Walking, running or ‘Jeffing’ on a treadmill can be a great way to stay healthy in later life, because it allows you to exercise in a controlled environment to improve your cardiovascular fitness, strength and balance.
The best treadmills can be a little daunting to use at first, because they all come with a wide array of controls and settings, and sometimes even apps you have to navigate.
Once you get your head around what you can do with treadmills, however, they become the ideal training partner.
I enlisted James Stirling, personal trainer and Technogym Ambassador, for his advice on how seniors can make the most of treadmill workouts, and which settings they should be using in particular.
What are the benefits of using a treadmill versus outdoor running for older adults?
Running outside comes with the extra benefits of fresh air and the mental health boost of getting into nature (if your local area allows), but there are specific benefits to indoor running as well.
“Most treadmill belts have some give, which reduces impact loading compared to sidewalks,” says Stirling. “For anyone managing joint sensitivity this can be particularly beneficial.
“As we head into a colder season, treadmill running means no ice, no uneven kerbs in the dark and naturally, no dodging traffic. For older adults, a treadmill eliminates a lot of fall risk from an unpredictable surface.”
Treadmill running means no ice, no uneven kerbs in the dark and naturally, no dodging traffic. For older adults, a treadmill eliminates a lot of fall risk from an unpredictable surface.
James Stirling, personal trainer and Technogym Ambassador
You also get more control over your speed and incline when running on a treadmill, and you can follow structured workouts that are created for you on the machine.
“For beginner runners, this makes it really easy to follow a run/walk programme where you run a little, walk little,” says Stirling.
Finally, most treadmills have handrails, which can be especially valuable if you’re concerned about balance.
“Handrails on treadmills also provide a reassuring safety net,” says Stirling. “That reassurance often means older adults push a little harder than they would outdoors, simply because they trust the environment.”
What are the key settings and features on treadmills that seniors can use?
The first thing Stirling recommends doing is training on a mild incline, which is a lot easier to do on a treadmill than outdoors.
“Using a modest incline of 1–3% at an easy pace builds strength and cardiovascular capacity without the added impact of speed,” says Stirling. “This is probably the most underused tool for this age group."
Using a modest incline of 1–3% at an easy pace builds strength and cardiovascular capacity without the added impact of speed.
James Stirling, personal trainer and Technogym Ambassador
“The ability to adjust speed in small increments also lets you progress gradually rather than in bigger jumps than what the body's ready for.”
It’s also worth always using the emergency clip on treadmills, which will pull out and stop the belt if you fall or move too far from the console.
What treadmill workout for seniors would you recommend?
“The run/walk protocol is always the best starting point,” says Stirling. “It breaks the run down into manageable intervals and it’s really easy to make progressions. Aim to gradually build the run intervals, and reduce the walk intervals, until you can run for around 20 minutes.”
Stirling also notes that speed isn’t the only way to progress your treadmill running and make it harder — adjusting the incline means you can push yourself without raising the speed, which might feel more manageable.
- Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
