I won’t bore you with the 7 million reasons why I loathe the treadmill. (I can hear your sighs of relief ;0) ). BUT, on those occasions when an outdoor workout isn’t in the cards, a treadmill sometimes must be fired up. So that I won’t stab my eyes out, I create workouts that aren’t already part of the treadmill’s set of pre-programmed workouts.

1) Time goes more quickly when I manually adjust the speed and incline for pre-determined intervals.

2) I can adjust the workout to be more or less challenging, depending on the kind of day I’m having. This way, no two workouts are ever the same.

I have designed treadmill workouts for clients and they are beloved workouts (or so I’m told) – again, probably because you are actively involved in manipulating the workout, versus hopping on the machine and mindlessly jogging like a hamster in a wheel.

Any hoots, I thought I’d share a popular walking routine (for those non-runners), but this workout could easily be adjusted for runners – simply increase the speed.  This workout is called a pyramid…you increase either speed, incline, or both, for a given number of intervals until you “peak,” then you put it all in reverse. Be sure to stretch well after this routine, especially if you aren’t used to walking with an incline, and most of all, have fun!

DIRECTIONS:

I’ve seen some very odd things at the gym lately, and thought it best to address these little “workout faux pas,” as I think chiropractors and sports med physicians are getting enough business as it is.

Oki-dokie.

1. Push-ups are hard, but they shouldn’t break your back. In fact, most body-weight exercises are difficult, and why they are often done incorrectly. Peeps, push-ups require a strong core. If you don’t have one, I highly advise working on that bit first before delving into the standard push-up. Or, perform them from the knees versus the toes – there is no shame in doing them this way at all. When doing a regular push-up, keep the belly pulled in tightly. There should be no dip in the back. Today I witnessed a gym-goer with a dip so low it made my back hurt just watching him. Think ironing board straight from head to toe. Also, it is tempting to “reach” for the floor with the head so as to get the rep out sooner.  Try to keep your head neutral throughout the exercise. For “fun,” I’ll sometimes place a low-weight BodyBar length-wise down a client’s back so that it touches the back of the head, down the spine, and crosses the tail bone. They must try to keep the head, back, and tail bone in contact with the bar throughout the rep. Try it – you’ll find keeping an ironing board-straight back isn’t as easy as it sounds.

2. Holding on for dear life. Treadmills are tricky, especially for a novice, so if you are learning how to use a treadmill for the first time, have a physical disability, or wouldn’t exercise otherwise, then by all means, keep your hands on the railing. But what I don’t like to see are young, healthy, fit people using the bar to “enhance” the workout. Case in point: an exerciser hops on a treadmill, cranks the speed up to 9 mph and to keep from flying off the machine, holds on for dear life. Or, said treadmill user might (and I say, “might,” but I’ve actually witnessed this a few times recently) crank the incline up to 15 or so, and again, hold on for dear life. Here’s the thing – in real life, when will you climb a hill that steep? When will you run that fast? As a general rule of thumb, don’t use the treadmill to try things you wouldn’t try, or would be impossible to duplicate, in the great outdoors.

3. Reps performed at whip-lash speed. Momentum…and I’ll leave it at that. Save the speed drills for your feet, and leave the weights out of it. There are numerous ways to count out reps, but I generally have clients shoot for a 2:2 or 2:3 count. That is, 2 counts for the contraction, 2 counts for the eccentric movement. Even slower is okay, but the super-fast reps are dangerous.

I suppose that is enough ranting for today. :0)

Have a safe workout!