3 Treadmill Workouts to Try

Running and walking for miles on the treadmill can sometimes get a little boring.

But, the good news is that there are a lot of ways you can switch up your routine on the tread to keep yourself entertained and that bring some serious performance benefits to your workout!

Challenge yourself and try one of these workouts next time you're on the treadmill.

Who knows... you may even learn to like (or even love) spending time on this cardio machine!

Intervals for Speed

This workout is a simple and effective method for beginners and experienced runners to reduce the risk of injury and improve their speed and endurance. The key is finding a steady pace you can maintain during the jogging portion. You train your muscles to produce more power as you run by increasing speed through these intervals.

Time: 25 to 30 Minutes

• 5 Minutes: Warm-up (walk or jog)
• 1 Minute: Steady Pace Jog (1-2 MPH higher than your warm-up pace)
• 30 Seconds - 1 Minute: Sprint (2+ MPH higher than steady pace)
• 1 Minute: Recovery (walk or jog)
• Repeat the 1-minute intervals 4 to 6 times
• 5 Minute: Cool-down (walk or jog)

Intervals for Endurance

Push yourself through longer and faster intervals and build endurance between them with active recovery time after each speed push. Training your muscles to run at a faster speed for longer will help you increase your endurance at higher speeds and your steady running pace.

Time: 20 + Minutes

• 5 Minutes: Warm-up (walk or jog)
• 1 Minute: 1 - 2 MPH higher than Steady Pace
• 1 Minute: Steady Pace Recovery (1-2 MPH higher than your warm-up pace)
• 2 Minutes: 1 - 2 MPH higher than Steady Pace
• 2 Minutes: Steady Pace Recovery
• Repeat intervals as desired, always matching the time of your push with your steady pace recovery
• 5 Minute: Cool-down (walk or jog)

Incline Intervals for Strength

This workout uses increases in the treadmill's incline to burn out and build strength in your hamstrings. Although you keep your same steady walking or jogging pace, increasing the incline will require more effort from your muscles to maintain speed.

Time: 15 + Minutes

• 5 Minutes: Warm-up (walk or jog)
• 1 Minute: Steady Pace (1-2 MPH higher than your warm-up pace) at 1 to 3 incline
• 1 Minute: Maintain Pace and Increase Incline by 1
• 1 Minute: Return to Original Incline and Maintain Pace 
• 1 Minute: Maintain Pace and Increase Incline by 2
• Continue alternating between 1 minute at your original incline and 1 minute at an increased incline for as high as you can while maintaining your steady pace.
• 5 Minute: Cool-down (walk or jog)

Takeaways...

These intervals are a fun way of switching up your time on the treadmill and can even help you stay more engaged with your workout.

Best of all, interval training is time-efficient, torches calories, and can help increase your metabolism for hours after your workout's complete.

If you're short on time or looking for a way to spice up your cardio routine, try interval training!

Would you add intervals into your cardio workout?