Let’s be real – running indoors can sometimes feel repetitive, boring, and frankly, like the least appealing thing to do when at the gym. The best thing about treadmill workouts is that there are plenty – and I mean endless – ways to switch it up.Crank up the speed and go all-out for some sprints, mess with the incline to power through hill climbs, or get bold and throw in walking lunges to create a spicy HIIT session. These seven treadmill workouts from top trainers will shake up your routine – and who knows, you might even (dare I say it?) start looking forward to hopping on this mainstay machine.Meet the experts: Ellen Latham, CPT, is a personal trainer and creator and co-founder of Orangetheory Fitness. Karli Alvino, CPT, is a personal trainer and coach at Mile High Run Club. Michaela Ragaas, CPT, is a personal trainer and education and training manager at Technogym. Matthew Meyer, CPT, is a personal trainer and run coach at Mile High Run Club.1. The Best Treadmill Workout For StrengthWhat it’s all about: Keep your treadmill at a 1 percent incline whenever you reach your steady-state pace – this is your recovery period. You’ll increase the incline from there to target your glutes and hamstrings. “By increasing the incline, you will increase the effort it takes to maintain your speed,” says Latham, the creator of this workout.Time: 15+ minutes5 minutes: Warm-up (walk or jog)
1 minute: Steady-state pace at 1 percent incline
1 minute: Maintain pace at 2 percent incline
1 minute: Maintain pace at 1 percent incline
1 minute: Maintain pace at 3 percent incline
Continue alternating 1 minute at 1 percent incline, then 1 minute at a higher incline, increasing by 1 percent incline every time, until you have reached the highest incline on the treadmill (or as high as you can go). Maintain steady-state pace throughout.
5 minutes: Cooldown (walk or jog)2. The Best Treadmill Workout For EnduranceWhat it’s all about: Push your steady pace – that speed you can comfortably maintain for about a half hour – through longer and longer intervals in this workout from Latham. You’ll increase your speed for one to three minutes, with an active recovery after that. “The longer you increase speed, the longer your steady-state pace,” says Latham. Breathe deep and focus on running long and strong.Time: 17+ minutes5 minutes: Warm-up (walk or jog)
1 minute: 1–2 mph above steady-state pace
1 minute: Steady-state pace
2 minutes: 1–2 mph above steady-state pace
2 minutes: Steady-state pace
3 minutes: 1–2 mph above steady-state pace
3 minutes: Steady-state pace
Repeat until fatigued, always matching your steady-state pace recovery with the duration of your effort.
5 minutes: Cooldown (walk or jog)3. The Best Treadmill Workout For Weight LossWhat it’s all about: Targeting your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves with this treadmill workout that also incorporates strength training moves, created by Ragaas. Bonus: It will help improve your core stability – a key to better, faster mileage.Time: 13-16 minutes4 minutes: Warm-up (jog)
30 seconds: Squats (off the tread)
1 minute: Walk
1 minute: Walking lunges (at 3 mph or comfortable pace)
30 seconds: Sprint at max speed
Repeat from the squats for 2-3 rounds
3 minutes: 8-15 percent incline walkREAD MORE: Everything You Need To Know About The Viral 12-3-30 Treadmill Workout On TikTok4. The Best Treadmill Workout For PowerWhat it’s all about: This workout centres around 60-second sprints. To figure out your sprint speed, consider your steady-state pace – a pace you can maintain for about 25 to 30 minutes – says Ellen Latham. Then, increase that speed by three kilometres per hour for your spring pace. “The goal is to try to match or slightly increase the speed from the previous effort [with each sprint],” she says. “The purpose of this style of interval training is to increase your muscles’ ability to produce power on the treadmill.” You’ll also improve the rate at which you recover from each sprint, as well as your endurance.Time: 16-20 minutes5 minutes: Warm-up (walk or jog)
1 minute: Steady-state pace
1 minute: Sprint
Repeat the minute intervals 6-10 times, alternating steady-state pace and sprint
