10 Mistakes to Avoid While Walking on a Treadmill

Not Following Treadmill Safety Rules

Never get on a treadmill while the belt is moving at full speed. Follow these steps every time you use the treadmill.

1. Begin standing with one foot on each side of the treadmill.
2. Clip the safety stop cord onto your body so you can stop the treadmill if you stumble.
3. Spot the emergency stop switch.
4. Start the treadmill at a slow rate of speed.
5. Observe the speed and carefully get onto the moving tread.
6. Increase the speed smoothly after you have gotten on board.

This may seem like unnecessary guidance, but many treadmill users injure themselves when the belt starts moving at a high speed unexpectedly.

Holding Onto Handrails

Handrails are on the treadmill for stability, but that is not a natural way to walk or run. You can't have a solid walking posture or stride when you are holding onto handrails.

Continue using the handrails if you have a significant disability or balance issue. But consult with a personal trainer or physical therapist for advice on good walking posture even if you need to use the handrails.

Looking Down Instead of Ahead

Good walking posture is with the head up and eyes forward while walking on a treadmill. If you need entertainment, position your video or reading material so you are looking straight ahead at it, not down or up, or consider using headphones to listen to music or podcasts so you can keep your gaze forward.

Poor walking posture while walking on the treadmill can lead to lower back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain. It doesn't allow you to take full, complete breaths. It also reinforces the bad sitting posture many develop from hours in front of the computer or television.

Every few minutes throughout your treadmill workout, give your shoulders a backward roll to check that you aren't hunching forward.

Leaning Forward

Proper walking posture is upright, not leaning forward or backward. To get into the correct walking posture, take a moment before walking on the treadmill to check your posture.

1. Keep your abdominals engaged but maintain a neutral spine.
2. Now pretend you have a string attached to the top of your head, lifting your body off your hips.
3. Give your shoulders a backward roll to ensure they aren't hunched.
4. When you feel you have a straight posture, walk on the treadmill.
5. Remind yourself as you walk to keep this upright posture. Every time you change pace or incline, check your posture.

Overstriding

When you overstride, your front heel hits the ground far in front of your body. Many people do this in an attempt to walk faster. An overstride is also likely to result in your foot hitting the front of the treadmill which can cause you to trip or fall.

A good, fast-walking stride is just the opposite. Your front heel strikes close to your body while your back foot remains on the ground longer to give a powerful push-off. This push-off in the back will give your walking more speed and power, and it will work your muscles better to burn calories.

At first, you may need to shorten your stride and take shorter steps. Then start concentrating on feeling your back foot and getting a good push-off with each step. Focus on this for a few minutes each time you walk on the treadmill until it becomes more familiar. Soon you will be walking faster and easier.

Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Are your feet just along for the ride while walking on the treadmill? Do they slap down with each step and get dragged along?

The right way to take a walking step is to strike with the heel in front while the rest of the forward foot is slightly off the ground. You then roll through the step from heel to toe. By the time the toe is on the ground, you are midway into the next step, and the forward foot is now the rear foot and ready for the toe to give you a push as you take your next step.

This sequence of heel strike, roll-through, and toe push-off is only possible if your shoes are flexible. If you are wearing stiff "walking" shoes only suitable for standing, you may not be able to roll through a step from heel to toe. Instead, the stiff shoe forces your foot to slap down.

To correct it, take a couple of minutes while walking on the treadmill to think about what your feet are doing. Are you striking with the heel and rolling through the step? Is your rear foot giving you a push-off?

There are a few things you can focus on to change this habit. First, think that your forward foot is showing its sole to somebody facing you. Then concentrate on keeping the rear foot on the ground longer and giving that strong push-off to show the sole of your shoe to someone behind you. If it's not possible to do this in your present shoes, it's time to buy better, flexible walking/running shoes. Certain foot shapes can also affect your stride, so look for footwear that addresses your specific needs, like walking shoes for high arches. Also, as we age we lose the natural fat padding under our feet which means we need shoes that provide extra-cushioned support, such as walking shoes for seniors.

