Altering Your Treadmill Workouts

A debate has grown up as to which is the best stationary exercise machine to use for better health: exercise bike or treadmill? A consensus seems to have grown that stationary bike workouts are more enjoyable, since you can vary the bike's settings to simulate various terrains. However, electric treadmills have their advocates, too. If you're one of them, you don't have to be bored while doing your treadmill workout routine. There are many ways that you can vary your treadmill workouts to avoid drudgery and burnout.

For example, you can alternate your electric treadmill workout with dumbbells. Get a pair of five to twelve-pound dumbbells and set them near your treadmill. After a five-minute warm-up, jog or walk briskly for five minutes at a setting of six mph, then get off the treadmill. Do twenty lateral arm lifts using the dumbbells (with your arms outward and parallel to the floor). Get back on the treadmill, then repeat but increase treadmill speed by one mph, until you reach 10 mph or twelve mph.

You can also try walking with a dumbbell in each hand and the treadmill set at a 15% incline and at a speed of 2.5 mph. Depending on your level of fitness, you can go for a ten minute workout or start at five minutes and gradually work your way up. You can also adjust the speed downward, if necessary.

Another exercise variation is walking backward on the treadmill. This exercise will help improve your balance and coordination, as well as strengthening your ankles. But it is important to remember that walking backward must be done without holding on to the handrails, otherwise it would defeat the purpose of the exercise. To get acclimated to walking backward, you can start by setting the machine at one mph and gradually working up to four mph. Once you've gotten used to walking backward, you can introduce variations like setting the machine at a 15% incline or running backward.

If you've mastered walking or running backwards you may want to try jumping or hopping on your treadmill. Vary your regular workout with fifteen-second intervals of hopping or jumping. A warning: if you're just starting out, resist the temptation to go for longer interval periods. You may end up irritating the skin on your soles. As with all exercises, work your way up gradually. And of course, don't forget to warm up and cool down. Also, you may not want to try this with machines made by treadmill manufacturers in China as they may break. If you have a foldable treadmill, you should also do some practice jumps to see if it can withstand the impact of your weight.

If you can afford it, the best way to avoid exercise burnout is to use different types of stationary exercise machines. You can alternate your electric treadmill workouts with sessions on the stationary bike. There is also another exercise machine gaining popularity among exercise fanatics: the elliptical exercise equipment or cross trainer. More and more people are swearing by this new machine since it avoids excessive pressure on the joints, reducing the risk of impact injuries.

The bottom line is, the best way to beat exercise boredom is to vary your workouts. And don't forget to always challenge yourself in order to get the most out of your routines.