Hey SWEATCity! 

How ya doin?  :) I’ve gotten a lot of emails about creating EXCITING Treadmill Workouts… The Turkey Holiday is approaching, the weather’s getting a bit nippier, and I thought now’s the perfect time to give you what you want!

If you recall from my previous post I love to work with a heart rate monitor -

http://sweatcity.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/laceys-interval-workout/

I believe the monitor adds volumes to a workout because you know exactly where you stand. No ifs ands or buts about anything, if you’re working hard you know immediately because the monitor tells you. 

BUT not everyone has a Heart Rate Monitor sooo I’m going to give you a couple of Treadmill ideas that don’t require one, cool? COOL

Here’s how I look at it, there are 3 Variables you must take into account when doing a Treadmill workout: Time, Speed, and Incline 

Time: There are 4 Time limits that I think are appropriate for the treadmill, bear in mind every workout should include a 3-5 minute warm-up and cool down.  Always Warm it up, Always cool it down.

WORKOUT TIMES

1. 20mins – If you’re majorly strapped for time… If you must do a 20min quickie make it intense.

2. 30mins – Middle of the road – You can really make some progress with a 30.

3. 45mins – LOVE me a 45min workout, you should always aim to give up 45.  The 45er is not to much so that you’re dragging A&#@ but it gives you some time to add some bang to your buck!

4. 1HOUR – If you have time time for 1 hour that is GREAT. I am a firm believer that 1 hour is the limit on the amount of cardio you ever need to do in a day.

DISCLAIMER: If you’re training for a marathon, triathlon, or you’re a professional athlete that’s a different story.

INTERVALS: The amount of seconds/minutes you Jog, Sprint, or Climb.
Can be 30seconds, 60seconds, 2mins, 3mins, 5mins, 10mins, etc! In between each interval you choose how you need to recover.

SEVEN Treadmill WORKOUTS – Spice it UP!

 

1. The SPRINT OFF

Best used when you’re strapped for TIME – 20 or 30minute workout.RULES of the GAME: See how many sprints you can complete in 20mins.

Warm-up for 3mins at a comfortable pace.
SPRINT as fast as you can for 30seconds, increase speed on the treadmill dramatically. My sprint is an 8 or an 8.5mph
Recovery: Bring the speed back to a comfortable jog for 1/2/3mins depending on your fitness level. Beginners will need more recovery.
Repeat until you finish… Cooldown.  

When you get fitter you will need less rest time AND the amount of sprints you complete will increase. I find it FUN do to do this workout once a week and try to beat the amount of sprints UNTIL you can’t anymore. Soooo keep track of your number!

 

2 . The ALTERNATOR

FUN to do for 30-45mins OR 1Hour, Alternate between Hills and Sprints

Warm-up for 3mins at a comfortable pace.
This section is similar to The SPRINT OFF – SPRINT as fast as you can for 30seconds or 1min
Recovery: Bring the speed back to a comfortable jog pace for 2/3/4mins depending on your fitness level.
HILL – Increase the incline on the Treadmill to a height you can still keep a comfortable running pace at for 3mins
Recovery: Decrease the incline to the start level of 1.0 and jog at a comfortable pace
Repeat until the finish – Sprint, Recovery, Hill, Recovery, Sprint….

The more fit you get the shorter the rest periods, the faster the sprints and the steeper the inclines… YOU make it as hard or as easy as you can handle on any given day!

 

3. MOUNT EVEREST

HILL MANIA… How High Can YOU Go?!  This is a day where you are willing to work hard, get a ggreaatt playlist because you are in for some bun burning action! 30/45/1hour

Warm-up for 3mins at a comfortable pace.

Increase the speed to a level 6-7 for you on a scale of 1-10. For me that speed on a treadmill is around a 6.5 at an incline of 1.0 for 3mins
After 5mins increase the Incline by 2, so now you are at an Incline of 3 keep the same speed.
After 5mins increase the Incline by 2, so now you are at an Incline of 5, keep the same speed.
After 5mins increase the Incline by 2, now you are at an Incline of 7, decrease your speed by .5. For the entire Mount Everest you want to maintain a steady jog… So if you need to adjust the speed in accordance to the incline do it.  YOUR goal is to keep it moving up that hill until you finish your alloted workout time.

Continue adding 2 to the incline and adjusting the speed until you’ve reached your Treadmill’s max Incline or you’ve finished your allotted time. This takes more than sweat you will need to be mentally tough to handle Mount Everest… YES YOU CAN!

 

4. Marathon Mountain MIX

This is a GREAT 45min Workout! Not including warm-up and cool down

Do a Mount Everest Workout for first 15mins of your workout BUT instead of increasing the incline by 2 increase it by 5, much more aggressive HILL. Do this for 15 Mins.

After 15mins decrease the Incline to 1.0 and run at a Great comfortable steady pace for 15mins. A speed of 6-7 on a scale of 1-10, do this for 15mins.

For the Final 15mins do another Mini Mount Everest!

This is an AWESOME workout because it involves a lot of variables, which staves off boredom!

 

5. Sprinting CLIMBER!

Obvi warm-up This is a GREAT 20min/30min Workout!

Jog at a pace that is not a sprint but also isn’t jog… YOU want to feel like you’re putting in some effort, do this for 5mins.

Then Increase the Incline to a VERY HIGH level. For me I would put it at an incline of 10. Once the treadmill has kicked in the incline, which often takes awhile… Adjust your speed to a sprint. Run up that hill for at least 1.30; shoot to make it 2mins.

Once complete decrease the incline back to a level 1.0 and recover for 1/2mins depending on your fitness level.

Then Repeat – Jog for 5mins, INTENSE CLIMB for 1.30-2mins, Recover, etc.

Cooolll dowwwnnn.

 

6. The RUN

YOU all know this one Warm it up and then go! Very old school but it works like a charm. Your speed will be dependent on your Workout TIME.  Make sure to keep the pace consistent for the entire workout. I find this to be the best workout when I am completely stressed out and want to clear my head. Most fun done outside!

The RUN is best done for the longer haul – 45mins to an Hour
Nothing fancy just flat ground for the entire workout… I like my run to be an hour and I tend to stay around 7-7.5mph the entire time.

 

7. Marathon-Sprinting-Mountain Climber-COMBO!

You can do this Workout in whatever order your heart desires! I think you get the picture… I will lay it out for you and if you have any questions you know where to find me, right?  This workout involves sooo many variables I would do it for at least 45mins…  An HOUR would be ideal.

Let’s warm it up of course for 5mins

Marathon – Nothing fancy just flat ground for 10mins… I stay around 7-7.5
Sprinting – Follow the RULES of the SPRINT OFF for 15mins
Mountain CLIMBER – Follow the RULES of the more aggressive Hill in The Marathon Mountain Mix for 15mins
Marathon – Finish off the last 10mins of the workout as you began… Nothing-fancy just flat ground at a pace that isn’t a sprint but also isn’t a jog for 10.
5min Cool-Down – DONE!

Those are SEVEN of my favorite Treadmill Running Workouts…  I hope they add a little spice to your workout!  :)