If I ask you: What do you think a treadmill can do? You might come up with a lot of answers as you can utilize it in a variety of ways. While some of you find a fine way to get your cardio in, some think of it quite boring. Even there are some people who use it just to hang their clothes on.
But what if I say that the treadmill you own is one of the smartest equipment for increasing your upper body strength and that you can use it in different ways rather than just walking, running and jogging on it?
Sounds cool enough?
So, this writer will give a chill to your excitement by letting you know some of the tricks you can utilize with your machine. It will not only help to boost your upper body strength but also will give your treadmill work out a new direction.
Add Weights
One of the super easiest ways to take your typical cardio workouts to another level will be by adding weight to your wrists. These extra weights on vital joints will make it more difficult for you to pull off the goals that you easily were achieving without them. As a result, the weights can be one of the most efficient ways to kick off reinforcing more endurance and strength while pushing past a tiresome plateau.
After adding wrists weights and keeping your arms all bent while running on the treadmill, you are gonna realize that these added weights put more stress on your biceps. Through this, you will observe that your arms will start to stabilize and be tougher than they were before adding the weight to the treadmill workouts. So, you can use your treadmill with having these weights on to reinforce your upper body strength.
Even though you can include weight to the session, you can literally make use of the treadmill as well if you want to build up more muscle found all over your upper part. And you don’t even have to turn the treadmill on to get the result which is a big plus of using the machine. That way, you can make the treadmill a useful investment so there can be no chance to regret having it.
Triceps Dips
It gets very easy to achieve making your arms toughened and toned if you do triceps dips by using your treadmill. Firstly, you need to ensure that the machine you have is completely turned off. Afterwards, stand on it as you do before the workout. But it will be a little different this time. Because you will be using it by putting one hand on the rail without turning the treadmill on.
However, next, you will be leaning your body a little back so your weight gets on the heels and subsequently, you will be bending your elbows so you dip down. Have your arms in one line and your elbows pointed up. It will help you maintain your form properly. You also need to ensure that you keep the rest of the body occupied while maintaining the form. Then, you will be dipping down and pushing back up to the initial position just with your arms only. This is how you can do your Triceps Dips and just like the name same suggests, it is meant to target your triceps.
However, such exercise can also cause stress and injuries. To avoid them, better you keep the elbows a little bent instead of locking them at the top position.
Dumbbell Chest Presses
Other than using the treadmill with triceps dips, you can also use the machine by performing chest presses on it. But make sure you keep the machine turned off. Use the belt of the treadmill as a bench and start performing chest presses by holding the dumbbells. Keep your elbows bent a little such as at an angle of 90 degrees and start pressing the dumbbells up and towards one. This way, you can make your arms extended right above your chest.
Plank Row
This is another a cool way for increasing upper body strength. Get into plank position and take a wide posture. Rest your hands on the sides of the rails and start doing simple pushups. It will focus on your chest muscles efficiently.
However, the wider posture will also keep all of your the muscles engaged by making you put more stress on your chest. So with this, you can promote your upper body strength in more of a better way.
Full body workout
You can also use your treadmill by doing different workouts that focus on your over-all body rather than just the upper body. You can try out these exercises as well that is also possible with the machine.
Head out through a warm-up on the machine by walking at 3mp to 4mph for about a minute. Next, jog for one more minute. Afterwards, boost your speed so you can run for a minute.
As soon as you increase your heart rate a little, you can take a hold of the resistance band. And while you stand right there on the machine, you can perform some shoulder presses for a minute. That way, you can increase the strength of your whole body right from the upper part to the lower.
Afterwards, get back on your treadmill and start jogging. Get a good shoe to have an even better experience. Every time your feet will hit the machine, jab one of your arms out.
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Conclusion:
There are a lot of people who stick to treadmill work out because of its simplicity and effectiveness. Using the machine will not only build up strength in the lower body but the upper part as well. But for this, you literally have to know what exercises you should include.
So, if you have access to a treadmill, be it at your home or at your gym nearby, then try the workout tips highlighted in this write as they will bring a lot of perks for your upper body.