If you dread the treadmill, check out these six routines that will help you outrun boredom and get better results than ever.
1. Turn Up Your Tempo
Set the incline to 1 percent and warm up with 10 minutes of easy running. Then set the pace 3.2 kilometres faster than your easy running pace—say, approximately 5.0 kilometres per 8 minutes if you usually run 10-minute kilometres for a long, easy run. Go at that tempo for 3 to 4 minutes, then walk for 3 to 4 minutes. That’s one round; do 3 to 5 total rounds.
“This is a maximum aerobic effort that helps you push your easy pace,” says Rich Agnello, C.S.C.S., a coach for the New York-New Jersey Track Club and Next Level Sports & Fitness Training.
2. Progression Run
Warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of easy running. Then set the incline at 1 percent and start running at an 8 kilometres-per-hour pace. Increase the speed by 0.3 km/h every minute until you completely fatigue.
“This workout will systematically and incrementally increase an athlete’s lactate threshold,” says Andrew Kastor, head coach for Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth, California. “It will also develop mental patience and boost VO2 Max.”
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3. Half-Kilometre Intervals
Warm up with 15 to 20 minutes of easy running. Then run a half-kilometre at 75 percent of your hardest effort. When you hit the half-kilometre mark, slow to a jog for 200 meters. That’s one round; do 6 to 8 total rounds.
“By not fully recovering between repeats, you still improve your ability to run fast but also ensure you have the aerobic strength and support to maintain goal pace on race day,” says Jeff Gaudette, head coach at RunnersConnect.net.
4. The Horrible Hill Workout
Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running. Begin your workout by setting the incline to 8 percent and sprint as fast as possible for 30 seconds. Then lower the incline to 5 percent and walk for 30 seconds. After walking, sprint for 90 seconds at your 10K pace, then walk for 2 minutes. That’s one round; do 6 to 9 total rounds.
“This workout challenges your anaerobic and neuromuscular system while also helping build strength with the long hill repeat,” says Gaudette.
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5. Commercial Repeats
This one requires a television in front of you. Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running. Every time a commercial comes on during a show or game you’re watching, run 1.5 to 2 minutes per kilometre faster than your warm-up pace until the regular program returns. Do this until completely exhausted.
“It’s a killer toward the end of a close basketball game,” says Budd Coates, a four-time qualifier for the Olympic Marathon trials and special contributor to Runner’s World magazine.
6. Progressive Intervals
Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running. Start the treadmill at 11.3 kilometres per hour on a 1 percent incline and run for 60 seconds at that pace. Then lower the speed to an easy pace and take a 60-second break. Bump up the speed to 12.1 km/h and repeat this 60 seconds of running with a 60-second break while increasing the speed by 0.8 km/h after each break. Once you can’t hold that faster speed for the full 60 seconds, drop the interval down to 30 seconds of running with 60 seconds of rest until you can’t go anymore.
Ensure to stay hydrated during these workouts and consider incorporating dynamic stretches into your warm-up routine to prevent injury and improve flexibility. For all your workout equipment visit Trojanhealth.co.za.
This article was originally published on www.menshealth.com
