Two treadmill workouts aimed to build strength and speed

These workouts will have you doing 'in and out' efforts to mimic hills and changes in pace.

Triathlon Magazine February 20, 2019

— by Jasper Blake

Treadmill running can be incredibly useful. Like the stationary trainer for bikes, treadmills offer a very controlled environment that will allow you to hone in pace, effort and incline. Treadmill running should always be approached conservatively. The stress on the body is slightly different than it is on the road. There is also some good evidence showing increased strain on the Achilles tendon, so you need to progress carefully when starting regular treadmill workouts.

Hills

One of the most effective treadmill sessions you can do is an in and out hill workout. Consider this an endurance run with small, but regular, injections of intensity in the form of hills. This intensity will add training stress and variety to the treadmill that will not only help your fitness, but will also help you stay focused during the workout. Set the pace so you are at an endurance effort, or rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 65 to 70 percent and set the incline at 1.5 percent to closely mimic flat road conditions. Every few minutes bump the incline up to 5 percent or more, but keep the speed the same. The increased slope, while maintaining the same speed, will add a small amount of intensity at regular intervals during the run. Here is an example:

Total Run Time: 60 minutes (easily made longer by adding reps to the main set)

Warm up

10 mins easy at 1.5 percent incline
4 x (30 secs at 5 percent incline, 90 secs easy at 1.5 percent incline)
2 mins easy

Main Set

6 x (4mins at 1.5 percent incline and endurance pace/effort/65-70 percent, 1 min at the same pace and 5 percent incline)

Cool down

10 mins easy at 1.5 percent incline

Related: Pyramid hill workout

Turnover

Similar to the hill workout, this session includes small, but regular pieces of intensity through increased pace. Set the initial speed, so you are at an endurance effort or RPE of 65 to 70 percent and set the incline at 1.5 percent once again. Every few minutes bump the speed up to your 5 or 10 km race pace. Here is an example:

Total Run Time: 60 minutes (easily made longer by adding reps to the main set)

Warm up

10 mins easy at 1.5 percent incline
4 x (30 secs at 1.5 percent incline and 10 km race pace, 90 secs easy at 1.5 percent incline)
2 mins easy

Main Set

6 x (4 mins at 1.5 percent incline and endurance pace/effort/65-70 percent, 1 min at 1.5 percent grade and 5 to 10 km race pace)

Cool down

10 mins easy