Online since 2000
One day I realized that between kids and work, my gym membership had gone from passport to health to pricey status symbol. I opted to keep my membership because hope, after all, springs eternal. My epiphany, though, prompted me to invest in a home treadmill and I haven’t looked back. There are 4 major benefits to treadmill training at home.
One of the best aspects of my home treadmill is the convenience factor. I used to feel frustrated when I was in the mood to work out but parenting duties kept me tied to the house. Now, I simply check to ensure my kids are doing something constructive — or at least not doing anything destructive! — and then hit the deck of my treadmill.
As someone who enjoys running, hiking and biking in the great outdoors, I also dislike being sidelined by bad weather. I consider myself fairly tough, but I’m not foolish enough to risk heat stroke by running outside during the 100-degree dog days of summer. And like most people, I prefer to stay indoors when it’s raining or snowing. What some might call inclement weather, I call prime treadmill time.
I also save quite a bit of time by working out at home. Depending on traffic, the round-trip commute to my gym is 45 minutes. Add that onto an hour-long workout and we’re looking at a considerable time investment.
Like most gym-goers I also used to spend quite a while preparing for the gym, particularly before I met my wife, making sure I was freshly showered and wearing my most presentable activewear. Now I can throw on my rattiest gym shorts or even roll out of bed and work out in pajama pants. Note: Don’t work out in pajama pants that are too long. I learned this the hard way.
When some people think of working out on a treadmill, they imagine a monotonous routine of walking or running their way to fitness. For me, though, rather than feeling like a hamster on a wheel, I’ve discovered you can perform almost any kind of exercise on a treadmill.
I regularly undertake HIIT workouts on my treadmill. If you haven’t caught onto the craze, HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. It involves short bursts of intense activity with “rest” periods in between. Keep in mind that these breaks involve active rest, rather than simply bending over and catching your breath.
I start with a 5-minute warm-up where I move from a walk to an easy jog. Then it’s onto my first 45-second sprint, undertaken at my high-intensity speed. You can follow each 45-second sprint with a minute of walking on your treadmill. Or you can slow your treadmill down and undertake a minute of non-running treadmill exercises like:
I work out like this, alternating sprints with active rest, for at least 20 minutes and then end with a 5-minute cooldown walk. It’s a workout that kicks my butt and keeps things varied.
By ramping up the incline on your treadmill, you can speed up your calorie-burn. Further, if you are training for a race in a hilly locale, incline training will make sure you’re prepared.
My NordicTrack treadmill is compatible with the iFit app and I use it to take advantage of iFit Coach. I follow trainers on virtual runs in exotic locations across the globe — from Italy to Australia with my treadmill automatically adjusting to match the terrain. There’s nothing like getting in the proverbial 10,000 steps toward fitness by climbing the stairs to the Wat Rachaburana Temple in Thailand!
I bought a home treadmill that I knew could take a pounding from multiple users because my personal philosophy is fitness is a family affair. My wife uses our treadmill more than I do, partly as a justification to binge-watch her favorite TV shows while on the run. I also occasionally let my 10-year-old use the treadmill, supervised by me so he doesn’t get crazy and crank things up to Olympic levels. I consider it a great remedy when he’s wound up or has had too much screen time.
Between the convenience and versatility, I love treadmill training at home. I think you will, too.
Online since 2000