Well, for those of you who are just using the treadmill and elliptical because these are simple and easy to use machines and aren’t really putting in your energy into it-it’s time to max it out. Well, both treadmills and elliptical trainers are some of the best cardio and weight training equipments out there and can provide you with several benefits but only if you use them well and to their potential. If you think that there is no way you can better your workout on these trainers, you are wrong. The following are some of the top ways to max out your treadmill or elliptical workout.
1. Mix it up
A treadmill and even an elliptical offer you tremendous control over both your speed as well as your effort. Thus it is possible to mix several things up on these stationary machines. You can mix it up by increasing your incline for the first few minutes, activate your calves and quads, and decrease the decline for hamstrings and so on. By doing so, you will be targeted several different body parts and making the most of what the machine has to offer.
2. Get into the flow
If you just keep going and going hard on the treadmill or elliptical without really paying attention to what is happening to your body, then you might feel fatigue and tiredness soon enough. Thus it is rather important to break up the high intensity workouts and create a flow from easy to hard. This will prevent you from hitting rock bottom and fatigue early on.
3. Don’t hang on
Another step that can help you make the most cardiovascular fitness equipments like treadmills and elliptical are to avoid hanging on in the middle of the session. If you are feeling tired, then rather than holding onto the rails or falling off balance, it is better to switch the machine off and get down for a few minutes. This is important as far as safety reasons are concerned.
4. Mimic a race
Often we tend to go lazy and slow when we are on these machines but in order to max it out and feel the energy, you must try to mimic a race. Tempo runs, track repeats as well as long runs can all be done on a treadmill. You can make use of the treadmill’s automatic elevation options irrespective of whether you are seeking a change of pace or trying to run in a new challenging condition.
5. Avoid adding weights
Adding weights onto the machine may help you build muscle but it always poses the risk of putting you off balance. Weights can dry up your energy fast and may even lead to injury
6. Avoid the fat burn setting
Most elliptical and treadmills have the fat burn setting but this setting must be avoided because you are always going to burn more fat by running faster as compared to running slower. So run faster and your fat burning will double.
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