Treadmills have earned the spotlight in almost every gym, but repeating the same monotonous run every day can get quite tedious. It’s time to hype up your daily session with some alternate yet efficient workouts to target your body and burn those calories. Here are some different exercises to maximize the practicality of a treadmill machine into something much more enjoyable and fun!
You can perform a number of exercises to turn an ordinary treadmill into a new level of extraordinary! Everything from squats to lunges is achievable on a simple treadmill. Walking planks, mountain climbers, side shuffles, and crab walks are some of the smartest and efficient exercises you shouldn’t hesitate to try out.
Types of Treadmill Workouts
Apart from sprinting or low impact jogging on the treadmill at home or in the nearby gym, it’s good to opt for a different cardio exercise to raise your heart rate and achieve weight loss. Listed below is a complete description of a few accomplishing fat burning workouts that will arm you with the right tutorial on how to perform them for a full body workout.
Walking Plank
This particular body exercise should be incorporated in your customary workout session because it’s assuredly the best for improving muscular tone in the shoulders and legs. It imparts a force on your stabilizers such as the deltoid, hamstring, lower back, and abs to keep them in shape for better movement.
The performance is quite straightforward. Start by placing your feet on the ground near the base of the treadmill. Now position both your hands on the sides of the belt at a reasonable distance. Set the speed of the treadmill up to 1 or 2 mph and place your hands directly on the belt. Start by walking your hands forward by pushing the belt each time.
It is important that your body assumes a straight and tight posture like an elevated plank to ensure every muscle is equally targeted. By increasing or decreasing the distance between your hands and feet, you can alter the amount of work demanded by your muscles.
Reverse Mountain Climbers
Typical mountain climbers work several joints all the way from your neck down to your feet. Along with strengthening your core muscles, they also exert force on your buttocks, shoulders, legs, and triceps. However, reverse mountain climbers are the actual superstar to build up glutes and hamstrings.
This exercise is also done in a plank position, but instead of the feet, your hands are to be placed on the ground. After firmly positioning your hands near the base of the machine, put both of your feet on the belt. Once you’ve secured your position, adjust the speed settings up to 1 or 2 mph. Begin the sets by drawing the right knee to your chest while the left leg pushes the belt backward. As the right leg reaches back on the belt, drive the left one inward to your core.
You should feel a stretch on your thigh muscles in doing so. Substitute your legs constantly to keep a balanced distribution of stress on either side of your body. Beginners can place their hands at a short distance from the base of the treadmill, so they would have to exert less force.
Walking Lunges
Demanding more coordination and balance, lunges are a great unilateral exercise to nourish symmetrical toning of the hip muscles. Primarily strengthening your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings, walking lunges define and shape out your lower limbs.
These are one of the easiest workouts to do on a treadmill because you won’t ever run out of space. Firmly clasp your hands at chest level and start by extending your right leg a step forward. The right leg should be bent at precisely 90 degrees to lower your body slightly. As the other leg moves back on the treadmill, rise up, and alternate your legs. Now, step forward as the left knee should be bent at an angle while the right leg extends backward on the belt. Keep moving forward by lowering and raising your body with each step.
Perform multiple sets of this workout to attain the perfect coordination, stability, and cardiovascular fitness. It’s all a matter of practice before you get the hang of doing symmetrical lunges. Based on your stamina, you can clock up the treadmill speed to 3 or 4 mph for quicker results.
Side Shuffles
Switching the conventional running movements with side to side shuffles is an eminent trick to enhance muscle flexibility and efficacy. This workout improves performance in the glutes, calves, and hamstrings along with powering your inner and outer thigh muscles.
Instead of facing the normal direction on a treadmill, side shuffles are done by positioning your body sideways. You’ll need to turn yourself to the right side so that your entire body is facing right. Program the speed up to 3 or 5 mph, based on your preference and practice. Slightly bend your knees to lower your body for more stability, and shuffle your feet sideways, going along with the motion of the treadmill belt. After a while, switch sides to perform side shuffles with your body facing the left side of the machine.
