Running on a treadmill is a great way to develop your cardiovascular strength and endurance while also shaping and toning your legs and lower body. Not only can you get a good jog or a brisk walk in on a treadmill, you can also run sprints on a treadmill as well. Although many people workout on treadmills on a regular basis, they do not know the key to getting the best possible results from their exercise.
Running Sprints
Because of the level of exertion expended during sprints, you can burn more calories quicker than doing low intensity workouts for a long period of time. The goal of running sprints on the treadmill is to complete intense bursts, running as fast as you can for a short amount of time to expend as much energy as you can during your sprints. Challenging your body is the quickest way to burn calories and reach your overall fitness goals.
Interval Running
Interval training involves pushing yourself to the limit for a short period of time followed by brief periods of rest. On a treadmill, begin with a warmup and slowly increase your pace to an easy jog. Every couple of minutes, increase your pace to an all-out sprint for 30 seconds before returning to your normal jog. Continue to do this for eight to 10 repetitions before finishing off with a brisk walk as a cool-down exercise.
Pyramid Intervals
An additional interval strategy on the treadmill involves slowly building up your speed until you are sprinting, with brief rests in between each sprint, followed by slowly decreasing your pace with each interval. To begin, start with a brisk walk with the machine set to around 4 mph. After a few minutes, ramp up your run to around 7.0 mph and run at this pace for one minute. Continue to repeat this repetition and gradually build up speed each time you are in the running phase of the workout until you reach an all-out sprint. Then slowly return back to 7.0 mph on the interval by hitting all of the speeds you did working up to the all-out sprint.
Have Fun With Sprints
An important element of any workout routine is to continue to change your exercises to not get bored or reach a plateau in your results. To do this, be sure to try other types of sprints, such as running for a set distance during your sprints instead of a set time. In addition, try running wind sprints outside to work more muscles in your legs than you would on a treadmill. You will not only see better results but you will also have some fun while doing it.
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