3 Treadmill Workouts

A workout on the treadmill provides one of the more challenging exercise sessions. It’s a great way to shed the calories, and perhaps the easiest to fit into your busy life. To all intents and purposes it could be seen as one of the more mundane workouts, but it doesn’t have to be, and here we have three examples of interesting variations to a basic workout. 

Along the way, remember your heart rate, ensuring you stay on track to get the best out of the workout without going over the top. And always take into consideration your own personal health circumstances, bearing in mind any medical background or your doctor’s advice. 

You can tailor these workouts too, as a guide take your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age. Beginners should aim for 50 to 65% of that figure, those at intermediate level should aim for 60 to 75%, and the more experienced can try for 70 to 85%. As well as concentrating on the treadmill, these workouts are complemented well by using hand weights and a stability ball for floor exercises.  

1. Intervals treadmill workout

Instead of a more basic approach to training, you can switch between speeds and even add a few floor exercises into the workout. Start on the treadmill with five one-minute intervals of (first) a 4% incline 3.5mph (5.6 kmph) walk/slow jog, (second) increase that to a 6% incline 4.5mph (7.2kmph) speed walk/run, (third) return to that 4% incline 3.5mph (5.6 kmph)walk/slow jog rate, (fourth) go back to the 6% incline 4.5mph (7.2 kmph) speed walk/run, then (fifth) add another 4% incline 3.5mph (5.6 kmph) walk/slow jog, slowing gradually before you stop. 

At this point, try moving to the floor for a set of 30 tricep dips on a bench, then one set of 30 push-ups, before returning to the treadmill to repeat the first sequence for another set of five one-minute exercises, as above. Finish on the floor with a set of 75 abdominal crunches - 25 to the centre, 25 to the right and 25 to the left - followed by two sets of planks on your elbows, holding for one minute each time, before stretching to finish.  

2. Cardio-sprint treadmill workout

This 42-minute session involves a 22-minute workout between a 10-minute jogging warm-up and 10-minute cool-down , switching between various levels of work and rest. It’s a tried and tested workout that will boost your cardio fitness and burn off lots of calories. Start with a 10-minute jog to get yourself warmed up, including five separate 20-second bursts at high speed in the last two minutes. From there, try half a minute at a pace just outside a sprint, followed by a half-minute jog, moving on to a one-minute run then a one-minute jog.

Then step that sequence up to a two-minute run then a two-minute jog, then a four-minute run followed by a four-minute jog. Now take that gradually down, decreasing to two minutes of each discipline then one minute of each, followed by that initial 30 seconds of each, before ending with a 10-minute jog to warm down. 

3. Terrain treadmill workout

If time is against you, but you still want to take on a calorie-busting session, here’s a 20-minute version that will have you working hard. Start with a minute of climbing at 4mph (6.5 kmph) at 9%, followed by a further minute at 12%, slowing to 3.5mph (5.6 kmph) for the last third, then two minutes tackling a 15% rise, tapering down from 4mph (6.5 kmph) to 3.5mph (5.6kmph) then 3mph (2.9 kmph). With the incline back to zero, speed up to 7mph (11.3 kmph) for a minute, coming down to 6mph (9.7 kmph) then 4.5mph (7.2 kmph) for the next minute, then try two further minutes at 5.5mph (8.9 kmph)/5mph (8 kmph)/4.5mph (7.2 kmph), the first with a zero decline then 3% for the next minute. 

Crank it up from there with a 15% incline for the next two minutes (4mph (6.5 kmph), 3.5mph (5.6 kmph), 3mph (4.9 kmph), coming down to 9% for the final minute’s push at 4mph (6.5 kmph). Again, you can follow these exercises with a few floor exercises, maybe tackling weights, bands and calisthenics and keeping moving with lunges and squats.