There are many exercises for weight loss, including swimming and cycling. However, one other way is using a treadmill. It’s one of the best exercise machines to lose weight because it encourages cardio, which burns a huge amount of calories quickly. While jogging and sprinting are common uses of a treadmill, there are more efficient ways to get better results. If you’re a man trying to lose weight, here are a few ways you can use the treadmill to maximize your weight-loss journey:
Learn to like the treadmill
Many people dislike the treadmill. It means cardio, which can be discouraging because it’s extremely tiring. Still, you can learn to like the treadmill with social support.
Research from the Pilot and Feasibility Studies journal concluded that social support interventions—including receiving encouraging messages from peers—promote weight loss. This inspired better goal-setting for the study participants, motivating weight loss. However, seeking support is more challenging for men because societal standards will portray them as weak. So it is important that weight loss plans for men encourage interactions among a tight-knit community with similar goals. This way, they can give and receive support for treadmill exercises and weight loss. Join online weight loss communities and reply to their posts. You can also converse with fellow gym goers and ask them for treadmill tips.
Exercise at your fat-burning heart rate
A fat-burning heart rate is around 70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). Exercising during this time means you have reached the fat-burning zone, which is ultimately the goal of losing weight. It makes the most of your treadmill exercises, since you’re burning as many calories and fat as possible.
You can calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from the number 220. Multiply the number you get by 0.70. If you’re 25 years old, you should get 136 bpm. This is the heart rate you should achieve and maintain when exercising on the treadmill to maximize your efforts. Monitor your heart rate by wearing a smart fitness watch or heart rate monitor.
Engage in HIIT treadmill workouts
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short periods of intense cardio exercise with breaks to maximize performance. A HIIT training study with male participants found that it increases proteins in the skeletal muscle. This improves your energy metabolism, allowing you to engage in longer weight-loss workouts.
What’s great is that you can do treadmill HIIT. One example is this 30-minute treadmill workout: start by warming up for 10 minutes at a comfortable speed. In the last 5 minutes, increase your speed by 1 mph. After that, you can proceed with 1 minute of running at your maximum speed and 2 minutes of recovery at your warm-up speed. Go for 5 to 8 cycles and then cool down with a 5-minute walk.
Switch up your treadmill exercises
Treadmills aren’t just for walks, jogs, and sprints. There are creative ways to spice up your exercises, so you don’t get bored using them for weight loss. One way is to use it at an incline. Most treadmills have settings that go up to a maximum of 15% inclines, making your walks or jogs a little more challenging. Another is to do walking lunges. Hold on to the rails during your first lunge and lower your opposite knee toward the ground. Do this for the other leg and repeat. Just ensure you lunge at a low-speed setting to avoid injuries.
Treadmills can be intimidating, but they’re one of the best weight loss exercise machines. Maximize your treadmill workouts by seeking support, exercising at a fat-burning heart rate, and doing HIIT and more fun exercises.
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