What do you do on the treadmill?

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Running is the obvious, but it gets boring for me after a few times. I am a beginner and need to improve my cardio. What are some different ways to use the treadmill and still burn fat?

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  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    Get an interval timer like Gymboss and do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). For example, warm up, then 1 minute regular place, 30 seconds intense pace.
  • orangesmartie
    orangesmartie Posts: 1,870 Member
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    I'm doing c25k on mine :)
  • tlnurse
    tlnurse Posts: 229 Member
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    I was doing C to 5 K....but started having problems with Plantar Fasciitis....ouch.

    Someone on here posted her work-out and I LOVE it! You warm up for 5 minutes....then set your speed at 3.5 or above (fast walk) and every 2 minutes push the "incline" up until 1/2 through however long your are planning to work-out (example push up for the 1st 20 minutes in a 40 minute work-out)...then you push "down" every 2 minues for the 2nd half of your work-out...then cool down on flat walk for 5.

    By doing this you are "walking uphill" the whole time which burns a lot more calories....but is much easier on your joints/feet....and MFP you can log it in as "walking uphill"!!!

    Hope it helps!
  • chervil6
    chervil6 Posts: 236 Member
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    on my home treadmill its a manual incline :(
  • japhilli3
    japhilli3 Posts: 6 Member
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    I mix in some incline workouts; a great way to burn fat! It is also better to mix it up because just running all the time may hurt your knees. My treadmill has some programs built in...the incline gradually increases to like 12-15% and then goes back down. If I do that for 40 minutes, it burns about 400-500 calories.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
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    Get an interval timer like Gymboss and do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). For example, warm up, then 1 minute regular place, 30 seconds intense pace.

    This... ^^^^^^^^^
  • sausagepaula
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    I walk at 3.5 mph for one minute then run for 30 seconds at 8mph for 21 minutes in total. When it feels like i can do longer i put the running speed up. I do this on a 5% incline.
    Paula
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
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    Running is the obvious, but it gets boring for me after a few times. I am a beginner and need to improve my cardio. What are some different ways to use the treadmill and still burn fat?

    Well, I don't do this.... but it can be done:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr6HSJDyxMs
  • a_vettestingray
    a_vettestingray Posts: 654 Member
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    I like to set it at a slight incline and slow pace (like 3% at 2mph) and walk foward for 30 seconds, then switch to side steps on one side, rotate back to foward, and then side steps on the other side - improving coordination and lateral movement...plus its takes a lot of concentration, so I don't get as bored...

    I have seen some people do walking lunges at a very slow pace and high incline.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Run or walk at different speeds and inclines, set little goals for yourself to go faster than last time or longer. The only way I can spend anytime on the treadmill is to play games with myself so I don't die of boredom! I sometimes use the preprogrammed settings.