7 Treadmill Workouts That Don’t Suck

How to Survive Long Runs on the Treadmill

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This week I have decided to try to incorporate some treadmill running in the morning at the gym when its too dark or raining. I was searching the internet and had a hard time finding what I was looking for. These were great tips and just what I was looking for all on one simplified page. Thank you so much for these!!! These are so great! I can get do 3 miles MAX on the treadmill and then I get bored, bored, bored! My favorite is the chorus trick— def going to try that! I LOVE these ideas! So simple, but very effective. You are a genius! I am on a treadmill usually 3x a week or more during the winter.

In the Spring and Summer — much less. I can go about an hour though without getting bored. Usually because I am doing one of those things to make the time pass. SO I had to run the track. I love being faster than the guys. Neither one of my kids sucked any fingers or thumbs. Hope your workout today was a good one. Mine was good — minus it being super busy. I may have a food hangover from yesterday though. I need a full report on those carmel cookies when you make them. They sound so good! My favorite is chorus sprints…music definitely increases my speed.

My daughter started sucking her thumb when she was 5 months old…. But it looks so darn adorable when little babies suck their thumbs! I LOVE that deck of cards idea!!! Boredom is my main treadmill problem so this looks amazing! Thank you for this!! My husband and I are looking to buy a treadmill this week. So funny bc we looked at the same one you have! And you make treadmill workouts awesome!

Thank you so much for these ideas! I will be trying out the card deck idea in the morning! That photo is so darn cute!!! I see that she is holding on to her shirt too, my baby girl does the same. She just turned 2 and is still major thumb sucker, like at all times not just when sad or tired. If she is sleepy she will then hold onto and cuddle the collar of her shirt too. Ah, thank you so so much for the treadmill tips!

You really inspire me because you run both outdoors and indoors and never seem to complain! Thanks for the tips! When he leaves, I go back to my snail pace. Reading some of your past readmill workouts have accomplished the impossible, and actually made me excited for the ole mill, so this is greatly appreciated! I do a lot of TM work in the winter, typically I do speed work during commercial breaks, or progression type runs by increasing the speed every few minutes.

I love the deck of cards idea, awesome! All of my 4 kids were thumb or finger suckers. My oldest was the only thumb sucker and I still remember the day I walked into her nursery and found her sucking her thumb, it was the CUTEST thing ever. The only downfall was that…. Ugh, the only thing that cured her was getting braces. I sometimes go on the treadmill at the gym when the weather outside either too hot, too cold or too much rain.

I tend to run and increase in pace every 5 minutes or at every mile. But seeing your treadmill makes me want my own one at home. Oh, and I sucked my thumb until I was around 6. My parents have so many photos of me with my thumb in my mouth. In the end my thumb went a bit of a funny shape, but got better as I got older. I am definitely more excited to do speed work on the mill than just a straightforward run!

I do 50 walking steps then running steps. I repeat this 10 times. Very exciting about the new treadmill! Do you have any recommendations? I use the treadmill a lot. Much more than I would like to. I just do what I feel like. It keeps it fresh, because I rarely want to do the same thing, or can even remember what I previously did. Thank you SO much for posting this!!! I tried one of these workouts tonight and it was great. I have been running on the treadmill a lot more this season! Maybe 3 times per week??? I did some hill and speed workouts on the treadmill LAST winter are as follows….

My current favorite boredom-buster is watching the 2-months-delayed Ellen DeGeneres shows being shown out here Asia now. I am kinda interested to try the Deck of Card workout, though.

I HATE running on the t-mill. I powerwalk at max incline for hours on it, but I just hate to run on it! My four month old is a finger slurper…. Totally noisy but so cute! I dislike the treadmill — it is too boring. Can you please ask Brooke to tone down on the cuteness? That photo of her sucking her thumb totally made my day!! I really like the TM for easy runs for the same reason-no temptation to push it.

