Treadmills -- those once bulky gym mainstays -- come in compact and affordable home versions, making a booty-lifting, calorie-burning workout accessible to you from the comfort of your own home, or down at the neighborhood gym. Rain or shine, you set the treadmill's pace -- and to tone your butt and thighs -- the incline.
All About the Glutes
The treadmill is an exercise machine that works the muscles of the legs and the buttocks -- or glutes. In order to get a perfectly round booty on the treadmill, though, you need to understand the power of the gluteal muscles. These three muscles -- the gluteus maximus, minimus and medius -- make up what's filling out your favorite pair of jeans. And while no woman wants to admit to having a large backside, the gluteus maximus is one of the largest muscles in the human body.
The Importance of Incline
You will need to self-adjust the incline, unless your treadmill does this for you. Of course, if you're plugged into a pre-programmed workout, the treadmill will do this for you. To vary the intensity as you exercise, the incline with rise and fall throughout the workout. Unlike setting the time or speed, inclines are marked in percentages. These percentages tell the machine how high to raise the platform, simulating a hill-like climb. As you run or walk on the treadmill, you will burn calories. But according to fitness trainer Jackie Warner, adding an incline actively engages your glutes, thighs, back and abs.
Increase the Speed
Boosting the treadmill incline -- or elevation -- isn't the only thing that will round out your bottom. In order to trim the fat around your gluteal muscles, you need get a feel for speed. Jackie Warner, fitness trainer and author of "This Is Why You're Fat (And How To Get Thin Forever)," uses both speed and incline in her elevated treadmill workout. Speed -- or more importantly, increasing and decreasing your speeds -- gets your heart pumping. If you want to reduce body weight and fat, cardio exercise is necessary.
20-Minute Treadmill Glute Interval Workout
You can make Warner's beginner 20-minute treadmill routine harder as your body adjusts to its demands. But when you're just starting out, take it slow. Begin by setting your incline to 15 percent and setting your speed somewhere between 3 or 4 miles per hour. Walk or run at this speed for two minutes. Lower your incline to 1 percent and increase your speed, hitting a stride between 4.5 and 6.5 miles per hour. Keep at this level, jogging for two minutes. Finally, lower the ramp to its normal level and reduce your speed to 3.5 miles per hour. Walk for one minute before repeating the cycle two more times. You can do this routine daily. As your body adjusts, increase the speed.
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Writer Bio
Having studied at two top Midwestern universities, Catherine Field holds degrees in professional writing and patient safety. Writing since 2000, Field has worked with regional newspapers while publishing fiction online. She conducts medical communication research at a Midwestern medical institution and is slated to write a book based on her research findings.