Perfect Form for Your Treadmill Workout

You’ve seen others run on a treadmill, and probably have done your own cardio workout on a treadmill, but the question is do you have proper form? Maintaining a proper form is vital for safety during your workout, and your body gets the most rewards from it. Before you go for another run, check out these tips to ensure that you are working out properly on your Smooth or Sole treadmill.

Tip #1

Prior to any workout, especially one involving walking, jogging, and/or running, make sure you have the right shoes that are made for these activities. Support and comfort are important to battle fatigue.

Tip #2

After stretching, you are ready for your treadmill workout. For your upper body, your form should be this:

• Look straight ahead
• Keep your neck relaxed
• Shoulders straight. If you slouch over, you will cause tension in your shoulders and back counteracting the workout

Tip #3

Bend your elbows and maintain a 90-degree angle. Some hold their arms to their chest, and this isn’t beneficial to your cardio workout. Keep your hands loose and avoid a tight fist. Imagine holding a cup. Don’t let your arms cross your chest.

Tip #4

For your lower body posture, you only need to lift your knee slightly with a quick leg turnover and a short stride. It’s true that sprinters need to lift their knee higher to get the most out of their legs, but for endurance running, this isn’t necessary. Also, really focus on landing softly with your feet. If you are noisy, you need to focus on making your run smooth. Hit the treadmill with the heel and then with your toe.

Tip #5

Relax! If you hold any tension in your body, like in your back or shoulders, you will suffer from tight muscles and pain later on. You can prevent this by practicing good form. Most importantly, make sure you breathe.

Tip #6

Concentrate on you workout. Not only can it cause injury because you aren’t paying attention, it also affects your form. Doing activities such as answering your cell phone or changing a song on your iPod can be dangerous. Losing focus may cause you to slip or fall.

In order to get the most out of your treadmill workout, it is so important to keep proper form. If you don’t, you may injure yourself seriously and be unable to do treadmill exercises for a period of time. A home treadmill is a great tool to get in shape, and relaxing, breathing and maintaining good form are they keys to get the most out of your workout.