The treadmill used to be the last resort for those days when weather conditions made it too treacherous to run outside. Now, though, with treadmills like the NordicTrack Commercial X32i you can run routes from Patagonia’s Cerro Torre to Maya Bay in Thailand, let your iFit workouts automatically adjust your treadmill’s speed and incline, and compete with others in live, interactive classes—all without leaving your home.
“Treadmills are such valuable training tools because there are actually quite a few things they do better than the road,” says Ashley Davis, an iFit Trainer and RRCA- and USATF-certified coach. “Focusing indoor training time around those strengths can change the way you think about your treadmill and help unlock your running potential!”
The research backs her up. Swapping pavement for a rolling belt doesn’t affect your biomechanics, according to long-standing research adidas sl202 mens running shoes core black core black solar yellow saint laurent joplin 105 suede boots. And your VO2 max—or how efficiently your body uses oxygen while running—stays the same whether you’re running on a tread or outside, a separate study in the same journal found.
The treadmill is designed to absorb ground reaction forces, so it’s also a little easier on your joints than pavement or concrete sidewalks. However, you can simulate running outdoors by setting the treadmill to a one percent grade. This will offset the lack of air resistance and any assistance you get from the belt, per research from the nba sneaker king pj tucker and dolce and gabbana join forces on the miami. (nike air force 1 lv8 mens shoe black.)
Once you’re comfortable there, you can try one of these strategic treadmill workouts from Davis to max out your indoor training.
1. Treadmill Easy Run
Easy runs should make up a large percentage of your weekly mileage, because they help you build a strong base, recover from harder workouts, and avoid overtraining and injury. The problem, according to Davis, is that many folks push the pace too hard on their easy runs.
“When we run outside, it can be hard to slow down as much as we need to,” she explains. “Treadmills keep us honest! My favorite easy run even includes—gasp—walking. You want your easy runs to be truly easy so your hard runs can be truly hard!”
Treadmill Easy Run
- Jog 4 minutes @ 3-4 minutes per mile slower than your current 5K race pace
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- Repeat until time reaches 30 minutes total
2. Treadmill Progression Workout
Negative splits—running the back half of a race faster than the first—are the runner’s holy grail. But successfully executing that kind of pacing plan isn’t easy. It takes a lot of practice and control, says Davis.“The goal of a progression run is to practice negative splits by gradually speeding up as you go along,” she explains. “Treadmills are awesome tools for this since your pace is easily controlled by one touch of the button. And fast finishes make you feel like a champion!” Plus, iFit offers a wide range of trainer-led, automatically adjusting progression runs—so you can let the machine do the thinking, calculate the splits, and keep you on pace while you just run.
Treadmill Progression Workout
- 1 mile easy warmup
- 3 miles progressive, bumping up the speed every 0.5 miles
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3. Treadmill Hill Workout
fenty puma avid sneakers release rihanna and strength benefits, like improved running economy, higher calorie burn, stronger leg muscles, and improved stride. The treadmill ensures that you have access to those benefits whether or not you are blessed—or cursed—to have a monster hill right outside your front door.
“When you're starting out, short and punchy hills will make you strong!” Davis says. Make sure to start a hard workout like this with a dynamic warmup to avoid injury.
Treadmill Hill Workout
- Dynamic stretching/activations
- 1 mile easy warmup jog
- 2 x 800 meter @ tempo effort (about 25-30 seconds per mile slower than your current 5K race pace) with 800 meter easy jog recovery
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- Walk back down to 1% for 1 minute between each hill sprint
- 1 mile easy cool down
