Treadmill Workouts That Will Slim Your Legs

Treadmill training can alter your body composition, allowing you to lose fat from your entire body, including your legs. Working out on a treadmill tones your lower body muscles, strengthening your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. You can stimulate your leg muscles and increase calorie burn by walking or jogging on an incline or through interval training.

To slim your legs, you must alter your body composition by losing fat and developing lean muscle. Fat reduction can occur with a treadmill workout because of the high caloric burn that can be achieved. To lose 1 lb. of fat, you must burn 3,500 calories more than you consume. For example, if you burn 500 calories a day, you can lose 1 lb. in a week. According to Harvard Health Publications, a 155-lb. person can burn 298 calories in 30 minutes by jogging at a 5-mph pace.

Adjust the incline setting on the treadmill to develop lean muscle in your lower body. The greater the incline, the greater demand you put on your hamstrings and glutes to perform the exercise. As your hamstring muscle activity and knee flexion increases with each incline interval, you build muscle and burn fat in your legs. Begin your workout by warming up on flat ground for 5 minutes. Then increase the incline to 3 percent and power walk. After 5 minutes, increase the treadmill incline by 1 percent, continuing until you reach a 10 percent incline.

According to the American Council on Exercise, interval training burns more calories and fat than traditional cardiovascular training. Interval training involves short bursts of intense cardio activity followed by a recovery period. Utilize interval training practices with your treadmill to melt more fat from your legs. For example, jog for 2 minutes, then run at a hard sprint for 1 minute. Repeat the interval for 30 minutes to complete your workout.

You can slim your legs on a treadmill without even turning on the machine. Treadmill pushing is a workout that uses your own leg strength to push the belt on the treadmill. First, warm up on a bike or by jumping rope. Proceed to your treadmill, but do not turn it on. Holding onto the handles, push the treadmill belt with your legs using strong, lunge steps. As your treadmill picks up momentum, engage the muscles of your lower body to increase the speed of your push. Continue pushing the treadmill belt for 5 minutes, then turn on the machine and power walk for 5 minutes. Complete three sets of treadmill pushing and power walking.