Many people consider running a great way to “escape” from life’s daily stressors, while also building stamina and improving cardiovascular health. But not everyone feels that way. Whether it’s an issue with knees, hips or just a plain dislike for this particular piece of gym equipment, there seem to be just as many people who loath running on a treadmill as ones who swear by it. If you fall into the former category, that doesn’t mean you can’t make use of this omnipresent device!
There are plenty of creative ways to make use of a treadmill that don’t involve a second of running. To spearhead some creativity we turned to Ellena Takos, an instructor at Barry’s, and asked her to outline four of her favorite non-running treadmill moves exclusively for us.
Incline Walk
“Set the treadmill to an incline anywhere between 12-15. The goal is to stay consistent at a pace between 2.5-3.5 mph for 15 to 30 minutes. Walking on an incline works the calves and glutes and puts your heart rate into a steady fat-burning zone.”
Walking Lunges
“Set the treadmill to a pace around 0.5-1 mph and do a forward lunge with each step. You can advance this by increasing your speed, adding a knee drive, or adding weights.”
Side Shuffles
“Set the treadmill to a comfortable pace around 1-2 mph. Turn to the left and shuffle your feet for 30 seconds; switch to the right for 30 seconds; walk forward for 30 seconds; and repeat. Variations include dropping into a low squat shuffle or adding a booty band for extra resistance.”
Deadtread Knee Tuck
“Put the treadmill into “dynamic mode” (allowing you to manually power the belt). Assume a push-up position facing away from the treadmill, placing your hands on the ground and toes on the belt. Engage your core and drive your knees into your chest, pulling the belt with you. Step one foot back at a time to your starting plank. You can advance this by adding a push-up in between each knee tuck.”
