Treadmill results?

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Brandilee2015
Brandilee2015 Posts: 10
edited January 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
Is anyone only using a treadmill or mostly using a treadmill for their exercise? Are you happy with your results? I know a full body workout is best, but ya gotta start somewhere.
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  • atiral
    atiral Posts: 43 Member
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    Yes, that is mostly all I have done. I started out walking about 2.5 mph for about a mile then increased to running 3.1 or more at 5+ mph. Then I got tired of running so I'm back at walking about 3 mph 2-6 miles. That is the evolution of my treadmill routine from end of last January at 232lbs until now at about 140lbs. I started out trying to lose 2lbs a week but that lasted only a few days or less. I changed it to 1lb a week then .5 in the summer. I obviously lost more than predicted. I would suggest doing some weight lifting. I don't and I kind of look skinny fat but I look a lot better than I did at 232lbs. I may decide to lift some weights in the future but idk. I'm not worried enough about it I guess.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Was doing just treadmill walk/run for awhile. I got bored. I added Leslie Sansone's walking workouts + treadmill for 20 min. Burned 406 cal today. Felt wonderful.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    As long as you can handle the boredom of a treadmill there's no reason you can't continue to use it exclusively. I, personally, would rather poke my eyes out with a hot skewer than spend more than 5 or 10 minutes on one. Give me the road, instead, and I'll happily churn out 9 miles.

    Frankly, for better results, incorporate some strength training. You'll retain more muscle, and therefore lose more fat. That will help keep your metabolism higher as well as giving your body a firmer look once you reach your goal weight/size.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Your results will be that you will become a better runner (if you run on the treadmill) and you will enjoy improved cardiovascular fitness whether you run or walk. You will have the added bonus of increasing your body's energy (calorie) requirements which can make it easier to sustain an energy deficit...but by and large, your weight loss results are going to be about your energy (calorie) consumption, not what exercise you do.

    Look at it this way...you can't out exercise your diet...if your consumption isn't in line with your activity, it doesn't matter what exercise you do. There are tons of people who workout like crazy people but there diets are for *kitten* and they still over eat...so they don't lose weight.

    Weight control (whether to lose, maintain, or gain) is about energy balance which is easiest to control via consumption.
  • jsrmpulido
    jsrmpulido Posts: 9
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    Im using a treadmill, i blast my music in my headphones and completely next thing i know its already been 20 minutes. For the first 5 i walk then the next 10 i jog and the last five and speed walk it out. Ive only just begun, but i think its working for me for keeping me motived, not having to look like a fat *kitten* walking around outside while sweating! I do 5% incline at 2.6-3 mph. Im really new to working out so this doesnt hurt me to much, i wanna do full body works out but it hurts my back most of the time!
  • Lalalindaloo
    Lalalindaloo Posts: 204 Member
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    I started out walking and then running outside but then... it got cold. :) So I now run on the treadmill 30-60 minutes 5 times a week.

    Walking and running was a good way for me to get into it, but I did *Just* that for way too long. I waited to incorporate strength training until just a couple months ago and I regret it. I wish I had been strength training a lot earlier in the process. I have some flab that I think is the result of all cardio. BUT, I'm burning that up now with cardio + full body strength training 2-3 times a week.
  • mutigger00
    mutigger00 Posts: 12 Member
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    I almost exclusively use my treadmill for my workouts with some strength here and there. I have been during some interval training on it (walk/run) and have had great results. I strap on my HRM and turn Spotify on and just go for it. I plan on expanding to trails and such when it gets nicer out, and my fitness improves some. We have so many trails here, and I would love to walk/run those.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Anything that assists in creating a calorie deficit will give you results. Though for the results you most likely want, you are going to need to incorporate some strength training in your routine.
  • gxmiller31
    gxmiller31 Posts: 55 Member
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    I have used a treadmill for years, I typically slog along at 4 1/2 mph for an hour, 5 times a week. This is about as fast as I can walk, any faster would need to be a jog. It would be boring but I love old movies, I just put one on and put on my headphones and tramp away for an hour, the next night I just pick up where I left off. I don't watch much TV, so this works for me.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    If by results you mean wanting to stab myself in the eyes while trying to pump out a quick 10km since it's too cold outside to run? Then yes.

