Walking on a treadmill for weight loss: how to walk correctly?

Did you know that walking on a treadmill for weight loss is no less effective than running? The main thing is to walk correctly, observing the technique of movements, maintaining the pace, maintaining the time and mileage. By exercising regularly, you can not only pump up your muscles and improve your health, but also achieve significant success in losing weight.

Everyone knows that women seeking to lose weight can act very energetically, and sometimes even thoughtlessly, in order to achieve their goal. Meanwhile, walking on a treadmill, in addition to the obvious benefits, also has contraindications. Remember, no approach should be at odds with the benefits for the body. Not a single “beauty” and not a single weight loss is worth such sacrifices!

Read the material very carefully - we have collected the most useful tips for effective and safe weight loss. Follow our recommendations, and “those jeans” will soon finally see their finest hour!

How to walk on a treadmill correctly?

First, let's find out how to properly walk on a treadmill to lose weight in the butt, buttocks and abdomen. By the way, when the body begins to burn calories, the first thing it does is spend them in those places where there is an excess. A little later, the process becomes more uniform, the volume of the arms decreases, the double chin disappears, and, unfortunately, the chest.

Duration

What causes weight loss in general? Excess weight is energy that a person received in excess from food, but did not spend. Why he absorbed so much of it is another question, by the way, the answer to it, as well as understanding the problem, can help in the future not to gain the hated kilograms again.

To lose weight, a woman must spend accumulated energy, that is, physically load the body, for example, on a treadmill. At the same time, she must monitor her diet and ensure that incoming calories do not exceed their expenditure. Our physiology is such that during the first 30-40 minutes of exercise, the body draws energy from glycogens carefully accumulated by the liver. Only after this does it turn directly to fats.

Accordingly, your treadmill walking program for weight loss should include an average time of each workout - at least 1 hour.

1 Rule. The duration of 1 walking session on a treadmill for weight loss is 1-1.5 hours.

Regularity

Many women are interested in how often to do brisk walking on a treadmill to lose weight? Fitness trainers and nutritionists agree that exercise should be regular, and preferably daily. However, there are nuances:

Beginners should proceed with caution. Start by training 2-3 times a week;
More experienced girls are recommended to run on a treadmill every other day;
When the load no longer seems too difficult, start changing the speed modes, increase the exercise time, give yourself a workout with walking on an incline treadmill;
If you want to achieve rapid weight loss, we recommend exercising every day, combining exercise with diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Rule 2. Ideally, training for weight loss should be done every day, regularly increasing the load.

Speed

According to reviews, cardio walking for weight loss on a treadmill should take place in a comfortable heart rate zone. Almost all modern exercise machines today are equipped with a cardio sensor. Monitor its readings so that your heart rate does not exceed 130 beats per minute.

At this pace, you will be able to exercise for a long time without causing damage to your health and without feeling very tired. Of course, you don't have to rush out like you're Kevin McCallister's family missing their plane to France.

Each lesson should begin with a warm-up - with slow walking on a treadmill;
Gradually increase the speed of the simulator so that in 15-20 minutes you reach a heart rate of 130 beats. /min;
In the last 5-10 minutes of the session, the speed is reduced again, aiming for a smooth transition to a state of rest.

Rule 3. The recommended heart rate during the active phase of exercise for weight loss is 130 beats. /min.

Breath

This is a very important parameter that affects not only the effectiveness of the training, but also the athlete’s endurance and his comfortable state of health. When walking on a treadmill for fat burning, it is important to breathe correctly:

Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth;
Strive to maintain a uniform breathing rhythm;
An approximate pattern of inhalations and exhalations for calm walking looks like 2/4. This means inhale for every 2 steps, exhale for every 4, that is, for the second step after inhalation. If you walk intensely, almost running, use a similar 3/3 pattern;
Stick to medium depth of breaths. If you inhale superficially, you will quickly become out of breath, but if you breathe too deeply, you will feel dizzy due to the influx of oxygen;
If you are out of breath, stop and regain your breathing. Then continue.

Rule 4. For a fast step, the breathing rhythm when walking on a treadmill for weight loss must correspond to the pattern: 3 steps - inhale, 3 steps - exhale.

