The treadmill and the elliptical are two of the most popular and common cardio and aerobic machines in the world and are both found at most gyms. These machines can help you burn calories; lose fat, tone your legs, thighs and glutes. They also help to strengthen the core and can prove to be a great workout for beginners. If you are someone who is in the initial phases of working out then you must plan your workout on these machines carefully since over doing it can pose a risk of injury. The following are some of the treadmill and elliptical workout plans for beginners:
- Treadmill workout
For beginners, it is important to start slow with brisk walking on the treadmill. Make sure you have proper walking or running shoes that fit correctly. Follow a brisk walking routine at the start of your every workout session for about 2 minutes and then slightly increase your speed. Maintain a jogging pace for about 20 minutes. It is better to avoid increasing the incline a lot during your treadmill workout in the beginning stages. Carry on with this speed and time for a few weeks and then increase your timing by 5-10 minutes every week. Later, you can also increase your speed and incline. Various high end treadmills like NordicTrack treadmill and others are available these days which offers additional features.
- Elliptical workout
An elliptical leads to the same amount of weight loss or calorie burning as in treadmill. A 145 pound person can easily burn about 300 calories doing a 30 minute workout that is mentioned here. You need to do a 5 minute warm up at resistance level 4 and incline level 3. After that, you can lower the incline to level 1 and increase resistance to level 5 for the next 5 minutes. Keep increasing incline and resistance by 1 level each for the next 4 sets of 5 minutes. End your workout with a three minute cool down at a slow speed and low resistance. Latest elliptical machines like Bowflex Max comes with added list of features and functions.
- Combination workout
You can also try a combination workout of treadmill and elliptical. This will increase the amount of calories you burn and will decrease boredom of working out on one machine. Start on with the treadmill and do a 5 minute walking warm up at a pace which is easy for you. Now increase your pace to a jog for the next 2 minutes. Now step it up for one minute. Continue with this slow-fast training on the treadmill for 14 minutes. Now take a 1 minute break before going on the elliptical. Now start using the elliptical at a moderate intensity and use it for 3 minutes. Next increase to a vigorous intensity for the next 2 minutes. Switch to moderate intensity for the next 3 minutes. Continue with this pattern for the next 25 minutes. This combination workout proves much better for burning calories and losing fat but it must be only done of you have become comfortable with both machines first.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
