Treadmills (or running machines) are not difficult to use. In fact in terms of simplicity of operation you’d be hard pushed to find an aerobic exercise machine that’s easier to use. Even so you can’t afford to ignore the safety aspects of using them.

Just about every aspect of life these days seems to be tied up in safety rules until you could easily become nervous of ever doing anything but don’t worry. The rules you need to follow to ensure a safe workout using a treadmill are quite simple and straightforward.

After all you use machines like these to improve your health and fitness. If you injure yourself or damage your health in the process that rather defeats the object wouldn’t you say? So let’s start off with where you’re going to site the machine. If there are children around, even only occasionally, the ideal place would be in a room you can lock. Treadmills are not toys and it’s surprising how easily small hands can be burned by touching the moving belt and of course any moving machinery can cause other injuries to unwary children. So the first rule is, keep children and treadmills apart. Once you’ve found a suitable child free zone, place the machine away from walls and other obstructions that you could hurt yourself on if you did manage to fall off. Never leave a treadmill running when unattended and always unplug it after use.

It’s an old cliché, “If all else fails read the instructions”, but be proactive. Read the manual through thoroughly so you fully understand what every part of your treadmill does. Don’t assume you know. Whatever safety devices you find your machine is equipped with do use them.

Before you switch on the treadmill to use it stand astride it with one foot on the floor at either side of the belt. Turn the machine on. Then wait and watch to make sure it’s running at its slowest speed before you step on to the belt. There’s usually a gadget in the machine that prevents it starting off at any other speed but better safe than sorry! Keep the speed low until you get thoroughly warmed up and then if you want to increase speed do it gradually.

The handrails are there for you to steady yourself until you get your balance right as you become accustomed to the movement of the treadmill, or if you should happen to lose your balance at any time. You shouldn’t hold on to them any more than you really have to because you need to swing your arms freely to achieve a natural movement. Keep hanging on to the handrails too much and you can cause excessive strain to your shoulders and elbows. Curiously you won’t burn off as many calories that way either. By the way, if you need to hang on to the front rails to maintain speed or go uphill, you’ve got the machine set wrongly.

Eyes front! If you keep looking forward your feet will tend to keep a straight line down the middle of the belt. Don’t move too far forward on the belt or you could trip over the motor. Don’t stray too far to the back either or you might slip off. Either way you could hurt yourself and we don’t want that!

Before you even start you need to determine what your target heart rate is to be. You really should take professional advice here and obviously if you’re aware of any heart problems you really must discuss your whole approach to exercise with your doctors as a first step. Once armed with this knowledge you can use the heart rate monitor or pulse sensor on your treadmill to make sure you keep within the range. If you have a pacemaker fitted you might not be able to use these devices so here again seek medical advice.

If you’ve built up to a faster speed such as a run or jog during your workout you’ll need to slow the machine down gradually and allow yourself to cool down before you finally stop. That’s just as important as the warm up at the beginning. When you first step off the machine be careful. You may feel dizzy and disorientated for a few minutes especially when you first use the machine. Treadmills often do this to people when they first start using them. It’s nothing to worry about and it soon passes but make sure you have something to grab hold of if it does happen so you don’t fall over.

So there you are. Having a safe treadmill workout is mostly a matter of common sense and being aware of the potential hazards. There aren’t many really. Enjoy the benefits of feeling fitter and healthier!

Author Bio:
Robert Nuttall
Priory Sports
www.priorysports.co.uk

Priory Sports stock a wide range of fitness equipment from treadmills, cross trainers and exercise bikes to multi-gyms and free weights.