We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
WiseGEEK

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

How do I Choose the Best Cardio Treadmill Workouts?

By Troy Holmes
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

Treadmills have been available for decades as a form of physical fitness equipment. Some of the best cardio workouts can be completed on a treadmill. These devices have the option of both speed and incline adjustments, which make it possible to create a workout with good cardio-burning potential. The best cardio treadmill workouts are designed to entertain and stimulate the athlete. These include hills, speed, and distance training.

The treadmill is an exercise machine that simulates running by moving a large conveyor belt area under the athlete’s feet. This belt rotates based on the speed controls of the machine. Cardio treadmill workouts are designed to increase the speed of the conveyor belt, requiring the athlete to run faster.

A treadmill program is often considered boring because it is a repetitive stationary process. In an attempt to break the monotony of this activity, a treadmill interval program is considered one of the best cardio treadmill workouts. This program divides the exercise into stages of high intensity with medium intensity interval drills. Splitting a program into different intensity levels helps an individual keep focused throughout his routine.

Advanced treadmill routines should not be attempted by novice athletes because they stress the heart to extreme levels. When starting a treadmill program, it is important to become familiar with the basic mechanics and controls of the machine. This will help the athlete get the most out of his workout program. These controls are designed to manage the machine throughout the workout routine.

One of the key controls to learn on a treadmill machine is the emergency stop button. This safety switch will immediately end the exercise program. The stop button was created as a kill switch for an athlete in distress.

There are many advanced treadmill routines available today. Most treadmills have the ability to run programmed routines based on time and intensity levels. One of the best cardio routines is the random hill programmed routine. This program is considered one of the more difficult cardio treadmill workouts. The routine changes both the pace and incline level of the treadmill during the program.

Another version of extreme cardio treadmill workouts is the incline program. This program is designed to increase the incline of the conveyor belt area gradually throughout the program. This program simulates running on a mountain road. As the athlete progresses through the routine the incline continues to increase. This is one of the most difficult cardio programs available on the treadmill.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Related Articles

Discussion Comments

By latte31 — On Nov 15, 2010

Sneakers41-Using a treadmill daily is great for you, but you also have to watch what you eat. Too many people begin working out and increase their food consumption instead of lowering it in order to lose weight.

If you work out daily and burn off 500 calories and eat a moderate diet of 1,800 calories, most people will lose weight. This cardio diet works best when you make lifestyle changes that you can maintain.

Exercise does make some people hungry, but if the exercise is intense enough you probably won’t want to eat for a while. At least for me when I work out hard, all I want is water. I try to work out in the mid afternoon when I am most likely to snack.

By sneakers41 — On Nov 15, 2010

Sunshine12-My sister lost thirty pounds with her treadmill weight loss routine. She really worked out for 45 minutes every day and she adjusted the speed and incline so that it was an interval workout.

This is really the best way to stay in shape. Most of the treadmills have their own predetermine workouts that you can try.

I usually like to make my own but I know that the Proform cardio tracker treadmill ii with 8 workouts has many that you could try. It is a good idea to change the workouts every month or so so that your body does not get used to the routine.

By sunshine31 — On Nov 15, 2010

Suntan12-I love doing interval cardio. What I like to do when I want something in addition to my cardio workouts on a treadmill is jump rope.

You can do climbing or brisk walking intervals and really raise up the volume with jumping rope.

I usually do five to six sets of 250 jumps and in between I jump on my treadmill for a climbing workout.

You can also do a cardio weights program in which you jump rope in between sets in order to raise the intensity of the workout.

I have to change my cardio plan because my body gets used to it and I don’t achieve that runner’s high feeling that you get with an intense workout.

This is what I usually do for my cardio at home workouts.

By suntan12 — On Nov 15, 2010

You can plan treadmill cardio workouts in order to maximize the fat you burn. First, you should really try to vary the incline in your workout.

The higher the incline the steeper the climb and harder the workout you will have on the treadmill.

It really depends how fit you are and how hard you want to work. After your warm up, you can always start your workout in intervals of one to two minutes.

If you are using a walking program, you can simply start your incline at about a 2.5 and then continue to walk at a brisk pace of four miles per hour. You can do this for the first interval and then adjust the incline for a harder more intense climb for a minute or two and then ease up the incline for a faster walk.

Once you reach five miles per hour you could probably jog instead of walk. The great thing about jogging on a treadmill is that the treadmill has such excellent shock absorption that you will never have sore feet.

When I jog in a park, I always get sore feet. It is a pain at the bottom on your feet, however when I do treadmill cardio workouts at home I do not have that problem.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.