Proper breathing will minimize the risk of dizziness and blood pressure surges. It forms good concentration of the athlete and increases his endurance. Remember, there can be no question of maintaining walking technique if a person is breathing incorrectly.

Technique

You need to walk with a straight back, your eyes looking forward. Make sure your feet step on the machine, gently rolling from heel to toe. Bend your arms at the elbows and let them intuitively help your body movements. Choose comfortable sneakers and comfortable clothes.

Cardio Basics

The most effective cardio workout for weight loss is running on a treadmill, since weight loss is based on a calorie deficit. This can be achieved in several ways:

Reducing caloric intake. All weight loss diets are based on this principle.
Increasing the number of meals. In this case, the body begins to produce energy more efficiently, accelerating metabolism.
Increasing loads. Due to any muscle activity, the same deficit is created.

Still, let's focus on the basic principles. To increase the effectiveness of exercise in losing weight, you need to adhere to a certain heart rate. How to calculate it? Everything is very simple. We take the maximum heart rate (220), subtract age from it and make an adjustment for the gender of the student (+5 beats for men, -5 beats for women). This is the maximum allowable heart rate. Fat burning (the process when the body begins to burn triglycerides for energy) occurs when the heart rate is within 65-75% of the maximum. That is, we will carry out simple calculations.

Example: for a 30-year-old woman weighing 70 kilograms. The optimal heart rate will be (220-30-5)*0.65; (220-30-5)*0.75. that is, it will fluctuate between 125-135 beats per minute. In this case, every hour of running can burn up to 5 kilocalories per kilogram of body. That is, about 300 kilocalories.

Why 300 and not 350? Everything is very simple. When calculating weight, the total weight is not used, but the fat mass is subtracted. That is, we believe that 10 kilograms is excess weight that needs to be lost.

Walking Variations

If you are interested in how to lose weight on a treadmill while walking, be prepared to alternate between different variations of “walking”.

Interval walking. Its essence lies in the frequent change of rhythms - from calm to fast and vice versa. You can increase or decrease the walking speed, change the slope of the working surface of the simulator.
Nordic walking. In simple terms, this is skiing, but without skis and poles. The athlete imitates the skiing technique of working with poles, which helps him maintain a given pace. Refers to a gentle type of load;
Sloping uphill. This variation allows you to use the target muscles more strongly and quickly start the weight loss process;
With weights. To increase the load, you can pick up small dumbbells, hang special weights on your feet, or put weight bags on your belt.

Rule 5. To quickly lose weight, it is important to alternate different variations of walking - this way the body will receive adequate load, and the muscles will always be in good shape.

Types of treadmills

What is a mechanical treadmill?

The advantages of a mechanical treadmill are cost-effectiveness, ease of use and maintenance. Such paths are compact and inexpensive, do not require a power source and can be used anywhere: in an apartment, on the veranda of a country house or in a country house. The load level in a mechanical treadmill is controlled by the inclination of the running belt or the braking force of the front shaft.

The mechanical treadmill is powered by the movement of the athlete's legs, so it is not suitable for beginners who are not accustomed to maintaining a constant pace while running. It is also not recommended to use such exercise machines for people with joint problems or varicose veins due to the lack of shock absorption and additional stress on the legs. In a mechanical track, it is not possible to set a specific program or obtain expanded information about the state of the body during classes, because there are either no sensors at all or few of them.

What is a magnetic treadmill?

The magnetic treadmill running belt is also driven by the user’s feet, but unlike a mechanical one, where the movement is jerky, the belt moves more smoothly and evenly. This is achieved due to the fact that the drive magnetizes the blade, attracting it to the base along its entire length. Various load levels are adjustable without changing the angle of inclination. This option costs a little more than a mechanical device, but is most often equipped with a display that shows heart rate, distance, speed and calorie consumption.

What is an electric treadmill?

This is the most popular type of treadmill despite the fact that they are more expensive, larger, heavier and depend on the power source. The movement of the web is provided by an electric motor, so the speed can be adjusted within a wide range. The smooth running of the belt allows athletes of any age and level of training to train, as well as use sports equipment for people who need walking for rehabilitation.

