My parents came home with a treadmill. Now what?

I have a threadmill. I haven't used it for a year or two now, but try 30 minutes a day. If it's in front of the tv, it won't feel like long (if you like to watch tv that is). 3 mph is a decent speed.

 

The key is to get your heart rate up for a sustained period (30 minutes is good). Initially, shoot for a heart rate of 130 (keep checking your pulse and increase speed until you get there). Over a few weeks, work up to to the cardio range (150-160).

 

In theory, to get in cardio shape, here what's recommended:

3-5 times a week.
30 min is good, but even 20 minutes isn't bad.
You should shoot for a hearbeat that in the "zone": 65% to 90% of your maximum BPM, which you measure with the formula 220 minus your age. So if you're 20, your max BPM is 200, so you should try to do about 75% of that (150 BPM).

And don't hesitate to do other stuff (swimming, bike) if you get bored

 

I've yet to run into anyone who worked out so much they literally had no energy for anything else. You'll finish the workout feeling like you're about to collapse. You drink some water, you take a cool shower...and then you feel OK again. Maybe not ready to run all over again, but you'll have no problem moving around.

I found when I first started working out that I could walk at a good clip forever, but running/jogging kicked my ass. So I put the treadmill on a fast walk - 3.5-4 mph - and set the incline up to 4 or 5%. This was JUST fast enough that I could still walk it, but if it got any faster, I'd have to break into a jog/run. I did this until the last minute of working out, when I'd speed up, jog it, and then collapse. I did this until I could do the last minute without collapsing, and then I made it the last two minutes. Then three.

Lex

 

Isn´t six hours too little sleep? Or are you that kind of person that doesn´t need to sleep so much?
And on the workout thing. I´m not an expert on this but I don´t think you should start exercising twice a day if you haven´t been working out a lot before. Maybe three or four times a week or something until your body gets used to it and then you can escalate from there. Maybe that´s just something I heard about gym, I dunno.

Good luck.

 

I did a year's course in public services which was mostly about getting fit and stuff. If you wanna get big and buff tone muscles then what I would eat before working out plenty of carbs and potain you also need to do stretches or you can hurt yourself badly. work out for mybe 20 mins or more depending on how fit you are and then increase if you wanna. Then eat carbs and protain again to repair body. Do the same of the afternoon. I would do weight's as well though.

 

Dam I want a treadmill... If I had a treadmill I'll use it like constantly

 

You need 8 hours sleep each day to have enough energy for the day. It will all be good results if you make sure you repair your body, getting plenty of sleep and doing stretches before doing any excercise. If you get worried about anything then see your Dr. xx

 

A good 30 minutes or so of "intense" cardio is good, however ANY treadmill use is good. You needn't do just one session a day or something. You can say go for a morning run, and then later in the evening simply walk on the treadmill while watching TV.

I'd love to have a "walking desk". Basically a standing desk built over a treadmill set to 1 MPH or so.

Don't forget to stretch (after warming up)!

 

I started working out in February, and I have found that I have so much more energy. I am always going and doing something. Only I find now is that when I am tired I am tired. Before when my energy level would slightly drop I would stop doing what ever I was doing. Now I keep pushing until I just can go anymore.

I usually do cardio 3 times a week. I usually do 15 minutes treadmill, 15 minutes on the Adaptive Monition Trainer, 15 minutes on the stair climber. I always go in a different order and usually change the time based on how I feel.

I find that a good warm up is essential for a good treadmill session. I usually warm up for 5 minutes, stretch, and start up again. Usually what ever I do first it takes 10 minutes to really get going good. If I to the treadmill first I usually bump the time up to 20 minutes, so I can get some good running time in.

Another thing change up the speeds during your workout or it gets boring quick. You will also notice that once you start to get tired your form gets sloppy. I find that if I am running and start landing heavy on my right foot it is time to stop running. A couple of weeks ago I kept pushing after my form got sloppy and ended up straining a muscle in my hip.

That does bring up another thing. Pay attention to your body. If you feel pain because the muscles are getting tired that is ok. If you are feeling pain because you have over used something, stop.

Most important. Set a schedule and stick to it. Otherwise in 6 months the treadmill will become another clothes rack.

 

Yeah I find when setting an ambitious workout/sleep/work schedule that... it doesn't work. If you're a late riser, shocking yourself into getting up at 6 sounds hardcore, but it's just as likely (if not more) that you'll sleep in a couple days and get off the train before it has the chance to leave the station (I do this often). Start out slow and build from there. Move your wakeup back maybe an hour a week or so, and ease into the workout routine. It's slower in terms of results (which sucks, I know), but it's better to set yourself up for success than set yourself up for epic fail and hope to the contrary. Take it slow and enjoy the post-workout vibe, get into a routine, and go from there. =)

 

I usually try to eat a small snack about an hour to 45 minutes before going to the gym. I usually eat a piece of fruit and drink plenty of water before hand.

 

25 minutes (increase from this over time)
2.5 incline
3.0 speed.
This is what the trainer has me do