How To Build Endurance On A Treadmill

According to Troy West, CPT, owner of Empower Fitness Company in Portland, Oregon, cardiovascular endurance is defined as aerobic and/or anaerobic. Anaerobic endurance refers to the body's ability to perform near-maximal effort, using the "lactic acid" energy system. In anaerobic exercise, the body consumes intracellular glycogen as fuel. Aerobic endurance, on the other hand, refers to the body's ability to perform sub-maximal effort for a prolonged period of time. The body uses oxygen to consume body fat as a fuel source.
Both anaerobic and aerobic endurance are critical components of cardiovascular endurance. Fortunately, both can be trained simultaneously on your friendly neighborhood treadmill!

Step 1

Set the speed of the treadmill at a comfortable pace and complete a 3 to 5 minute warm-up at a pace that allows you to carry on a comfortable conversation while moving.

Step 2

Increase the speed of the treadmill to approximately 9 miles per hour for the first interval. This interval should last for 30 to 60 seconds after your heart rate (HR) registers in the target training heart rate (TTHR) zone. TTHR can be determined by using 75 to 90 percent of the maximum heart rate (MHR). One common method to determine MHR is to subtract your age from the nominal figure of 220. The MHR for a 32 year old athlete would be 188 BPM. This would make his TTHR zone approximately 141 to 170 BPM.

Step 3

Decrease the speed of the treadmill to 4 miles per hour until your HR drops to 120 beats per minute (BPM).

Step 4

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for a total of 10 to 15 repetitions, or up to 20 minutes. Although this is interval training and not defined as long, sustained-duration (LSD) training, it serves to provide the benefit of LSD training as well as anaerobic training by maintaining your HR in the aerobic training target heart rate zone.
By decreasing the rest interval needed to regain the 120 BPM heart rate, your endurance is increased.