The Top 5 Treadmill Workout Plans Using Interval Training
The Top 5 Treadmill Workout Plans Using Interval Training
It’s real easy to find a lot of treadmill workout plans. However, which of them are effective. Nobody likes to spend an hour and the gym doing long, slow, boring cardio workouts only to find out that what they were doing wasn’t effective enough to help them reach their goals. I’m going to give you 5 treadmill workout plans that you can modify in many different ways using interval training methods.
Interval training on the treadmill is not the easiest way to workout. You have to wait for the belt to catch up or slow down and if you are using an incline it may take a few seconds for it reach the level you need. But, let’s face it, sometimes the treadmill is the only available option. Personally, I prefer either sprinting outside on a track or a stationary bike (spin style).
1. Adjust the incline – This is the best option for someone who is just starting out with an exercise program. Start out walking at zero incline and at a comfortable pace that you will be able to maintain even if you are exhausted. Use this speed for the duration of the interval training workout. After a warm up of 3 – 5 minutes raise the incline to a level that will make you work hard for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds, lower the incline back to zero. Repeat the cycle up to 10 times and follow with a 3 minute cool down. You’ve now just completed a workout in just less than 20 minutes.
2. Go for speed – Following the same principle as with the incline, adjust the speed instead. Remember, the treadmill will take a few seconds to get to the speed you want. The speed to use during your work phase should be very challenging.
3. Modified Tabata – Tabata interval protocol is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times. This will give you a 4 minute workout that you will never forget. However, I suggest that if you attempt this on the treadmill you should account for the transition time that the belt needs to slow down and speed up. So, you may consider using a 25 second work to 15 second cycle.
4. Rest to Work ratio – The rest to work ration is the amount of time you spend at low intensity (rest) to the amount of time you spend at high intensity (work). It is often expressed like this: 1:1, 2:1, or 3:1. For example, if you are using a 3:1 ratio you may spend 90 seconds resting to 30 seconds working. Changing the ratio will stress different energy systems. This is partly why interval training can be used for so many different sports – it can be modified to be sport specific training.
5. Backwards – You will certainly get lots of looks with this one. Walk on the treadmill backwards. I suggest using the incline to make your work portion more challenging. One caution you will need to remember: you will have to turn around a little to change the incline so be careful. This may be better to use with the pre-programmed interval workouts.
So there you have it! The top 5 treadmill workout plans using interval training methods. Use the principles in each of the modifications to add variety to your interval training program. With a little creativity you can create a nearly endless number of programs for your treadmill workouts.