    But really, as said, results are what you want out of it. Want to be a better runner and improve your cardiovasuclar health? Treadmill it up.
    Want to incline walk or do some HIIT exercises to meet your weekly fitness goals? Treadmill it up.
  • LoneWolfRunner
    LoneWolfRunner Posts: 1,160 Member
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    I will run in a sub-zero snowstorm before I will run on a TM
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    LoneWolfRunner wrote: »
    I will run in a sub-zero snowstorm before I will run on a TM
    Riiiight now it's a nice balmy -40C with the windchill here... I will suck it up with the deadmill since I'd rather not be a meat popsicle.
  • LoneWolfRunner
    LoneWolfRunner Posts: 1,160 Member
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    Ok... it's a little chilly... but I would at least make an attempt before resigning myself to eye-stabbing boredom.
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
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    LoneWolfRunner wrote: »
    I will run in a sub-zero snowstorm before I will run on a TM

    And this adds what to the actual topic?

    Not everyone likes the cold. I personally hate it and will in no way run outside when it's freezing cold and windy out. Nor will I risk busting my head by slipping on a sheet of ice or twisting an ankle from a pothole.


    OP: True that the treadmill can get boring so when I use it I'll watch a tv show or pump up the tunes to make the time go by a bit faster.
  • Brandilee2015
    Brandilee2015 Posts: 10
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    Thanks for all the input!

    I personally love my TM. I just put on some music and go but I haven't been on it long enough to see any real results.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,715 Member
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    Brandilee2015 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the input!

    I personally love my TM. I just put on some music and go but I haven't been on it long enough to see any real results.

    The key is to always increase your speed or your incline or your intervals, etc. Getting comfortable with your treadmill routine will not only get boring, but it will stall your results. I play "numbers games" on the treadmill. I don't rely on the calorie read out for accurate calorie burn because it isn't accurate, but I do keep track of the number and try to continually surpass that number week by week or month by month. That way you know you are working hard and aren't getting stagnant. Either way, stick with it!
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    Brandilee2015 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the input!

    I personally love my TM. I just put on some music and go but I haven't been on it long enough to see any real results.

    The key is to always increase your speed or your incline or your intervals, etc.

    ^^ This. I'm not sure what it is you do on the treadmill but one thing that I like to do to switch things up in between running is a walking program that I came up with. I vary the speed and the incline and I also do walking lunges and walk sideways. I'll throw on something that I DVR'd -- or just watch live TV -- and go at it for an hour.
  • djscavone
    djscavone Posts: 133 Member
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    Winter bad days I use treadmill just for safety (ice is no fun to try and run on) but otherwise I am 90% outdoors. Walking days is all outside. I keep one day a week for just flex and execs indoors (no running). so far I have had great results with maintaining weight and increasing distance.
  • aveny3
    aveny3 Posts: 4 Member
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    Some of the treadmills at my gym (a Y) have courses programmed into them. So you can select a National Park, for example, and on the screen it shows video taken from a trail in the park, almost like a video game. The incline will adjust automatically, so at the steep parts you're climbing uphill etc. I can get lost in those courses, and easily knock out 45 minutes without noticing.
  • marvy1_nyc
    marvy1_nyc Posts: 26 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    Brandilee2015 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the input!

    I personally love my TM. I just put on some music and go but I haven't been on it long enough to see any real results.

    The key is to always increase your speed or your incline or your intervals, etc. Getting comfortable with your treadmill routine will not only get boring, but it will stall your results. I play "numbers games" on the treadmill. I don't rely on the calorie read out for accurate calorie burn because it isn't accurate, but I do keep track of the number and try to continually surpass that number week by week or month by month. That way you know you are working hard and aren't getting stagnant. Either way, stick with it!

    *This*. You don't realize how quickly your body adapts, so you always need to push it. I use a heart rate monitor and am doing mostly high incline walks (some running), and your heart rate will get up there, even walking at < 4 mph, if the incline is high enough.

    I used to think mileage was the goal on a treadmill, but it's really heart rate / calories in an amount of time, because that shows your intensity.

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