With regular practice, you’re bound to achieve swift and softer foot movements. Be careful not to mess up your steps and trip over. You can even hold the side handle at first so that you don’t fall off. Start it slow at first and gradually increase the speed and inclination to challenge your body.
Side Squat Shuffles
This is a combination of two workouts: shuffles and squats. It demands some practice and leg coordination, but once you master the basics, repeated sets of side squat shuffles will engage your gluteus Medius and anterior thigh muscles to tone them along with burning extra calories.
Similar to what’s described in the previous workout, you’ll have to stand sideways on the treadmill machine. Turn your entire body to face the right side and firmly plant your feet on the belt. Now, push your hips slightly backward in a quarter squat position with your knees bent and your chest upright. Adjust the speed settings to 1 or 2 mph, which can be increased, preferably. Begin by taking a step to the front of the treadmill in a squat position and let the other foot follow. Keep moving laterally as the belt moves along.
You’ll have to keep shuffling your feet in a squat position. It maintains your spine posture and also helps build your side buttocks. Make sure to change your sides frequently so that both the legs receive equal stress.
Crab Walk
Get your core into shape with this nostalgic childhood workout. Crab walks trigger your entire body muscles to pressurize your triceps by bearing the weight of your upper body along with hardening your core muscle. Furthermore, the hamstrings and quadriceps are brought into action by reinforcing your lower body.
As the name indicates, you’ll have to be in a crab-like position for this workout. Approaching your treadmill from the base, firmly plant your hands on the belt. Your body should face away from the machine while your thighs and hips are to be in an elevated posture. Keeping your feet flat on the ground, raise your body into a seating position so that the weight is distributed to your arms and legs. Program the run speed to 1 or 2 mph and keep walking forth with your hands on the moving belt.
It is important to keep your knees bent, and hips elevated so that the glutes and quadriceps are banged into action. As the belt moves along the length of the treadmill, your hands should walk along with it, making sure the thighs support the overall body framework.
Treadmill Push
This workout might seem similar to sprinting, but it certainly demands more effort and forces your muscles to greater action. Along with saying goodbye to calories, you’ll enhance your endurance in the core muscles, glutes, knee tendons, and biceps.
It differs from the other treadmill exercises because you won’t need to start the machine at all. Turn off the power supply to the treadmill, pull out the emergency tag, and disable all functions. Grip both the handles with your hands and secure your foot positions on the belt. Now all you have to do is run. Push the belt manually backward with each step as you break into a run.
Normally, the belt powers your feet in a run, but the treadmill push insists on dragging in more labor and manpower from both the legs. Being a demanding and strenuous exercise, a treadmill push is a great way to challenge yourself and push your muscles to the limit.
Incline Pushups
Inclined pushups are another tremendous exercise to reap muscle development and tone your lower chest, abs, and back muscles. Owing to the inclined position, your stabilizers will be frequently recruited to arch your spine and work out your deltoids and triceps too.
Turn off the treadmill and grip the handles tightly. Keeping your feet at a distance, assume the position of an inclination or a pushed-up plank. Your knees should be straightened out to form a line from your head to the heels. The exercise begins by performing a standard pushup – bending your elbows so that your chest drops till the bars of the treadmill. Hold that position momentarily, before pushing yourself back to the normal position.
You can also advance to a difficult workout by positioning your feet farther from your hands. Stiffening your elbows will ultimately place more emphasis on your triceps as you raise your body each time. Inclined pushups can be tackled in a much easier way on a treadmill if you don’t have an elevated platform in your gym.
Closing Thoughts
Whether you’re short on space in your gym or tired of running for long hours, alternative treadmill workouts are what you need to hype things up a notch, and not just burn calories, but entertain yourself as well. Don’t be scared to try out these exercise sets because a small change goes a long way. Side shuffles, walking lunges, inclined pushups, and so much more – all await you in your next workout session!
