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Treadmill workouts for every occasion

Whether you love it or hate it, sometimes your only option for a workout is the treadmill

Treadmill

Some people love the treadmill, and others feel like a hamster stuck running on a wheel. If you fall into the former group, you probably already do a lot of treadmill workouts, but if you’re a member of the latter population, you might need to add some treadmill training plans to your schedule. Treadmill running doesn’t have to be boring, and although you’ll be in the same spot for an extended period of time, you can still get in some productive and tough workouts in the comfort of your own home.

The easy run

Easy long runs are probably the reason a lot of runners can’t stand the treadmill. The workout is at a slow pace and it can seem to last forever, so by the time it’s over, you don’t want to do another treadmill run for a long time. If you can’t get outside for a run, though, the treadmill is a great option, because, let’s face it, any run is better than no run. The treadmill is also good for easy runs because you can set the pace and it won’t waver. This prevents you from pushing too hard on easy days, which you might accidentally do when you’re on the road.

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Intervals

As with the easy run, the treadmill works well for interval workouts. You have to hit a specific pace and hold it for a certain length of time, so you choose the speed, hop on the belt and go until your time is up. Repeat as needed. Easy, you don’t have to think about it and you won’t need to worry about missing your pace goals, because if you go too slowly, you’re going to take a tumble. The workout below is, of course, just a suggestion, but you can vary the length and intensity of the intervals and of the overall run to your liking and personal needs.

The workout:

  • 10-15 minute warmup
  • one minute at 5K pace (one minute easy jog)
  • two minutes at 5K pace (one minute easy jog)
  • four minutes at 10K pace (two minutes easy jog)
  • eight minutes at 10K pace (two minutes easy jog)
  • four minutes at 10K pace (two minutes easy jog)
  • two minutes at 5K pace (one minute easy jog)
  • one minute at 5K pace
  • 10-15 minute cool down

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Hill training

If your treadmill can increase its incline, you can fit hill session in at home. Hill training is a necessary part of every runner’s schedule, and whether you do it outside on real hills or inside on the treadmill, it’s a great addition to your weekly plan.

The workout:

  • 10-15 minute warmup
  • 8 x one minute at 10K pace, increasing the incline by 1% for each interval (one minute easy jog between each)
  • 8 x 30 seconds, alternating between 8% incline at 10K pace and 0% incline at 5K pace (one minute easy jog between each)
  • 6 x 30 seconds at faster than 5K pace on 0% incline (one minute easy jog between each)
  • 10-15 minute cool down

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Really, whatever workout you do on the road or track, you can do at home on the treadmill. You might not like it at first, but the more you do it, the more you might come to like it (or, at the very least, tolerate it). As an added bonus to the fitness you’ll maintain and improve upon while working out on the treadmill, you’ll also boost your mental game after spending hours running on the spot.

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