The electric treadmill is controlled by a microcomputer, with which you can adjust the angle of the base, create your own training program and control various parameters of both exercise and body condition. Depending on the class of device, programs can range from 6-8 to 20 for premium tracks. Some devices allow you to listen to music or watch movies while working out and even connect to the Internet or mobile devices via Wi-Fi.

Target muscles

Let's find out which muscles work when walking on a treadmill, this will allow us to better understand which areas will lose weight faster.

The gluteal muscles are used first;
Secondly, quadriceps and biceps femoris;
The calf muscles are also involved;
Tibial anterior and posterior;
Flexors and extensors of the toes;
Abdominal and back muscles;
Muscles of the shoulders and forearms.

As you can see, during exercise on the treadmill, the muscles of almost the entire body work. Please note that if you increase the inclination of the canvas, the load on the calf and thigh muscles will increase. If you walk with weights, you can not only ensure weight loss, but also improve the quality of muscle mass, form a beautiful relief, and with appropriate nutrition, you can even increase its volume.

“Running on a track is more dangerous for injuries”

Thinking about injuries on the tracks, you inadvertently remember the endless number of funny videos in which athletes who have been staring at fitness beauties fall on their faces, forgetting to take the next step. Moreover, from the outside it seems that the fall is quite serious and painful. Well, an incident can happen to anyone. However, if you follow the necessary safety precautions, start and finish the workout correctly, as well as the correct placement of your feet on the running surface, the risks are minimized. In addition, in fairness, it is worth noting that treadmills are equipped with a well-thought-out shock absorption system, which significantly reduces the load on muscle tissue and joints, the spine and knee caps. The degree of hardness of the surface of the simulator can be compared to the surface of rough terrain, which is the most gentle for a runner. This will be especially important for beginner runners, who have a high chance of suffering various injuries during outdoor activities, simply by tripping over something or pulling a ligament.

Benefits, harms and contraindications

First, let's talk about the pros of walking on a treadmill, because there are many more cons!

The ability to maintain great physical shape without excessive stress. This is important for women who want to lose weight through sports, but have health restrictions;
Walking is a great way to strengthen the heart and breathing, increase endurance;
The treadmill makes it possible to regulate the volume of load, which is very convenient, because each person has his own starting level;
Such training, due to the low load at a moderate pace, is allowed for older people, as well as during pregnancy;
Provides an acceptable load on joints and ligaments;

An activity can cause harm only if you exercise without a system, thoughtlessly, and without following the rules listed above. In this case, you risk getting injured, losing your health, and quickly becoming disillusioned with your training.

Also, you can harm yourself if you walk with contraindications:

Spinal injuries;
Traumatic brain injuries;
Cardiovascular diseases in the acute phase;
Epilepsy;
Conditions after a heart attack or stroke;
Exacerbations of chronic diseases;
Oncological neoplasms;
Inflammatory processes, including at elevated body temperature.

Rule 6. To maximize the benefits of walking on a treadmill for women and men, always exercise in good health and in a great mood. If there are contraindications for medical reasons, be sure to consult your doctor.

Running and figure

When trying to burn extra pounds by cutting back on food, you need to take into account many points that are often taken into account incorrectly in classic diets. This is why running on a treadmill is better for weight loss than crash diets. These points that are important to pay attention to when trying to lose weight are listed below:

combination of proteins and carbohydrates;
presence of omega 3 fats;
correct calorie calculation;
consumption of fiber and vitamins;
distinguish carbohydrates based on the rate of absorption and glycemic load.

And even in this case, the body, most likely, will first begin to burn not fat cells at all, but protein cells. Which will lead to:

deterioration of the condition of the skin and hair - split ends, the skin looks flabby;
deterioration of the condition of joints and ligaments - they simply dry out, which increases the risk of injury;
reduction in muscle volume - instead of an elastic butt and chest, you will have saggy legs and arms. And the “orange peel” will not disappear anywhere.

