscles of almost the whole body;
- The device makes it possible to regulate the magnitude of the load, so people with different levels of training can use it;
- Girls will certainly appreciate the benefits of a simulator for a figure, because running training while losing weight allows you to burn 600-800 calories per hour;
- What do you think the benefits of running on a treadmill for the body? That's right - this is a great workout for the lungs, heart and vascular system. The athlete's blood pressure is normalized, the blood is saturated with oxygen, the lungs increase in volume. As a result, health improves, endurance increases;
- The metabolism improves, the skin becomes more elastic, the intensity of cellulite decreases;
- And also, the treadmill helps to relieve accumulated irritation, get rid of stress, distract from obsessive thoughts.
The treadmill cannot cause tangible harm, of course, if you run correctly, observing the technique and asking yourself an adequate load. Among the disadvantages of the device, we note the following:
- Running in the park will always be more correct and healthier, because here you breathe fresh air. Not a single gym, even with the highest quality ventilation, will be able to give you such conditions;
- Although the technique of running on a treadmill does not differ from the technique in natural conditions, the apparatus nevertheless creates an artificial environment. If you run on the street, on sand, gravel, asphalt or even a treadmill, your joints and muscles get a more “native” load.
- To be able to run on a treadmill, you will need to purchase a gym membership, which is often quite expensive. Also, you will have to adjust to the fitness center's schedule.
- To run correctly, you will have to understand the settings of the apparatus, ask for help from more experienced athletes. You can run on the street yourself, at any time of the day or night.
- Athletes must observe safety precautions, as the treadmill holds the record for the number of accidents in the gym. Here is a short set of rules for working with the device: you cannot hold onto the handrails (if the device is equipped with them), look at the canvas under your feet, jump off at high speed, and practice in shoes not intended for running.
- Another disadvantage, not to mention which would be wrong, is monotony and boredom. Imagine you have to spend a whole hour in one place, performing repetitive actions. We advise you to stock up on a good playlist.
Answering the question whether it is harmful to run on a treadmill, we will say "no", but we emphasize that you should not have contraindications:
- In the presence of obesity, it is correct to start with walking on the track, only then switch to running;
- You can not run with increased pressure;
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- Inflammatory processes, accompanied by pain, increased body temperature;
- Diseases of the heart, respiratory system;
- After a heart attack or stroke;
- With glaucoma;
- After abdominal operations;
- With injuries;
- During pregnancy (walking is recommended).
So, we have listed the pros and cons of running on a treadmill, now let's talk about the technique.
How to run correctly?
If you are wondering how to start running on a treadmill correctly, the first step is to learn the rules.
- Any workout always starts with a warm-up - do a small set of exercises to warm up your joints and muscles. Bends, swings, squats, stretching, circular movements are suitable;
- According to the technique of running on a treadmill, start the lesson correctly with walking, after a couple of minutes, switching to jogging;
- You cannot immediately set the body to a high load, so it is important to monitor the heart rate indicators so that they are always in the normal zone (120-130 beats / min);
- Well-designed workouts are always based on increasing the load. Try to increase your task by 5-7% every week;
- Many people are interested in how long to run on a treadmill in time, and we will answer that the minimum interval should be at least 30 minutes. It makes no sense to do less, it is better to spend this time on other simulators. By the way, if you want to know how long you need to run on a treadmill for weight loss, be prepared to spend at least 50 minutes on the belt. The fact is that only 40-45 minutes after the start of a sports activity, the body begins to draw energy from the accumulated fat. Previously, it works on glycogen, carefully stored in the liver.
- To increase the effectiveness of the exercise, it will be correct to alternate the pace of running from fast to slow, or to give the belt a slight upward slope. If you are wondering how fast to run on a treadmill, we advise you to first of all listen to your feelings. It is recommended to run no more than 300 m with maximum acceleration, then go jogging. The optimal running speed on a treadmill is 6-8 km / h;
- They finish the workout with a hitch - they do breathing exercises, knead the ligaments, stretch.
Running technique: learning to move correctly
Correct running on a treadmill for beginners is based on correct adherence to movement technique. The latter includes the following elements:
- Hand movements;
- Torso position;
- Footwork.
Arms
They move synchronously with the legs, in a different order. The hands are clenched into loose fists, the arms are bent at the elbow joint at right angles. When the speed of movement increases, the frequency of hand swings also increases.
Housing
Tilted forward no more than 7 °. The spine is kept straight, no back bends are allowed. The head is raised, the gaze is looking forward;
Legs
Consider how to properly run on a mechanical treadmill at medium distances, or at high speeds. In the first option, the rule of no knee lift applies. The athlete runs, moving as in the exercise "overwhelm the shins back", however, without touching the priests with the socks. At the moment of acceleration, on the contrary, the knees need to be brought up and forward, as when running with a high hip lift. In both cases, the feet should be placed first on the toes, then rolled onto the heel.
Private errors
If you want to know how to learn to run on a treadmill, check out these common mistakes many beginners make:
- Non-compliance with safety precautions. Fraught with injury;
- Deflection in the body. Sets a critical load on the spine;
- Ignoring warm-up and cool-down. Overloads muscles and joints;
- Lesson when you feel unwell. Dangerous for health.
- Incorrect tilt angle of the track. At the initial stage, it should not exceed 5 °.
So, we examined how much you need to run on a treadmill, and also studied the technique of movements. Below are the programs for running on a treadmill that any athlete can successfully use.
Lesson options
You can choose any scheme, while it will be correct to preliminarily assess the level of your physical fitness, weight, age and health.
So how can you exercise on a treadmill?
- Walking. It can be practiced as a standalone exercise or supplemented with running. Gives the body a gentle load, therefore it is allowed for overweight people, pregnant women, with diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- Fast walk. It is correct to start a lesson with it, it will also be correct to switch to a fast step in order to calm the pulse after a fast run;
- Brisk walking uphill. The slope of the blade can increase up to 15%. Exercise allows you to train endurance, coordination, muscle strength;
- Jogging. Most athletes come to run on the machine this way. It is an effective regimen for burning fat and improving endurance performance;
- Interval running. Running uphill. These two options are classified as complicated, they are recommended only for athletes with good physical fitness. How long can you run this treadmill? It is correct to devote to these exercises no more than 20 minutes of the total class time. Dedicate the rest of the period to walking or jogging at a moderate pace.
How often can you run on a treadmill to get results as soon as possible? The most correct and optimal scheme for cardio training is 3 times a week. Unless you're training for a marathon and you're not a professional athlete, you don't need to run more often. Remember, any workout should be fun and enjoyable. Otherwise, you will not stay in the hall for a long time!