If you are going to spend time slogging away on the treadmill, you want to make it count. The best treadmill jogging routine will help you beat boredom and burn calories in the least amount of time possible. Whatever your goals, incorporate intervals to constantly challenge your body and maximize your effort.
Function
Before you get on the treadmill, determine what your specific goals are for the workout. Are you trying to improve your cardiovascular health, maintain your weight, improve a race time, make your heart rate more efficient, or burn calories to lose weight? The best treadmill jogging routine for you will help you achieve your particular goal or goals. Having a measurable goal also gives your workout a purpose and can lead to adherence to your program. One of the best ways to address any of the aforementioned goals is through an interval workout.
Features
An interval routine on the treadmill can take on infinite forms. Use speed, incline and time as variables and create periods of intensity followed by periods of active recovery. Intensity levels of the "working" part of an interval workout vary, but strive to take your jog to a place that is uncomfortable for you---heavy breathing and a heart rate risen to at least 75 percent of maximum. The recovery periods last long enough for you to regain control of your breath and heart rate.
Examples
You can manipulate speed, hills and time to adjust your interval workout. For example, jog two minutes at an easy pace, followed by two minutes of jogging at an intense pace (working at about 80 percent of heart rate maximum). Repeat five times for a short, high calorie burn. Substitute inclines of between 3 and 10 percent for the speed to change up the way your body is challenged during the work portion of the intervals. Finally, vary the time spent in your working zone, perform intervals of 30 seconds and work your way up to 5 minutes. Also vary the active recovery times; some workouts make them equal to the time you worked (for example, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off), twice as long as your work (for example, 1 minute on, 2 minutes off) or less than your work (for example, 2 minutes on, 1 minute off).
Benefits
High-end athletes use intervals to improve their performance, but intervals help recreational athletes and casual joggers as well. A study published in the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise" in May 2001 showed that high intensity interval training can help people lose more weight than regular endurance based exercise because of the after-effects such training has on the metabolism. Interval training also improves overall cardiovascular endurance as shown by a McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2005. Interval training keeps your jogging routine interesting and full of variety, so you may actually look forward to your workouts.
Considerations
If you are new to jogging, the best interval routine for you would involve walking with short running intervals. Higher intensity intervals can increase stress on your heart, so if you have cardiovascular issues, please consult a doctor before beginning an interval routine. If you push your intervals near your maximum heart rate, be sure to take rest days between sessions for optimum recovery and to decrease the chance of over training.
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