What happens during physical activity? Particularly when running. At first, until the body is accustomed to constant cardio loads, resources are optimized. Building heart and leg muscles. Due to this, the protein component increases. Therefore, after the first week, the weight may increase by 200-400 grams. After this, glycogen begins to be stored in the muscles (another +0.5-1 kg of weight). At the same time, the main working muscles, calves and buttocks will be visually tightened in the figure. As a result, after a week of running, and even in combination with the gym, the weight, instead of falling, will begin to grow. Because of this, many, afraid of “Oshvartsenegirization,” will abandon this matter (we are talking exclusively about ladies).

After this, when the main systems of the body are ready, fat burning will begin, the calculation of which was carried out earlier. Further, by creating a moderate calorie deficit (no more than 10% of the norm), you can lose 50-80 grams of fat tissue every day. And this is up to 3 kilograms per month.

Naturally, if we take pure weight loss, then we can add those kilograms that will go away with:

reducing the amount of salts;
decrease in water in the epidermis;
reducing slagging (due to increased metabolism).

But most importantly, a woman will be able to maintain her figure, and in many places even tighten it.

By correctly combining a balanced diet, heavy anaerobic exercise and treadmill running, you can speed up your weight loss results by 2-3 times.

Tips and reviews for losing weight using a treadmill

Well, now you know the benefits of walking on a treadmill, and you are familiar with the main rules for successful training for weight loss. Here are some more tips to increase efficiency:

Watch your nutrition and follow a low-calorie diet. At the same time, the diet should be balanced, including fruits, vegetables, protein, and complex carbohydrates. Minimize fats, but don't eliminate them completely. To lose weight, steam or stew food, give up fast food, baked goods and sweets.
Drink plenty of water. The recommended volume depends on the initial weight, but start from the average values: a woman weighing 70 kg needs to drink about 2 liters of pure still water during the day until 19-20.00;
In addition to the treadmill, do not forget about other machines and physical exercises. An exercise program for losing weight should be comprehensive.
Always remember how long you need to walk on the treadmill to lose weight - at least 1 hour a day.
To break up the lesson and not get bored, choose a cool playlist or turn on an interesting TV series;
Don't try to lose weight quickly right away. As practice shows, the slower the kilograms melt, the greater the likelihood that they will never return.

Judging by the reviews, proper walking on a treadmill helps relieve stress. The woman relaxes and lets go of her worries. With physical fatigue comes peace, a sense of accomplishment, and pride in oneself. These are the best motivators for losing weight, believe me!

We analyzed reviews of this type of weight loss online and found that walking on a treadmill is extremely effective. The most important thing is to follow the recommendations and stick to the chosen program. The exercise is suitable for absolutely all people - adults, children, pregnant women, and those recovering from injuries or illnesses.

5 more useful tips

In conclusion, we’ll give you a couple of tips on running training :

Class period. If you have the luxury of choosing your training period, running sessions should be scheduled for the part of the day when the body is at its most active. Actually, that’s why morning jogging is very important, about an hour after waking up.
Music. It will help make classes more interesting and exciting. A player on a treadmill allows you to keep up the pace and significantly increases motivation.
Duration of classes. For a person who does not especially follow a sports regimen and does not adjust nutrition for active training, an hour of running (intense) leads to the burning of not only fat, but also muscle mass.
Do not forget about timely maintenance of the simulator, then it will serve you for a long time.
And of course, choose the right running shoes.

Finally, watch the video:

We hope these tips will help you decide on your goals and duration of training. Don't forget to measure your heart rate and increase the load - just do it gradually.

Sample lesson program

So, you know what walking on a treadmill does, in conclusion, we would like to present a simple and effective training program. With their help, you will start the process of losing weight and will “keep your finger on the pulse” throughout the entire process:

60 minute program for beginners and experienced athletes.

Warm up at a speed of 3-5 km/h for 5-7 minutes;
We walk for 5 minutes at 5-7 km/h, then 5 minutes at 7-10 km/h;
We move for 10 minutes at a speed of 4-6 km/h;
For the next 15 minutes, you can include an element of complexity in the complex: interval running, change the incline of the working surface, or take dumbbells. If you're just starting out, just continue at a moderate pace;
Drive for 10 minutes at a speed of 6-8 km/h;
During the last 10 minutes, gradually reduce your speed to a very slow pace until you stop.

