Running is a fun sport, with benefits for the mind, body and soul, but, like all sports, it can become a bore if you get trapped in routine. Anna Moore, Editor-in-Chief of RunReviews gives us some motivation and ideas how to make the treadmill more fun.
Since we run to have some fun, and not to qualify for the Olympics, workouts diversity is equally important as speed and endurance. Diversity is a key element if you want to stick to this sport for a long time and not give it up after just a few weeks.
There is one more reason why you should include running in your workout routine. From all the sports I've tried so far, running proved to be the only one to deliver results in only 30 minutes of exercise a day. Moreover, if you run on treadmills, you can diversify and intensify these exercises, since you can customise both speed and incline to your choice for each time segment.
As a treadmill user, I've developed an interest in using the Custom Workouts feature available on certain models. I don't have to change speed and incline manually every x minutes because I can set the machine to do that for me. Throughout the years, I created a few treadmill exercises for myself, and I want to share five of them with you today.
Since I'm not a certified trainer, please consider that you'll be using these exercising at your own risk. If you've never done a physical check-up, pay a visit to your physician to confirm how intensive your workouts can be. In order to make stats tracking and printing easier, the exercises are designed with RunReviews Workouts Creator Tool, an application that helps create treadmill workouts and estimate results considering user weight.
My workouts consider 175 lbs / 79 kg user weight. Ready to have some running fun? Let's begin.
1. Hills Workout (Beginners) - 672kJ
If you're looking for an intensive workout, remember that incline is equally important as speed. You don't have to run fast in order to burn calories. Maybe you can't or you don't want to. If this scenario fits you, then all you have to do is adjust incline and keep speed at walking pace.
The next one is an easy exercise based on incline (click on the image to enlarge):
2. Hills Workout (Advanced) - 919kJ
The higher the incline, the more kilojoules you burn (click on the image to enlarge):
3. Speed Intervals (Beginners) - 756kJ
Some runners like speed more than incline. I'm one of those runners who enjoy a good speed interval at least once a week. If you're a beginner, you can start with setting the treadmill to walking pace speed. Get your body accustomed to the effort first, and then you add intensity (click on the image to enlarge):
4. Speed Intervals (Advanced) - 1 465kJ
Same as with incline, the faster you run the more kilojoules you burn. With experience comes endurance, and you'll be able to do this workout after a couple of weeks of consistent training (click on the image to enlarge):
5. Mixed Intervals - 848kJ burned
Mixed intervals help develop both speed and resistance, that's why they should be part of your workout routine at least once a week. There are different combinations you can try. The next workout is an average intense exercise, easy and fun (click on the image to enlarge):
As someone who runs for the fun of the sport, I believe it's important to add a challenge to each workout. If you use the speed / incline combination, a 30-minute workout can be rewarding and entertaining, even if you have to do it on a treadmill.
The pleasure becomes even higher when you start experiencing the benefits of cardio on your own. Run. Diversify. Enjoy it.
Reference: Anna Moore is a declared runner and an advocate of treadmills. She is also the Editor-in-Chief at RunReviews, a website with useful resources for those who want a treadmill in their life and need the help to buy and use one.
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Killer treadmill workouts