5 ways to make treadmill training more powerful –

Treadmill training is a great way to start exercising. After all, walking is the most natural action possible in our lives since childhood.

However, walking or running on the device is not enough for those looking for a more complete physical activity routine. For this, it is necessary to add other stimuli that can meet all the needs according to the objective of each person.

TREADMILL BENEFITS

Treadmill training can offer positive benefits, as it is able to improve cardiovascular fitness, burn calories and help you lose fat, in addition to being very good for mental health.

Normally, it is the leg muscles that work the hardest during physical activities on the platform. Are they:

Glutes;
Posterior leg;
calves;
Quadriceps.

However, if we add arm movements during a run, it is also possible to benefit the upper body, such as shoulders and back.

Not to mention the possibility of combining resistance training with strength training, such as running sprints with an incline, an action that strengthens the quadriceps.

DISADVANTAGES OF TRAINING WITH THE TREADMILL ONLY

The biggest downside to just using the treadmill for training is that the focus is much more on the bottom, meaning it’s harder to follow a plan that works the entire body.

In addition, there is no load other than the person’s own weight, which is also not positive for anyone looking to increase muscle strength.

Another point to note is that treadmills are not a low-impact workout. In this sense, if you have a joint problem or injury, running or even just walking can make your condition worse.

Despite all the points made above, it is still possible to do more than just walking or running on a treadmill.

Check out some exercises below that can help boost your training.

5 WAYS TO ENHANCE TRAINING ON THE TREADMILL

1

walk and run backwards

Walking or running backwards targets different muscles than doing the same movement the conventional way.

For older people, including, this change brings benefits such as improvements in dynamic balance, strength and activation of the quadriceps and greater resistance of the calf muscles.

In addition, those who have osteoarthritis of the knee may experience less pain and optimize their functional abilities, according to studies.

Even if you are young and in perfect shape, running backwards can be a great option as it requires more energy to run.

two

leg lift

In addition to running and walking backwards, you can enhance your workout by using weights and resistance bands on your legs.

For this, the best thing to do is to do lateral and posterior leg lifts by placing a resistance band above the knees, with the treadmill at slow speed.

In the lateral raise, simply step sideways with one leg and bring the other together as the treadmill moves. In the posterior, you will press one leg at a time behind you.

As for using weights instead of bands, it is possible to use anklets, again using a low speed.

3

walking with dumbbells

Once you feel comfortable starting to work your upper body, you can use dumbbells to do the walks.

Choose a weight that you can hold in your hands for a while, as too heavy a weight can throw you off balance.

In addition, you can also do curl movements and cross punches to further optimize the exercise.

4

Farmer Carry

This is an exercise widely used in CrossFit, in which the person must hold a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand and walk holding both with arms outstretched.

Here, it is also important to maintain a lower speed so that balance is not affected.

If you want to make the movement more challenging, hold only one weight at a time. This will make you need to do extra strength in your core to maintain correct posture.

5

weight over head

Finally, this exercise is indicated for people who are at a more advanced level of training.

Just like the “farmer carry” movement, in this case extra weights are also used, but instead of keeping them down, they should be held over the head. In this way, it is possible to work on the core region and shoulder stability.

If you want to increase the difficulty level, it is also possible to hold only one weight at a time.