When working out to lose weight, remember the main thing - all your work will be nullified if you do not follow the recommendations or try to achieve what you want as soon as possible. Remember to gradually increase the load, and always listen to your feelings. Any activity should give joy, otherwise, why is it needed at all?

How to practice?

To begin with, it is worth telling dieters the following: of course, in the short term, diets will give a greater effect. But, most likely, the weight will return immediately with the end of it, and it will return in the reverse order, first fat, then proteins. But still, running on a treadmill gives great results for losing weight. Globally, there are two main techniques for exercising on the treadmill:

prolonged running;
interval loads.

Everything is clear about the principle of prolonged running (with heart rate counting and duration with correct calculation of calories). It is enough to choose a suitable exercise (walking, running, bending walking) and maintain a suitable pace.

As for running on a treadmill for speed, everything here works according to similar principles. The main difference is the presence of an intensive (sprint phase) and a rest phase.

The sprint phase is running at the highest possible speed up to 300 meters. In this case, you need to monitor your pulse so that it does not exceed the maximum allowable level (so as not to harm the heart muscle), which usually takes up to 120 seconds.

The rest phase is the time required to restore muscle function. It is at this time that the body begins to actively burn fatty tissue and fluid in order to produce the necessary energy for the next phase. The approximate speed should be such that the heart rate does not exceed 55% of the maximum allowable (80-90). The rest phase should last approximately 300-500 seconds.

In one approach you need to use up to 5 circles of interval loads.

But what should you use for weight loss?

Walking

The first exercise on the treadmill is, oddly enough, race walking. Even with it you can develop a suitable pulse, but:

the load on the joints is significantly lower;
the maximum intensity for a trained body is limited;
it takes more time to accelerate and decelerate the heart muscle.

Who is it for? Mainly for beginner athletes and obese people.

How to walk correctly?

set a suitable speed on the track (5-8 km per hour);
set a positive tilt angle (up to 5 degrees);
walk, maintaining the pace - for 40-60 minutes.

That's the whole secret.

Walking can be used:

as a warm-up before interval running;
as a calorie burner for people for whom such a load will allow their heart rate to increase;
as a general warm-up before training.

Run

Running on a treadmill is the perfect exercise for beginners. It combines:

possibility of controlled high-intensity load;
easy monitoring of heart rate;
simplicity in the running technique;
development of quadriceps, thigh, gluteal and calf muscles.

The running technique is extremely simple:

set a suitable speed on the track (8+ km per hour);
set a positive tilt angle (up to 5 degrees);
run, maintaining the pace - for 60-120 minutes.

Why over 60 minutes? Even with a correctly selected heart rate, intense fat burning begins only after the 40th minute of training. Why? Because before this, the body, in conditions of sufficient oxygen, burns glycogen located in the muscles. But there is no need to worry as glycogen stores are restored within 48 hours after exercise. This is why running is prescribed at the end of strength training.

Walking with an incline

Incline walking, like incline running, allows you to combine the benefits of aerobic exercise with anaerobic exercise. Due to the large inclination (up to 30 degrees), the load on the carp and calf muscles increases significantly. Plus, it's comparable to running uphill. Designed for experienced athletes who do not want or cannot increase their running speed, but at the same time, their heart muscle is so trained that standard running does not allow it to accelerate to the required 120-130 beats.

Increases stress on joints. Not recommended for athletes weighing over 95 kilograms.

Errors during classes

Not only beginners, but also experienced athletes make mistakes in the classroom. As a result of these mistakes, the training effect is reduced:

The intensity of training should gradually increase. If you don't do this, weight loss will be imperceptible and you will mark time.
When running, you need to breathe only through your nose. At the same time, try to maintain even, calm breathing.
You can’t immediately load your body with intense training. The load should increase gradually.
Training should take place regularly. The optimal frequency is 3 times a week. But don’t overdo it: daily jogging will not bring results, because the muscles do not have time to recover in such a short time.
If you feel unwell, postpone training until you recover.

Be sure to follow safety precautions and rules while running on a treadmill so as not to injure yourself