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We all know the health benefits of running, walking, and other cardio, and many of us today are using treadmills to make this easier and more comfortable. What many people don’t know, however, is the different type of treadmill workouts and the ones that really work best.  Your treadmill likely has its own workout settings. Some examples of these are “cardio,” “fat-burner,” “interval,” or “manual.” Let’s review what these mean and discuss the benefits of different workouts.

These settings have to do with length and speed of the workouts. The cardio setting implies a workout of over twenty or thirty minutes. The point of this workout is to push your body for a long time while maintaining a decent pace. An average runner will go several miles during this time, running at a pace significantly slower than their one-mile time.  The fat-burning setting on most treadmills is like the cardio setting in the sense that it lasts over 30 minutes. Most fat-burn treadmill workouts, however, advise a slower pace, because some claim fat burning to be most active at a slower rate of energy use. Interval settings involve change in speeds and difficulty. Usually each interval is around two minutes. While running, you will perform at a difficult setting for a few minutes and then be given a rest period. This cycle continues for the duration of the workout.

Another way to make your workouts more challenging is to adjust the incline level on your machine. This will make running noticeably more difficult, because running up a hill takes much more of a toll on our bodies. This will also target the back of the legs more than a flat run. It can be good to incorporate incline shifts into the other routines.

Do you want to know the best treadmill workout? Well, this question is impossible to answer, because different people have different workout goals. If you’re primary goal is to improve your running times and maintain fitness, you will likely want to use the cardio setting most often. Of course, interval workouts will help too, so be sure to change it up. Most people want to burn fat so they come to the treadmill for help. Well, if fat burning is your goal, I recommend staying away from the fat-burn setting on treadmills and doing a manual workout. Fat burning is all about pushing yourself. To do this, you will need self-discipline, and let’s be honest; no one loses weight without this quality. For the ultimate fat burning workout, use the manual treadmill setting and run as fast as you can, while maintaining safety. Do this for about 45 seconds. Then, turn the speed down to a fast walk or light jog for 30 to 45 seconds. Then, increase speed and run fast again. This is called a High Intensity Interval Training workout. It will shed fat quickly and help you maintain your muscle. Be careful, though, sprinting on the treadmill is not a good idea. Your pace should be a struggle, but never go too fast.  Mix this workout up by doing cardio or regular intervals once or twice a week too.

As you can see, treadmills give anyone a great workout. You just need to know your goals and use the treadmill to help accomplish them.

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