Exercises / Cardiovascular
Treadmill walk
Cardiovascular Machine Complexity 1/5
Working position
Setup
Set a comfortable speed with no incline to begin.
Execution
Walk at a pace where you can talk in short sentences.
Coaching cues
- Use the rails only for balance, not support
- Upright posture
- Build time before speed
Common fault
Hanging onto the rails, which removes the work
Fix: Slow the belt until the rails are unnecessary.
Muscles trained
Primary: Gastrocnemius (calf)Rectus femoris (quad)
Secondary: Gluteus maximus (glutes)Soleus (deep calf)
Regression and progression
Easier: This is the entry-level variation.
Harder: Incline treadmill walk
Rule
Never advance complexity and load in the same week. When the variation gets harder, the load comes down.