We have prepared the keys to treadmill training for beginners. Treadmills are perhaps one of the most used machines in the gym or for training at home for the ease that allows us to exercise doing cardio without having to go outdoors.
But beyond just being a good option to improve our cardiovascular condition or for warm-up minutes prior to other routines, the treadmill offers us the possibility of a variety of exercises with which we can take advantage of its potential and greatly improve our performance.
Working with your heart rate monitor, modifying the speed, time and even the inclination of the treadmill, we can achieve very complete workouts that can work on different areas of our body or simply challenge and give a twist to our usual routines.
That's why here's a list of the best treadmill workouts that you can easily apply to your next session.
5 Preparation
This training consists of 10 weeks of sessions, performing three workouts per week with a rest day between each one, you will see how you improve your physical condition and you will be able to run a distance of 5 kilometers at a good pace. In this type of training is better to rely on the heart rate indicated by our monitor and not on the mileage that marks the treadmill as these are usually somewhat inaccurate.
Warm up with a 2 minute walk and then 5 minutes of very gentle jogging.
- Put on your Running shoes and run for three minutes at a medium pace and then speed up to run for anotherthree minutes bringing your heart rate to 80%.
- After these three minutes, slow down on the treadmill to run again at a medium pace for three minutes. Repeat the circuit, speeding up and slowing down every three minutes until you have completed three repetitions.
- Run at a gentle pace for five minutes.
- Perform a final set of five minutes at 85-90% of your heart rate.
- Finish by running at a gentle pace for ten minutes.
- Cool down by walking for two minutes to regulate your heart rate.
In the second week of training, instead of running five minutes at 90% of your capacity, you will run for six minutes, increasing by one minute each week. At the end of the 10 weeks you will be running approximately 14 to 15 minutes at your maximum capacity, which means you will be ready for a 5 run without any problems.
If you've already mastered this distance and want to increase it or simply improve your times, we need to work on strength and endurance. Increase the incline of the treadmill by 1%, which will give you a feeling more like the actual run.
Hill training
Doing a workout where you vary the incline of the treadmill is a good option to develop our endurance, but it will also help to raise our metabolism rate, which leads to our metabolism staying activated for several hours after exercising, with a higher calorie burn than with a normal workout.
To do a hill workout you can follow the following plan:
- First you should warm up by walking for 2 minutes at a pace you are comfortable with.
- After those two minutes, start running with the treadmill completely flat and at a medium pace for 5 minutes.
- Raise the incline of the treadmill by 4 to 5 (check first how the incline is set on your treadmill) and run for 90 seconds at a pace fast enough to mean exertion (85% of your capacity, breathing becomes heavier and you won't be able to articulate more than about two or three words). After 90 seconds return the treadmill to 0% incline and reduce the pace to a very gentle jog to recover for 3 minutes.
- Perform this circuit 8 times, running at a fast pace for 90 seconds with the treadmill at an incline and resting at a gentle jog for 3 minutes for each of the sets.
- Once you have completedall 8 sets, run gently and without incline for 5 minutes.
- Finally, to cool down, walk for two minutes.
The entire workout hasa duration of 50 minutes, to be able to perform the slopes efficiently rest is important, make sure that the 3 minute jog is gentle enough so that you can recover well and be ready for the next slope.
This type of training will not only prepare you for running uphill, but will also help you improve your fitness on flat runs.
Increasing hills
This is a very effective type of training to gain strength/endurance. It will improve your running pace and lower your times. We're going to play with the incline of the treadmill, gradually increasing it to bring you to a higher effort.
- Start by walking for two minutes to warm up.
- Run at a gentle pace for eight minutes.
- After this time increase the incline of the treadmill by 1% and run at a fast pace that means effort, a good sign that you have reached the right pace is that your breathing allows you to articulate two or three words (no more). Run for 5 minutes.
- Decrease the incline and jog or walk briskly for two minutes to rest.
- Increase the incline of the treadmill again, this time to 2, and again run at a fast pace for 5 minutes.
- Decrease the incline again to jog or walk for two minutes.
- Now comes the most intense part of the exercise, increase the incline again, this time to 3, and run again as in the previous series for five minutes.
- Return the treadmill to the horizontal position and jog or walk for two minutes, then repeat the previous point again.
- Jog or walk for two minutes.
- Finally, run at a moderate pace for five minutes without any incline on the treadmill.
- Finally, walk for two minutes to cool down.
It is important that in each series of this workout you control your heart rate, if you do not have a monitor, the tip we have given you above is quite effective. With this workout you will be able to improve your fitness, as you will eventually be able to run the hills at a faster speed.
Downhill
When we have an important race and we are training on a treadmill it is also important to do some unloading sessions. The following workout focuses on running the inclines at a moderate pace and picking up the pace while the treadmill is horizontal, the plan is as follows:
- Walk for two minutes to warm up, then run at a moderate pace for 8 minutes.
- Tilt the treadmill 3 and run 1,500 meters at a moderate pace (this time you will need to watch the distance indicated on the treadmill); lower the incline of the treadmill to the horizontal position and run at a fast pace with maximum effort for two minutes, then run at a moderate pace for one minute to recover. Repeat this circuit 3 times.
To cool down run at a gentle pace for two minutes and then walk for two more minutes.
Recommendations
A heart rate monitor or heart rate monitor will be your best ally during treadmill workouts; since the mileages shown on treadmills are not very accurate, it is best to base your performance on the times you train at a certain heart rate, as we mentioned at the beginning of this article.
Although treadmill workouts are an excellent option when weather conditions do not allow us to run libre or simply because it is more comfortable to go to a gym or train at home, it is always a good idea to run outside at least once a week so you do not lose the sensations of the real ground.
If you are just starting out in running, it is appropriate to have a routine medical evaluation to determine if you are fit for intense workouts or if it is better to stick to more gentle, controlled paces.
The treadmill workouts we have presented are designed to be done a day apart, that is, approximately three times a week, if your goal is also to tone your body, the days you do not exercise on the treadmill you can do strength training, which will help you gain muscle mass and therefore a higher calorie burn.
Treadmills are really useful machines to improve our running performance through a controlled environment. Lead a more active lifestyle and improve your health from the ease of a treadmill.
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