Creating Running Workouts On Treadmills

Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
myTreadmillTrainer.com

Ah, the treadmill.  When people hear this word, they instantly think of running – and of sweating, cursing, wheezing, etc.  But, that’s because they’re not running with the right workouts.  A treadmill is a terrific device for fitness – what other device lets you run while indoors? (And we’re not talking about Wii Fit.)

Creating a workout for a treadmill is basically just like creating a workout for running outdoors.  A treadmill, though, lets you have greater control and gives you more options than the great outdoors. (Sorry, Mother Nature.)  Here is how you can create your own running workouts on treadmills.

Having Fun With Buttons

Look at the top panel of your treadmill.  Does it have lots of interesting and shiny buttons on it? Great! These buttons do a variety of things that can be very beneficial.  One that is very useful is the incline control.  You can change your slope from 0 degrees (flat) up to as much as 10 degrees in some models.  This makes your workout tough and puts stress on different muscles in your legs.

Another basic yet crucial control is the speed control.  You can actually program your treadmill for a specific pace and time limit for your run.  More on that later. The speed should be high enough at a minimum for running that you can’t keep up with the treadmill if you try to just walk quickly.

Setting The Course

Unlike those poor suckers out there slogging through rain and sleet, you can set your own course however you like it. For example, if you want to run at, say, 8 minutes a mile for 2 miles, you can program that in.  Then, when you reach the 2-mile mark, the treadmill turns up the speed and you run at a 7:30 mile pace for a mile.  Then it goes back down, etc.  Creating your program (or using a pre-programmed routine) before you start saves you the trouble of fiddling with the machine while running.

And hopefully keeps you from slipping and getting flung into your wall. Ouch.

A Few Guidelines

Here are some general rules of thumb for the type of routine you may want to create.  Generally speaking, if you want to lose weight, you should program a routine that takes you on a relatively-slow pace for a certain amount of time, then speeds it up into a sprint for 50% of the time of the first leg.  So, if you run a moderate pace for 20 minutes, you’ll run faster for 10 minutes.

If you want to build endurance, it’s good to run at a low to moderate pace for a longer distance.  If your top mile run time is, say, 6 minutes, try running 5-6 miles at a 7:30-8 minute pace.

No matter what routine you do, though, just remember the most important parts of creating running workouts on treadmills: Deciding what movie you’ll watch and what music you’ll listen to while exercising.

Aren’t treadmills great?

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