Run. Walk. Run. Walk. That’s about all you can do on a treadmill, right? Wrong! With a little creativity, you can use this one piece of equipment to get a full-body burn. Stay with us for five treadmill workouts that’ll seriously make you work.
5 Tough Treadmill Workouts to Put Yourself to the Test
1. Simple Sprint Intervals
You can never go wrong with sprinting. In fact, many will argue that sprinting is better than running (but we won’t get into that now).
Note: As a warm-up, walk for 1 minute. Next, Jog for 2 minutes. You should still be able to keep up a conversation at this pace. The goal is simply to raise your heart rate a little in preparation for what comes next, which is…
- 15 seconds sprinting at max effort
- 45 seconds light jogging for recovery
Repeat for 10 rounds total.
2. Hit the Floor
Let’s spice things up a bit — and get away from running entirely. This is one of our favorite treadmill workouts because it uses the machinery in a completely different way.
This workout alternates between crab walks and planks.
Crab Walks
For the crab walks, you’re going to face away from the treadmill, feet on the floor, so that the machine will be right behind you. Next, sit down on the treadmill and position your hands on the site of the machine – ie, off the belt. Raise your hips and get into your standard crab-walking position.
Starting with a slow pace to allow you to get comfortable, place your hands on the belt and start doing a stationary crab walk.
Walking Planks
Staying on the ground, simply flip your body over so that you’re now looking at the treadmill instead of up toward the sky. Get in a plank position with your hands on the sides of the treadmill, off the belt. When you’re ready, put your hands on the belt for a walking plank.
The goal here isn’t necessarily speed but rather staying under tension and in total control. For your workout.
- 40 seconds crab walk
- 20 seconds rest
- 40 seconds walking plank
- 20 seconds rest
Repeat for 5 rounds total.
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3. To the Side
We’re going to change the stimulus up big time and turn you to face the side. This treadmill workout is simple but tough, and it’s especially good to target your quads and glutes. It’s a good idea to practice this first before you do the actual workout, since it might feel a little strange.
Setting the treadmill at a manageable pace, turn to face one side, get low into a squat, and start shuffling. Your feet should not cross over each other. (This is a good way to trip!) Return to the face the front before practicing on the other side.
Remember, the lower in the squat you stay, the more of a challenge you’ll get. To compare, shuffle standing upright and see how easy it is. This is what we want to avoid.
For the workout…
- 30 seconds shuffling (first side)
- 30 seconds light jogging (facing forward)
- 30 seconds shuffling (second side)
- 30 seconds light jogging (facing forward)
Repeat for 10 rounds total.
4. Climbing the Hill
The great thing about treadmill workouts like this one is that even if you’re moving slower, you’re still guaranteed to break a real sweat.
Increase the incline of your treadmill to something challenging for you, bearing in mind that the greater the incline, the greater the challenge, particularly on your glutes. To give you a rough idea, try an incline at around 4% and see how that feels. Too easy? Start easing up toward 10%.
Your workout is…
- 1 minute walking
- 30 seconds light jogging
- 15 seconds running
Repeat for 10 rounds total.
5. Death by Treadmill
We saved the best — read: the spiciest — for last.
Set the pace to something manageable but that still makes you work — maybe 5 miles per hour. Every minute on the minute, increase the speed by 0.2 MPH. Continue to failure.
Which one of these treadmill workouts will you tackle first? Tell us in the comments section below!
