Do you want to build leg muscles? Well, do you want big and large legs like bodybuilders?
Or you want to lose some weight and get a toned lower body.
A treadmill can be helpful in both cases. Whether you want to shred some extra fat or build strong muscles in the lower body, a treadmill workout gives you the desired results. Let’s know-how.
How to Get Toned Leg Muscles?
You can get lean leg muscles with the help of aerobic exercises. Such workouts shred all the excess fat and strengthen your lower body.
Treadmill is one of the best because for such exercises it allows to practice many endurance activities, including walking, jogging and running. So, walk, jog and run on the treadmill every day to enjoy solid and toned leg muscles.
You should spend at least 30 minutes on a treadmill for effective results. Do not expect to get the results within a few days. Be regular, and slowly, you will lose all the extra fat and develop lean legs.
If you are a beginner, then try the given workout to get toned leg muscles. Don’t think that it’s an easy practice because it gets tricky after each passing week.
You need to keep a check on time in this routine—no need to worry about the speed. Just be comfortable while walking or running. This workout includes both activities. So, you have time to recover. Choose any three days of the week for this training program.
Week 1
Run for 1 minute and then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat these two steps ten times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 10 minutes.
Week 2
Run for 2 minutes and then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat these two steps six times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 12 minutes.
Week 3
Run for 3 minutes and then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat these two steps four times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 12 minutes.
Week 4
Run for 5 minutes and then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat these two steps three times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 15 minutes.
Week 5
Run for 8 minutes and then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat these two steps two times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 16 minutes.
Week 6
Run for 11 minutes and then walk for 3 minutes. Repeat these two steps two times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 22 minutes.
Week 7
Run for 14 minutes and then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat these two steps two times. Follow the same routine for three days. The minimum running time every day should be at least 28 minutes.
Week 8
Run for 22 minutes on the first day, then 25 and 28 minutes on the 2nd and 3rd day.
Week 9
Run for 30 minutes on the first day and attempt 5k on the next day.
Also read: Can You Lose Weight in 30 Minutes on Treadmill?
How to Build Leg Muscle?
Practice anaerobic exercises to develop extensive and strong leg muscles. For instance, you can lift weights using your legs.
Leg curls, squats, calf raises, and leg extensions are some of the helpful practices. These workouts will make your leg muscles defined and massive.
Start with a heavyweight to repeat the steps up to 8 to 15 times for three sets. Follow the same for at least three days every week.
You can build leg muscle on treadmill, but not via regular endurance exercises. Instead, you need to perform sprints and interval training.
Sprint Routine
Do not attempt this routine if you are a beginner. Sprints are only for individuals who are running over a treadmill for more than a few weeks.
For such a workout, you need to find a treadmill with handrails. It includes a warm-up time and relaxed downtime, which you can use to jog or walk.
- Spend 5 minutes for warm-up.
- Run for 60 seconds at 10 km/h.
- Sprint for 30 seconds at 15 km/h.
- Repeat the above two steps at least ten times. Or keep doing it until you exhaust and cannot sprint anymore.
- Cool down for 5 minutes.
We have mentioned that speed limits, but it entirely depends upon your body. Sprint for any speed that you can maintain for 30 seconds because you will not get any relaxed downtime in between the two activities. So, the process will become more challenging as you proceed. You can also use the incline function to add some variation to the routine.
Intensity Interval Training
You can practice multiple high-intensity interval training (HIIT) variations by increasing or reducing the time and speed of sprints and recovery runs. But yes, you need to sprint at a higher speed than the recovery run. Here is a routine for your better understanding.
- Warm-up for 5 minutes at a speed of 10 km/h.
- Sprint for 30 seconds at 15 km/h.
- Recover by running at 12 km/h.
- Repeat the above two steps at least ten times.
- Cool down for 5 minutes at 10 km/h.
As we mentioned earlier, you can change the speed as per your comfort and fitness level. Ensure your heart rate is at 90 per cent of the maximum, especially if you want to reap all the benefits of interval training. You might feel tired after 4 or 5 sprints, but push your limits and try to complete at least ten reps.
Workout Adaption According To Your Goal
A treadmill targets multiple muscles in your body, especially your glutes, thighs and calves. Your lumbar and abdominal muscles are also involved up to some extent. The shoulders and arms get minimal treatment because you are only moving your arms while walking, jogging or running.
Also read: Treadmill Running Workouts For Weight Loss
However, you can manipulate your workout sessions according to your fitness goals.
Muscle building: An inclined tread belt strengthens your glutes and calves, which is helpful if you want to build leg muscles. So, you can include walking or running on an inclined treadmill for better impacts on your lower body. A decline function is also helpful because it targets separate sets of muscles to give you a high quality lower body workout.
Weight management: If you want to cut down some excess body fat, then spent more time on the treadmill. Apart from the couch to 5k treadmill plan we suggested, you can also include interval training for weight loss. Also, you can walk or jog every day for 30 to 45 minutes, at least five times a week.
General fitness: If you are working out to maintain your fitness levels, you should include weight training with treadmill sessions.
Additional FAQs
Does treadmill make your legs bigger?
A treadmill can help you to strengthen the leg muscles, but it will not make them bigger. A regular workout on a treadmill makes your legs strong, which help you build muscles via weight training. We recommend that you include sprint and high-intensity interval training to build leg muscle on treadmill.
Can you build muscle walking on a treadmill?
Regular walking on a treadmill will strengthen your lower body, but it will not build muscles. Walking will boost our endurance so that you can easily lift heavyweight to develop thick muscles in your thighs, calves and glutes.
Does a treadmill tone your stomach?
Walking, jogging and running over a treadmill works on your buttocks, thigs and legs and tones these parts. But, these activities also work on your abdominal muscles and stomach. So, yes, a treadmill can tone your stomach if you are exercising regularly.
Does treadmill build abs?
Working out on a treadmill will tone your abdomen. However, you need to perform multiple other exercises to build abs. For instance, planks, crunches, and dumbbell side bend some of the practices to strengthen your abs.
The Bottom Line
If you are upset about the excess fat in your lower body, follow the suggestions mentioned above. You need to perform endurance exercises on the treadmill to get toned legs.
Regular workout will burn the calories and bring your lower body into shape, especially the thigs and butts.
To build big leg muscles, you should perform exhausting exercises that feel tough in the beginning. However, all your pain will go away when you start noticing the positive results.
Frequents workout is very beneficial for your body. So, make a workout schedule and stick to it. After few weeks, the shape of your body will improve, and you will start feeling more confident.