Where Does A Treadmill Fit Into A Personal Training Session?

My first instinct is to say nowhere.  Why should anyone pay to have a personal trainer stand alongside of them while they walk or run on a treadmill.  But, that would be shortsighted.

Sure, most people just jump onto a treadmill and crank it up to their desired pace either walking or running, and just go for a certain length of time.  However, if you take the time go explore the treadmill you are using or if you start treadmill shopping for your own machine, you will find that many machines have built in workout programs for interval training, hill work, even downhill training, and much more.  So, when it comes to using a treadmill during a personal training session, a personal trainer may still find some interesting uses for it.

I do have one rule.  Unless there are special circumstances, if your warmup is being done on the treadmill, do it before your personal training session starts.  Don’t waste five or ten minutes chatting with your personal trainer about the night before when you could better use those minutes at the end for some stretching or an extended workout.

When to use it?

First, you simply be using the treadmill as an active rest in between sets.  Perhaps your Upper East Side Personal Trainer has the treadmill set at a walking pace.  As your recover from a set of bicep curls awaiting the next set, you may walk for thirty seconds, jump off and start your next set up curls.  It’s a pretty simple strategy to help keep your heart rate elevated.  For those better conditioned athletes, a speed walkers pace may be in store.  Be warned, if you do leave the treadmill running for this activity, make sure others in the gym know that the treadmill belt is running to avoid any accidents.

What if?

You are a running coach training a runner and doing some interval training.  Of course, if your workout for the day centers around sprints and speed training, you may be spending an extended amount of time on the treadmill.  At that point, having your personal trainer standing alongside of you at the treadmill makes perfect sense.  They most likely planned a workout for you ahead of time and now are going to help you execute on the plan.  Executing the plans depends highly upon pushing the right program buttons at the right time.

Bottom line…

Don’t pay your New York City personal trainer to stand alongside of your treadmill workout if you are just warming up or doing a static jog.  That’s a waste of money.  Get a personal trainer who is there to drive you forward.  That, among other things is the true benefit of a personal trainer.