The Best Treadmill Workouts
Treadmill workouts don’t have to be dull and boring. With just a little creativity, you can use your treadmill to burn fat, increase your speed and endurance, or challenge yourself to get in shape for an upcoming race. The possibilities are truly endless.
Running on a treadmill has many benefits, such as the ability to control your environment or cleaner air for those who live in dense cities. You don’t have to leave home, making it a convenient way to exercise. The following are some of the best treadmill running and interval workouts to get you started.
Strength and Endurance
This exciting treadmill workout is a type of interval workout to burn calories and increase your body’s ability to oxidize fat.
This treadmill workout incorporates hills to increase the intensity and build leg muscle strength. Similar to a high-intensity interval workout, the hill incline and pace that you run should allow you to give it your all for one to three minutes and then feel the need for recovery. As you practice, you can experiment and find your personal best interval paces and inclines that work for you.
Try to keep this workout no longer than 20 minutes and the “slow run,” or “lightly run” is what is comfortable to you for a brief recovery. Experiment with the incline to ensure the intensity matches your ability, yet slightly pushes you.
- Warm-up with an easy jog or brisk walk for 5 minutes, increase the incline to 1%, and continue another 5 minutes
- Increase incline to 3% and walk briskly for 1 minute
- Lower incline to 1% and slow run for 1 minute
- Increase incline to 4% and walk briskly for 2 minutes
- Lower incline to 1% and lightly run for 2 minutes
- Increase incline to 4% and walk for 3 minutes
- Lower incline to 1% and lightly run for 2 minutes
- Increase incline to 4% and walk for 3 minutes
- Lower incline to 1% and lightly run for 2 minutes
- Increase incline to 3% and brisk walk for 1 minute
- Cool down by lowering incline to 1% and comfortably jog or walk at an easy pace for a cool down of at least 5 minutes
Speed Performance
An Interval workout help increase your speed while maintaining the ability to control your environment. This allows you to train in moderate temperatures no matter what time of the year it is. Speed performance is a great way to get ready for an upcoming race or to challenge your personal best times.
Unfortunately, many running guides require you to keep track of your pace, heart rate, and other nuances so you can track your speed. But, the following is an easy workout to increase your speed without having to be a math genius.
- Warm-up with an easy jog or brisk walk for 5 to 15 minutes
- Run for 5 minutes so you are breathing heavy, while not going full capacity
- Run as fast as you can for 1 minute then easy jog or brisk walk for 45 seconds
- Repeat the above step 10 times
- Cool down with a light run or jog for at least 5 minutes
When you are used to this running workout, then begin to pay attention to your fastest pace and increase it by .5 mph every two weeks, until you reach your best.
The Leg Workout
This treadmill workout is a combination of cardio and strength moves. It will condition your leg muscles for toning and strength. The result is the ability to run faster, get lean, and improve overall conditioning. Try to incorporate this strength training once a week or twice if you feel very ambitious.
- Warm-up with brisk walking for 5 minutes.
- Walking Lunges – Set the treadmill incline to the highest incline you can comfortably walk without hurting your knees at a pace that would be similar to a slow walk, then “climb” by taking long strides for about 2 minutes, then stop the treadmill.
- Reduce the incline to flat and walk at a comfortable pace for 2 minutes, then stop the treadmill.
- Side Shuffle – While holding the handrail, stand sideways on the treadmill and increase the speed to about 3 to 4 mph. Shuffle sideways by taking short, rapid sideways steps for 2 minutes, then switch sides and repeat, straddle the belt and move to the next step.
- Face forward and walk at a comfortable pace for 2 minutes then stop the treadmill.
- Squat Side Shuffle – While holding the handrail, stand sideways and get into a squat position. Increase the treadmill speed to 1-2 mph and sidestep for 2 minutes, remaining in a squat position, then switch sides and repeat, then stop the treadmill.
- Backward Knee Raise and Hop - Set the treadmill speed to 2 or 3 mph and straddle the band while facing backward. Hold the rails firmly and extend your arms to support your body. Hop onto the band with your right foot, allowing your arms to lower you slightly. Hop onto the other foot and repeat. Go slowly to get used to the motion of a “hop run,” and raise your knees about chest level. Do this for 30-60 seconds and stop by landing on the treadmill with your feet on either side of the band.
- Cool down with a light jog or walk for 2 – 5 minutes and then an off-treadmill stretch.
Fartlek Road Run
For those who don’t know, fartlek is a type of high interval training combined with a running workout. Swedish for speed play, a fartlek workout would normally take place outdoors as you run using markers, like from tree to tree, as fast as you can then switch to a moderate jog for a block.
A treadmill can keep your attention the same way a basic fartlek workout would, by keeping intervals very short. The only rule here is to try to not stop running except for parts of the recovery; simply adjust your speed. Here’s an example:
- Warm-up with a walk or easy jog for 5 to 15 minutes
- Alternate easy running for 1 minute with fast running for 1 minute; repeat once for a total of four minutes
- Slower paced recovery jog for 2 minutes
- Alternate easy running for 1 minute fast running for 1 minute; repeat once for a total of four minutes
- Recovery jog for 2 minutes
- Alternate easy running for 1 minute with fast running for 1 minute
- Recovery pace for 2 minutes
- Alternate easy running for 1 minute with fast running for 1 minute
- Recovery pace for 2 minutes
- Cool down, light jog or walk for 5 to 15 minutes