I also really like it for speed work because its not as easy to slack when the pace is set for me: I wish I saw this before hitting the treadmill for a quick run tonight! I really, really, really dislike the treadmill and try to avoid using it at almost any cost. I did a progressive workout but I did not enjoy it. I am a treadmill fan- it saves me from having to wake up at ridiculously hours to fit a workout in: I was hoping someone would comment and tell me how to stop the thumb sucking!

I have three girls and two are thumb-suckers. They sleep well, soothe themselves quickly when upset, etc. But you knew that. I love that Im able to catch up on my T. V shows and track my milage! Santa please get me one for Christmas this year, please, please, please! Thanks for the tips and suggested work outs! I am going to have to try some of these! I just got a new treadmill yesterday, so this is perfect timing! LOVE the tips, definitely going to give the chorus sprints tip a try!

We just got a treadmill a few days ago so this makes me so excited!!! Bookmarking this page for future use! Love the treadmill, it is definitely my go to! I bump up the speed on choruses, so fun! Brooke and Billy are so cute! Great Treadmill workout advice- I really love the deck of cards idea!

Treadmill Multi-Directional Warm-Up

However, working full time and having 2 little ones I need to get my run in before work and it is still dark then. I have workouts to keep it fun. My favorite is the progressive run but I love speed work on treadmill as well. Then I savor my long outdoor runs on the weekend: Aw, that picture of Brooke is adorable! I used to despise the treadmill but ever since I moved into my own apartment more off the beaten path and the winter has been crucial we have become closer friends!

It helps I bought an ipad so I can watch whatever I want which helps me get through it. I love some of these ideas though—especially the deck of cards one! I like to do intervals on the treadmill, meters at 5K pace, then m slow run, X 8.

The dental hygenist bribed her with dental mask, rubber gloves Daughter wants to be a doctor , and a new toothbrush to get her to stop. Totally a thumb sucker!! As for the treadmill, I get bored somewhere between hitting the power button and the start button, but I still manage to use it about 3 times each week. I tend to pick one speed on the TM and just go with it. That way I can zone out.

The only time I really change it up is for speed work, etc. Ok, I have not run inside since, oh maybe over a year. Not that I run as much as you, ever! But this winter in Boston has been cccccold, and I am in of training for a half in May. I thought, I can hit up the gym on cold days and kick out some long runs as in, miles which is long for me!

I got to the gym 40 mins early before spin and ready to kick out about 4 miles. I could not do more than 2, I was sooo bored, so irritated I cannot stand to have that TV in my face! Last night I tried to mix it up will hills, speed, still couldnt do it for me.

Reader Interactions

Kudos to you for being able to love running on the tread! Looks like my training will be outdoors, in the dark, cold weather! Just wanted to pop in and let you know that I did the Deck of Cards workout on the treadmill yesterday and it. I had so much fun! How do you like the C?

I almost pulled the plug and bought it a couple weeks ago but let my darn husband talk me out of it. I actually went straight from reading it, down to my basement to try out a progression run! Thanks for the great tips! Thanks for all the advice. The thing with me is that I get bored with doing anything the same for too long so I just wanted to know how I could switch it up.

Sharing my suggestions on the site. Thank you for inspiring me to take action! I had been encouraged your blog as a result of this step-brother. I am just not sure when it write-up will be written by means of the pup as no one else know such accurate concerning my trouble. You will be astounding! Below is what I am going to go ahead and use the pin to push the knot down into the next row of herringbone.

Apparently tea shops did a great after-school business there, canada goose italia and some but not all commanders have been telling them to stop. Certain songs are best when running backwards, while slow awkward tunes are great for side runs. I can take a normal 60 minute session and turn it into a killer workout. The best part is all the strange looks I get from all of the other folks on the treadmills. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

7 Treadmill Workouts That Don’t Suck

Notify me of new posts by email. The Hungry Runner Girl. I was extremly excited about it. Next Article Yesterday was very sentimental for me. You May Also Like. Lots of Friday Favorites!! Time for a bunch of pictures from the last week 2. February 4, at 1: February 4, at 2: Maybe I do well with boredom. Hmm, we should do that. And write a book on it and get rich. February 4, at 3: February 4, at 7: Your backwards shorts just made my afternoon LOL. I can watch bravo And I have to say I learned a ton of this from you.

