Routine Treadmill Workouts - Treadmill Workouts to Lose Weight

6 Treadmill Workouts Using The Heart Rate Monitor
I am going to go over six excellent treadmill workouts, all of which utilize the treadmill's heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor is one of the most helpful and important parts of a treadmill. Virtually all semi-modern treadmills will have a heart rate monitor, and they will give you a heart rate reading throughout your workout.
Before starting any of these workouts, you will need to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate. Your MHR is best determined by your doctor while you are undergoing a treadmill test, but you can calculate an average MHR for someone your age using a simple formula. However, if you are over 35 years old, overweight, or unfit, I would highly recommend consulting a doctor before undergoing any exercise program. Your doctor is the best person to determine your own cardiovascular ability. When calculating your own MHR, remember that this is just an average according to your age, so if you consider yourself less fit that an average person your age, I would recommend adding 5 or 10 years to your age for the purpose of this calculation, or alternatively, consulting your doctor and having your personal MHR calculated. The formula is:
MHR = 220 - age
So for a person 25 years old, MHR is 220-25=195. For a person 35 years old it is 185.
Now that you have your MHR calculated, you can start the following workouts and determine whether you are going at the optimal speed by referencing the heart rate monitor throughout your workout. You will never want to go over your MHR, and each workout below lists the percent of your MHR that you should be working out at for that particular workout. For example, suppose you are 30 years old and want to begin with workout 1, you will want to maintain a heart rate between 95 and 114 throughout your workout.
The workouts listed below that have a lower percentage MHR will probably feel easier, but that may last for a longer duration. If you are just beginning a workout program, I will recommend starting with lower MHR workouts to avoid putting too much strain on your heart when you are not accustomed to that kind of cardiovascular exertion. As you progress through your workout program, you should find that you will need to increase the speed on the treadmill to maintain the same heart rate. Once you have observed a measurable fitness increase with one workout, try moving on to another.
You should do stretching exercises before and after each workout. Once you have progressed to one of the higher MHR workouts, I would recommend warming up and cooling down with 5-10 minutes of workout 1.
Now on to the workouts...
1. Beginner Treadmill Walk: 50-60% of MHR; I suggest everyday for 30 minutes at a time. This is an easy walk and is a great introduction to the treadmill and to your workout program.
2. Weight Loss Walk: 60-70% of MHR; I suggest everyday for 45-60 minutes at a time. This is a faster walk, but should still be comfortable for most people, and enables you to burn off calories and increase your fitness level.
3. Quick Walk: 70-80% of MHR; I suggest every other day for 20-60 minutes. On the in-between days, you can do either #1 or #2. You will find that you will breathe heavily , but you should not get out of breath. If you run out of breath while attempting this workout, you are not fit enough for this workout yet. Once you are ready for this workout, it is very beneficial for cardiovascular health and will increase your fitness level notably, and may be enough for many people.
4. Distance Walk: 65-75% of MHR for 6-8 miles; I suggest one time per week. This workout will improve your long distance walking endurance and is great for race preparation.
5. Speed Building Walk: 85-90% of MHR for 8 minutes, then 55-65% of MHR for 2 minutes, for 3 repetitions. End with 5-10 minutes at 55-65% of MHR.
6. Racing Walk: 80-90% of MHR for 20-30 minutes, I suggest 2 times per week. This is a very fast pace of walk and when starting you may need to run to reach this MHR.
Like all exercise, it is essential to workout on the treadmill regularly and to begin gently in order to get the most benefit out of your treadmill workouts.

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