How To Use A Treadmill-Finding More Creative Workouts

1 Walk with your hands above your head. Raising your arms above your head while speed walking can improve your workout and maximize the number of calories you burn. It raises your heartbeat, making your workout more challenging, and strengthens your upper-body. Try moving your arms up and down with each stride in addition to holding them above your head for an extended period of time.

2 Add upper-body exercises to your treadmill workout. Consider including an upper-body routine with your treadmill workout by using the handrails to do chest presses and triceps presses. Turn the belt off, or step off the belt onto the treadmill's side tracks.

Grip the front rail, setting your hands as wide as the rail's length will allow. Do a set of standing chest presses by bending your arms and bringing your upper-body close to the front rail and display panel, then push yourself back up so your arms are straight.

Face the rear of the treadmill, extend your arms, and take hold of the handrails. Do another set of chest presses using a pushup motion.

Do overhead tricep presses with dumbbells.

Grab a pair of light weights, such as 3 or 5 pounds, and do biceps presses as you walk for even more upper-body strengthening.

3 Walk sideways. When you've gotten the hang of walking normally on a treadmill, consider lateral walking exercises, or walking with a slow side shuffle. Position yourself sideways on the belt and side-step at a speed of 1 to 1.5 miles (1.6 to 2.4 km) per hour. Use a handrail as you begin your shuffle to help keep balanced.

Begin with walking on the treadmill as normal. Hold the handrail in front of you as you walk straight, then grab hold of the handrail in the direction you'll be turning. In one quick step, turn and shuffle. Practice on flat ground if you're unsure of the motion.

Walk an equal amount of time on each side so you work your muscles evenly.

4 Walk backwards. Start off walking normally on the treadmill. Make sure the speed is set to less than 2.5 miles (4.0 km) per hour. Turn by keeping hold of the rail on the side you're turning into as you did when you shifted into a side shuffle. Reach for the other side rail and grab hold to keep your balance as you pivot from the shuffle position to backwards walking position.

Use a high incline setting to maximize your leg workout.

Switch backwards and forwards walking every two minutes to mix up your routine and exercise different muscles.

5 Consider enrolling in a class or purchasing a treadmill workout video. Check to see if there are any treadmill classes available at your local gym. If you enjoy social settings, classes can help you stay engaged in your exercise routine. If you have a treadmill at home, look into workout videos, which offer challenging and unexpected ways of using a treadmill set to a pace and order designed by a fitness professional.