Not Using Your Arms

What do you do with your arms if you aren't holding the handrails while walking on the treadmill? Your arms are the key to a great walking workout. With proper arm motion, you can go faster and burn more calories. You can help correct some of the shoulder and neck problems you may have from sitting in front of the computer or TV all day.

The secret is that your legs only move as fast as your arms. To speed up your legs, first speed up your arm motion and they will follow.

Not Knowing the Treadmill’s Features

There are two things you must know about any treadmill you are going to use—how to turn it on and how to turn it off. But if this is your home treadmill, which includes under-desk models and walking pads, or one you often use at the gym, take a few minutes before walking to get to know its features.

• Incline: Most treadmills have an incline feature. Adding an incline will give you more of a cardio workout, boosting your heart rate. Check the instructions for your treadmill to learn how to change the incline and get the benefits of treadmill incline workouts. Many treadmills have pre-programmed hill workouts. You will burn more calories per mile when walking uphill. The American College of Sports Medicine notes that for every 1% of the grade, you increase your calories burned by about 12%.
• Speed adjustment: Know how to set the speed and to increase or decrease it during your workout. You will want to start at an easy pace to warm up for 3 to 5 minutes, and then increase to your desired workout pace. Finish with a cooldown of 3 to 5 minutes at an easy pace.
• Programmed workouts: Varying your treadmill workout is an excellent way to progress in fitness. Play with the programs provided and find ones you can use to spice up your workouts.
• Heart rate monitor or pulse monitor: Many treadmills have a pulse monitor, either in a grip or clip. This can give you feedback on your heart rate, although you can also see some weird results if you don't attach it right. A chest strap heart rate monitor is more accurate, and many treadmills are set up to communicate with them. See if your treadmill has heart rate-controlled workouts.
• Personal workout history: Some equipment saves your data so you see totals and how you have progressed walking on the treadmill.
• Calories burned: The calories you burn depend on your weight, so often you are prompted to enter it. Tell the truth because you burn fewer calories per mile if you weigh less. However, be warned that often treadmill calories reported are at odds with what you see on your fitness band, etc.
• Apps: Some treadmills link to an app you can use to save your workout history, earn badges, and feed into other apps.

Going Too Fast

Go as fast as you can and maintain good walking posture and form while walking on a treadmill. If you find yourself overstriding, leaning forward, or hunching your shoulders, then back off the speed until you've reached a speed that allows you to walk correctly.

Why not try running? If you think you aren't getting a good workout walking on the treadmill, but your walking form is bad at higher speeds, add running intervals to your workout. Running will give you extra bursts of higher heart rate and a change in your form.

Running Interval Treadmill Workout

1. Warm up at an easy pace for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Increase your walking speed to the pace you are going fast but still maintain proper walking form.
3. Start a jog and increase the speed to match your jogging pace.
4. Jog for 1 to 3 minutes.
5. Return to your fast walking pace for 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Jog for 1 to 3 minutes.
7. Repeat until the end of your workout, and finish with 3 to 5 minutes at an easy walking pace to cool down.

Not Challenging Yourself

If you find yourself walking on the treadmill each day and doing the same old workout, you are not improving your fitness as much as you could. Your body has fully adapted to your usual workout and won't change unless you give it a reason to change.

To achieve greater fitness, your workouts need to vary by intensity, duration, frequency, and/or mode of exercise.

• Intensity: Add intensity by increasing the incline or the speed.
• Duration: Increase the time you spend on the treadmill. If you have been spending 30 minutes on the treadmill for several weeks, bump it up to 45 minutes for at least one session per week. After a couple of weeks, take it up to 60 minutes.
• Frequency: Once you are used to walking on a treadmill, you can do it every day of the week. Walking at a brisk pace for 30 to 60 minutes daily or a total of 150 to 300 minutes per week is recommended to reduce health risks. If you do tougher walking workouts on the treadmill and usually skip a day, add easy walks on the off days.
• Type of Exercise: Try running on the treadmill to change it up. It's even better to alternate using the exercise bike, rowing machine, or stair climber. Add weight training, circuit training, or anything you can enjoy and will get your body moving in new directions.