5 Treadmill Workouts That'll Make You Love Running Indoors

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5 Treadmill Workouts

Article by: Kieran Alger

Illustrated by: Mary Delaney

Taking your workout indoors is often the last resort for runners but when the weather turns against you, the treadmill can be the only option. And while the 'dreadmill' might lack the excitement – and fresh air – of running outdoors, there are benefits to stepping onto the belt. The ability to control variables such as speed, time and incline make it ideal for interval sessions and 'hill' runs and of course, it very rarely rains in the gym.

“The problem many people have with the treadmill is they hit Quickstart, stick to what they know and do their usual regular run," says Rory Knight, 36, a global treadmill educator, instructor and co-founder of Track Life LDN, a London-based running movement that aims to bring athlete-inspired workouts to everyday runners.

“That soon gets boring and doesn't offer the best returns," he adds. “Treadmills are best used for interval training and following a structured session can be fun, motivational and give you some great training benefits too."

Here Knight shares five of his top creative treadmill sessions to help you maximize the fun of those indoor runs.

Warmup and mobility drills

Before you hit the treadmill Knight suggests performing a number of mobility drills to get your body warmed up and prepared for the session. This will ensure all your muscles are firing and to help you focus on form and technique.

“Look to incorporate some single leg balance drills, just as you'd ideally do to prepare your body for a run outdoors," he says. "Try some hip openers such as opening and closing the gate."

To 'open the gate', stand on the spot or jog slowly and pick up each leg one at a time, keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees, rotate it outwards as if you were lifting it over a small barrier (opening the gate). To 'close the gate', repeat the action in the opposite direction, lifting your knee out to one side and bringing it back to a central position.

Knight also suggests the world's greatest stretch as a good warm-up drill. To do this move, start by adopting a plank position with both hands planted firmly on the floor underneath your shoulders. Your toes should support your legs stretched out behind you. Next, bring your right foot up to meet your right hand and then twist your torso, raising your right hand to the sky. Bring your arm back down slowly and return to the plank position. Then repeat this on the left hand side.

When you're running you spend most of the time on one leg or the other these drills will get each side of the body firing optimally, Knight explains.

He also suggests some simple moves you can do on the treadmill as part of your warmup. These should be done at a steady, slow jog, although you can adjust the speed for different drills as needed.

“Start with some low skips to prepare your calves and ankles, your feet should just be leaving the belt," he suggests. “Do this for about 10-15 seconds with around 10-15 seconds of running between each drill to give you time to think about your technique for the next one."

Next Knight recommends some butt kicks for 10-15 seconds and then shifting into a mid-knee run, lifting your knees to just below hip height and initiating that arm drive.

“If you feel comfortable doing this you can move onto a more advanced version," he says, "taking the skip into a bound, doing single leg butt kicks – 10 on each side – and bringing your right knee up for 10, left knee for 10."

Your warm up should last for around five minutes.

Cool down

After each workout take a few minutes to jog slowly or walk and bring your heart rate back down to a normal level and go through your regular cool down stretches.

Top treadmill workouts

Now you're ready to take on your main set of running drills. As many treadmills have different speed settings and pace is very much down to the individual, these workouts are based on intensity, meaning they're suitable for all levels as long as you work to your own ability. If you want to make your workout tougher or longer, just add on an extra set.

A word of warning though, form and safety are paramount. You should never be running so fast or on such a steep gradient that your technique suffers. There's no shame in knocking the speed or incline down a notch if you have to – and it may just save you from ending up on the injury table.

1. The speed pyramid

Short sharp bursts of speed are great for testing your speed over different durations. Towards the end, when you're running on tired legs, this session will replicate the feeling you have at the end of a race when you're gunning for a fast finish.

You should be running your hard efforts at around 80-90 percent capacity. If you sprint from the start there's no way you'll be able to finish. You're going to need that recovery so take it down to a walk between the fast bursts. Be aware of the cumulative effect!

Run 30 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 30 seconds

Run 45 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 45 seconds

Run 60 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 60 seconds

Run 75 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 75 seconds

Run 90 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 90 seconds

Run 75 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 75 seconds

Run 60 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 60 seconds

Run 45 seconds at 80-90 percent

Recover with a walk or very light jog for 45 seconds

Run 30 seconds between 90-100 percent effort - last one!

2. Rolling hills

Unless you're on the track, or live in a really flat area, when you're running outdoors at some point you're likely to encounter hills. This session replicates outdoor hill training and has the added benefit that once you've run on an incline, running on the flat feels so much easier – both mentally and physically. The strength benefits of hill training will equate to more speed and power in your legs over time.

Find a comfortable pace on the treadmill that you can comfortably hold for 10 minutes or longer. This pace shouldn't feel easy, but nor should it feel too hard.

Set incline to 4 percent for one minute

Reduce incline to 0 percent for 45 seconds

Set incline to 6 percent for one minute

Reduce incline to 0 percent for 45 seconds

With incline still at 0 percent accelerate, pump up the speed and run at around 80-90 percent effort for 45 seconds. There's a recovery coming so don't be afraid to go for it!

Recover and reset your body with a slow walk for one minute

Set incline to 6 percent for one minute

Reduce incline to 0 percent for 45 seconds

Set incline to 4 percent for one minute

Reduce incline to 0 percent for 45 seconds

With incline still at 0 percent accelerate, pump up the speed and run at around 80-90 percent effort for 45 seconds.

Recover and reset your body with a slow walk for one minute

3. Freestyle fartlek

Fartlek, the Swedish word for speed play literally means playing with speed. If you're doing a longer run on the treadmill this is a great way to break up the monotony and challenge your mind and body as you're never quite sure what's coming next.

You're going to need music for this one so find a playlist that will last the length of time of your run. If your gym has music you can always use that.

Run at your regular pace then every time a song's chorus comes on change your speed setting – faster, slower, a big change in speed or a slight one, try and make it different every time.

Challenge yourself to keep that speed for the duration of the chorus. If you want to mix it up further, throw in some hills too. Just ensure that you set the rules for yourself beforehand!

4. Track style

This is a great track session, and it works really well on the treadmill too, although running indoors it's easier to use time rather than distance.

For this workout you're going to be working above race pace so it's going to increase your VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume and transfer to your muscles during exercise. It'll teach your body to run faster for longer and train you to keep pushing when you're fatigued, mentally as well as physically.

As the longer intervals in each section get shorter, you should be pushing out a slightly faster speed (i.e. the 2.5-minute run should be slightly faster than your 3 minute run).

Run 3 minutes at a comfortably uncomfortable pace, around 70-80% effort

1 minute walking recovery