5 minutes: Cooldown (walk or jog)5. The Best Treadmill Workout For Beginners What it’s all about: Beginner runners tend to gravitate toward running workouts with a lot of room for breaks, says Karli Alvino. “This program has a lot of intervals, as well as room for improvement.” Because of this, it’s a good intro to tread workouts. FYI: RPE stands for “rate of perceived exertion.” On a scale of 0 to 10, think of 0 as an effort equivalent to relaxing on the couch, 5 a recovery jog that’s easy enough for you to talk, and 10 your all-out sprint, says Alvino.Time: 38 minutes5 minutes: Warm-up (dynamic stretches, walk or jog)
90 seconds: Light run (RPE 6)
1 minute: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
90 seconds: Run at 3 percent incline (RPE 6–7)
1 minute: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
90 seconds: Hard run (RPE 8)
1 minute: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
90 seconds: Hard run (RPE 8–9)
2 minutes: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
90 seconds: Hard run (RPE 8–9)
2 minutes: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
90 seconds: Hard run (RPE 8–9)
2 minutes: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
2 minutes: Run at 3 percent incline (RPE 6–7)
90 seconds: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
2 minutes: Hard run (RPE 7–8)
90 seconds: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
2 minutes: Breathless run (RPE 8–9)
90 seconds: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
30 seconds: Sprint (RPE 10)
90 seconds: Recovery walk (RPE 3–4)
30 seconds: Sprint (RPE 10)
2 minutes: Cooldown (walk or jog)6. The Best Treadmill Workout For StaminaWhat it’s all about: Strengthen your cardio endurance and improve your muscular endurance (or how long your muscles can work) with this program. “Muscular endurance allows you to perform a skill more effectively and you achieve it through developing muscular strength at lower loads and high repetition,” says Michaela Ragaas, who designed this incline workout to do just that.Time: 30 minutes4 minutes: Warm-up (establish a comfortable pace, then mix in lateral walks, high knees and butt kicks)Hill 1:1 minute: 3 percent incline run (comfortable pace)
1 minute: 0 percent incline active recovery walk or jog
1 minute: 5 percent incline run (a step above comfortable pace)
1 minute: 0 percent incline active recovery walk or jog
1 minute: 5 percent incline run (a step above comfortable pace)
1 minute: 0 percent incline active recovery walk or jog
1 minute: 3 percent incline run (comfortable pace)
2 minutes: 1 percent incline (recovery pace)Hill 2:90 seconds: 4 percent incline (a step above comfortable pace)
30 seconds: 0 percent incline active recovery walk or jog
90 seconds: 3 percent incline (a step above comfortable pace; aim for 0.5 mph higher than last incline)
30 seconds: 0 percent incline active recovery walk or jog
90 seconds: 2 percent incline (a step above comfortable pace; aim for 0.5 mph higher than last incline)
90 seconds: 0 percent incline active recovery walk or jog
90 seconds: 1 percent incline (a step above comfortable pace)Hill 3:1 minute: 1 percent incline (recovery speed)
2 minutes: 3 percent incline (a step above comfortable pace)
1 minute: 1 percent incline (recovery speed)
2 minutes: 3 percent incline (a step above comfortable pace)
4 minutes: cooldown, 0 percent incline (walk or jog)READ MORE: Winter Training Just Got An Upgrade With The Trojan Pro Series Treadmill7. The Best Treadmill Workout For SpeedWhat it’s all about: “Speed is considered one of the most fundamental components of fitness performance,” says Ragaas. To pick up your pace and build your strength, you’ll focus on both speed and inclines during this workout. Don’t be afraid to get uncomfortable!Time: 10 minutes1 minute: Easy pace at 4 percent incline (think warm-up speed)
1 minute: Moderate pace at 4 percent incline
1 minute: Hard pace at 4 percent incline
1 minute: Easy pace at 2 percent incline (think active recovery speed)
1 minute: Moderate pace at 2 percent incline
1 minute: Hard pace at 2 percent incline
1 minute: Easy pace at 0 percent incline
1 minute: Moderate pace at 0 percent incline
1 minute: Hard pace at 0 percent incline
1 minute: Recovery jog or walk at 0 percent inclineThis article by Mallory Creveling was originally published on Women’s Health US. More
