Realistic Weight Loss on the treadmill

Quick disclaimer: I know weight loss is your main health goal right now, but there are SO many amazing benefits to exercise and finding ways to joyfully move your body. I thoroughly hope you enjoy these workouts and notice the benefits it adds to your daily life (ex: better sleep, increased motivation, confidence boost). To be able to stick to an exercise routine, I recommend focusing on these benefits and practice gratitude for what your body can do for you rather than focus on what the number on the scale says. You’ll notice you will be more excited to move your body rather than feel like it’s a chore and frustrated with a silly number on a scale.

Looking to get a treadmill for your home gym? Peek at our picks for the top 6 foldable treadmills with incline. You won’t regret it.

Building a Workout Routine

Getting a treadmill workout plan dialed in for weight loss is one of the most effective and realistic ways to lose weight, but it’s all about understanding consistency. If you’re like me, keeping it regular on the treadmill makes a world of difference. If you are ready to lose weight and are willing to put in the work, this article is for you.

Importance of Routine

Setting up a good routine is like laying down the tracks for your train to success. I feel way better about my fitness journey when I stick with my treadmill sessions—it’s like a moving meditation for my weight loss journey. Having a set routine helps me keep track, avoid setbacks, gives me the best odds of preventing injury.

Mixing up cardio with strength training is a big win. You get better results by incorporating both. Can’t forget diet either—I take in some carbs and proteins about an hour before hitting the treadmill. This gives me the energy I need to have a productive run without feeling drained.

Benefits of Consistency

Sticking with my treadmill routine? Oh, the perks are endless. Keeps my heart happy, boosts my stamina, and burns the calories. A regular treadmill session helps me create that calorie deficits needed to lose weight.

Find your motivation to stay consistent with your fitness journey. Write it down or do what you need to do to remind yourself of the “why”. This gives me the motivation I need to get back on the treadmill on the days I really want to quit.

The key is mixing it up with intensity, duration, and frequency. I maximize my workouts by tweaking the speed, incline, and sneaking in some interval training. Here’s a look at how I get it done:

Interval training is the best—it switches up speeds to keep the body guessing, which burns those calories. Messing with the incline adds some spice, get’s the muscles in the glutes involved and keeps it from feeling like a hamster wheel.

Want more useful hacks? Check out tips on running form and speeding up your sprints on the treadmill.

Throw in some intervals and incline walks, and you’ve got a treadmill routine that’s pretty hard to beat. Keep at it, ’cause that’s the road to seeing real results.

Varied Treadmill Workouts

Liven up your treadmill sessions, so they don’t feel like running on a never-ending belt of boredom, and give your weight loss journey some variety. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and playing around with that incline button keeps my treadmill workouts interesting. Pair that with some motivational podcasts and wow, talk about a productive start to the day!

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT is all about going full throttle and then catching your breath—rinse and repeat. This is one of the best ways to burn calories and shed weight fast.

Check out this straightforward HIIT routine for the treadmill:

Try hitting this routine 3-5 times a week. Remember, keep the ration of your walk/rest twice as long as your sprint to allow your heart rate to come down. Need tips on sprinting better? I’ve got you covered in my piece on how to improve your sprinting speed on a treadmill.

Adding Incline for Intensity

The incline button is another underrated calorie burning technique I use to stay lean and keep my heart healthy and happy.

Here’s a simple incline workout to kick-start:

Using the incline spices things up, making your muscles work more, helping you lose those extra pounds. Curious about space saving treadmills that have an incline feature? Read my piece on the top 6 foldable treadmills with incline.

Both HIIT and incline workouts can deliver results that really do work. Weight loss is a simple equation. As long as you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Sleep, diet and exercise, these are the only things that really matter. Tweak these methods to figure out what gets you moving most. For insider pointers on keeping your form sharp and technique smooth, head over to our take on how to improve running form on a treadmill.

Maximize Your Weight Loss Groove

Learning how to get the most out of a treadmill workout is like hitting the jackpot in the fitness world. You want to see that weight melt away? Mix up your treadmill time with muscle-building exercises and a bit of calorie counting to maximize your weight loss.

Spice Up the Treadmill with Muscle Gains

Hit the treadmill, then add on some muscle building. It’s a double whammy for losing weight, let me tell you. Why, you ask? Both your heart and muscles get a workout. You’ll be stronger, leaner, and just all-around healthier.

Here’s how a week’s worth of treadmill and strength workouts look for me:

Wanna run like a pro? Check out how to improve running form on a treadmill and how to improve your sprinting speed on a treadmill.

Cutting Calories Without Feeling Like a Zombie

If you want the fat to disappear, you gotta eat less than you burn. It’s like paying off credit card debt—you need a plan. Here’s the lowdown:

1. Know Your Calories: Figure out how many calories you should actually be eating. Use your Basal Metabolic Rate (fancy talk for what your body needs if you did nothing) and throw in your daily workout.
2. Healthy Fuel: Keep your plate full of balanced goodies: carbs, protein, and fats. From my own kitchen, a banana slathered with peanut butter on toast is my go-to before I hit the treadmill.
3. Journal Your Diet: Keep tabs on what you’re eating and burning—apps are awesome for this, or go classic with a journal.

Combine good treadmill workouts, a pinch of muscle work, control that calorie game, and you’re set to see results. Have a peek at my picks for the top 6 foldable treadmills with incline.

Proper Form and Techniques

So you’re gearing up to drop some weight with the treadmill? Nailing your form and techniques is your key to success to making each workout count. Good form keeps injuries at bay and helps you burn those calories effectively.

Monitoring Heart Rate and Intensity

Understanding your heart rate is important to losing weight. Ideally, You want your heart rate at 60-90% of your max beats per minute during your workouts to most efficiently burn calories.

Most treadmills have built in heart rate monitors, but I prefer to track my fitness with a Garmin. Always be listening to what your body’s telling you. Give it the rest that it needs and keep tabs on the health metrics that matter the most. What better way to set yourself up for success than perfecting your run on a treadmill?

Adjusting Speed and Stride Length

It is a lot of fun to dead sprint on a curved treadmill and I would highly recommend it when your ready, but for weight loss a 70% run should be all you need to dominate your workouts. Keep an eye on your stride, too; save your knees with shorter steps, or take longer strides if you’re feeling ambitious.

Play around with varying speeds and stride lengths to give your workout spice. Check out tips on Improving your run on a curved treadmill for all the details.

Looking to get a treadmill for your home gym? Peek at our picks for the top 6 foldable treadmills with incline. You won’t regret it.