Creating The Perfect Treadmill Workout
If you are a runner who either has a treadmill at home or enjoys using one at the gym
, you may have wondered if there is a better way to lose weight and gain strength than just running for as long as you can on a flat incline. The answer is, yes there is!
By creating a specific treadmill workout which involves different speeds and inclines, you can maximize the quality of the time you spend on your machine each time you use it. Some runners find treadmill running boring and tedious.
They argue that there's nothing to look at, that the indoor air is stale and that real runners do it outdoors. However, treadmill running has its benefits as well.
In fact, the predictability of treadmill running may also be its greatest virtue. The reliable roll of the belt, the comfortable indoor temperature, and the safety and security of a well-lit surface certainly beats icy roads, arctic blasts and dark, treacherous footing.
Plus, "predictable" doesn't have to mean boring. With a little imagination, you can design treadmill workouts more variable and more precise than those you do on a road or track.
Lastly, a modern, motorized treadmill lets you control pace and hills, and you can use this control to create workouts specifically targeted to improving your running. Below are four treadmill workouts that will make you a stronger, faster runner.
Each of them takes less than an hour, so they are easy to fit into your schedule. When running these treadmill workouts, keep two points in mind: first, don't do more than two of the workouts per week (the rest of the time, just run easily); and second, set your treadmill's elevation at one degree.
This compensates for the lack of air resistance in treadmill running and makes your speeds roughly equivalent to similar speeds outdoors. The first workout consists of this:
Run easily for ten minutes, then set the treadmill at a speed about twenty seconds per mile faster than your best recent 5-K pace. Run three three-minute repeats at this speed, alternating with three minutes of very slow jogging.
After completing a set of three repeats and recovery jogs, rest for five minutes by jogging. Then run a second set of three repeats and recovery jogs.
When finished, run easily for five minutes to cool down.For the next workout variation, begin with a ten-minute warm-up, and then set your treadmill at a speed about fifteen seconds per mile faster than your best recent 5-K pace (this new pace becomes your 5-K goal pace).
For your first treadmill workout at this pace, run continuously for five minutes. Finish the workout with ten to twenty minutes of easy cool-down running.
For each of the next ten weeks, run the same workout but increase the time you spend at your goal pace by one minute per week. At the end of ten weeks, you should be able to run a 5-K race at your goal pace.
For the next workout, warm up for ten minutes, then set the treadmill at your approximate marathon pace. If you've never run a marathon, estimate your marathon time by multiplying your typical 10-K time by 4.65.
With the treadmill elevated one degree, run for two minutes at marathon pace, then elevate the incline to two degrees and run for two minutes. Next, return to one degree for two minutes, but then climb to three degrees for two minutes.
Continue in this manner, raising the grade on every other two-minute repeat until you've reached seven degrees (the inclination pattern is 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7). If you feel exhausted before you reach seven degrees, stop, and don't let it worry you.
Try the workout several more times and you will develop the ability to handle the hills. Finish the workout by running an easy eight to ten minute cool down.
Last, try the patter called the "Broderick Crawford." This workout gets its name from its "ten-four" pattern, a familiar phrase to fans of the old Highway Patrol TV series.
Begin by warming up for ten minutes, then run for ten minutes at your current 10-K race pace. Jog very easily for four minutes to recover, then surge again for ten minutes at your 10-K tempo.
Recover for four minutes, and complete the workout with ten minutes of easy cool-down running. By regularly running treadmill workouts like these, you can develop a better sense of pace, increase your running economy and learn to deal with hills more efficiently.
Best of all, come spring, you'll be ready to set some new PRs. Try out one of these patters today and see what it can do for your body and your health!
by: Terry Daniels
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