Thanks for these fun tips! Love that picture of Brooke — her hair is awesome! Thanks again for the treadmill run ideas: Some great ideas here Janae, I will be printing this out for inspiration: I seriously could die. That picture is unbelievably adorable!! So depending on your background and goals, maybe the treadmill can be a bit less evil, and a lot more necessary. Here are some basics of what you need to know from the research and coaching worlds to get the most out of winter treadmill training.

That study had nine trained male runners adapted to treadmill running do six minutes at varying paces on the treadmill, along with one six-minute bout outside on level ground. The authors theorized that the difference could be related to some energy added by the moving treadmill belt, changes in form due to varying surface outside, air resistance or even different visual cues.

At faster paces, the treadmill belt and reduced air resistance may play a bigger role. Taking it a step further, the exact correlation to outdoor level running is probably not key for training. Most treadmills are not perfectly calibrated as discussed below , so worrying too much about that pace number is probably unnecessary.

Plus, outside the lab, there are likely other variables that play a larger role than minor variations in grade, like temperature, air flow and how much egg nog you had last night. Instead, make individual decisions based on your goals, background and how it feels.

As I tell my athletes, I care about how you feel, not what the numbers say. A benefit of treadmills is that you can closely control grade and pace to get workouts that strategically target the desired goal.

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Jack Daniels correlated different speeds and grades with oxygen uptake. The specifics of the calculation are probably not useful for most runners unless you bring a slide rule into the 24 Hour Fitness, so you can use this calculator to get a solid feel for how grade and pace are interrelated. According to the calculator, you can do 7: The theory is that power output is similar, even as pace changes.

Just remember that at some point, you actually need to go fast to adapt to the unique biomechanical demands of quicker running. Different people perceive stimuli differently. That seems like an obvious statement, but I think that all-too-often, runners judge themselves by metrics that work for others, rather than themselves. The treadmill involves different feelings of perceived exertion than outdoor running, even for athletes with similar backgrounds and fitness levels. Well, I am the exact opposite. I have run on the treadmill a couple times in my entire life, just to test out workouts for athletes.

Both times, I decided that treadmill running was im-freaking-possible and stepped off quickly after getting the data I needed.

Treadmill Workout Ideas!!!!

That gets back to the general idea that perceived exertion can vary across people or within the same person at different times. Studies show music can change how a workout feels, even changing baseline physiological responses. Visual cues or being given positive reinforcement can do the same thing.

My hypothesis is that for my brain, treadmill running is the ultimate in negative reinforcement, turning what I consider a joyous act of self-expression into a numbers game. Megan might be motivated by the very thing that undermines me. There is no right answer, just be aware of how you might differ from other athletes. All of this deemphasis of numbers is especially important if the treadmill you use is not carefully calibrated. Minor variations in construction or use over time can cause the reported pace and the actual pace to vary by small margins and sometimes, supersized margins.

Instead of worrying too much about the exact number, be attuned to feel, since the treadmill could be telling you some dirty, rotten lies, making you think you are slower than you are. Putting it all together, the key on the treadmill is to go by feel. Small increases in temperature can reduce performance substantially by lowering power output and raising perceived exertion, as outlined by a article in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

That performance reduction can happen at much lower temperatures than some might think, with a PLoS One article finding marathon performance reductions as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit. One of the same elements that may make a treadmill slightly easier than outdoor running at faster paces—lack of air resistance—can also make the treadmill harder since there is less evaporative cooling. Plus most gyms are warmer than is optimal for performance. If you have a home treadmill, consider putting a box fan nearby.

Some research posits that overuse injuries may stem from repetitive motion, rather than hardness of surface. If you set it and forget it with the treadmill, it can become a big old repetitive motion machine, possibly increasing injury risk.

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