Running Routine for a Treadmill

The treadmill is an excellent tool for setting up a running routine. You can vary your workout in many ways to keep it interesting and challenging, and you never have to worry about weather or other barriers to running outdoors. There are some basic treadmill workouts you can use to help build or enhance a well-rounded running program. Your running routine will be most effective if you incorporate at least two different types of running workouts. Generally, the more you vary the types of training in your routine, the better your body will be equipped to handle many different fitness challenges, and you will also avoid training plateaus.

Moderate Intensity Endurance Workout

If your primary goal is to build cardio endurance and/or add distance to your runs, moderate intensity endurance workouts should be the cornerstone of your routine. After your warm-up, set the treadmill at an easy or moderate pace, and maintain that pace for your entire run. As a general rule, a moderate pace is one at which you are sweating and breathing a little harder than normal, but at which you could still carry on a conversation or say a full sentence without needing to take a breath---this is known as the talk test. Your pace should be slow enough that you can run at least 3 miles or 30 minutes (whichever is shorter) without stopping and without exceeding the talk test rule. Your goal is to increase the time and distance that you can run while maintaining a moderate intensity.

High Intensity Interval Workout

A high intensity interval workout is an excellent contrast to the moderate intensity endurance workout and helps build speed in addition to cardio endurance. In an interval session, you push yourself for short periods of time to the point where your heart rate is elevated and you are almost completely out of breath, then recover for a few minutes or until you catch your breath, then repeat. On a treadmill, you can change the intensity of your running to create this interval effect by changing speed, incline, or both. Your goal is to make your intense intervals longer and/or more intense, your recovery intervals shorter, and your total workout time longer.

Hill Workout

A hill workout can be similar to an interval workout, but the focus is on training the muscles in your legs to handle incline rather than just increasing intensity. Your legs move differently running uphill than running on a flat surface, and training with incline helps reduce the risk of injury from these different forces on your legs. A treadmill allows you to run at varying degrees of incline. If you are not used to running at an incline, start with a slight uphill grade and work up from there. Try a structure similar to an interval workout, where you run uphill for a few minutes, then on a flat surface for a few minutes, and repeat.

Preset Programs

Most treadmills have several preset programs that allow you to add other variables to your running workouts. These might include virtual hill courses, different types of interval workouts, heart rate-based workouts, and others. Consult your treadmill manual or the staff at your health club for more information on these options.

Recovery

Recovery is as important to a healthy, balanced running routine as any other running workout, and is essential for avoiding overuse injuries. If you run several times a week, try to fit in one day of active recovery each week, or do an "easy week" for every few weeks of hard training. A simple active recovery formula: Set your treadmill to an easy jogging pace or a brisk walk, use little or no incline, and exercise for 20 to 30 minutes.