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How To Actually Have Fun Training On A Treadmill (3 Workouts Included)
I can't think of anything less appealing than going to the gym, stepping on the Treadmill (or Dreadmill as some call it), and running for 30+ minutes at a steady pace. You never get anywhere new and the scenery never changes!
But there is GOOD NEWS! There several reasons why people hate the Treadmill. We'll talk about 3 of those reasons, but we'll also talk about how you can beat those hurdles and have fun! I've also included 3 different workouts you can do on the Treadmill that will make you a better athlete for OCR!
REASON 1: The Treadmill is boring because of the monotony of it. It's so stinkin' repetitive...especially the way most people use it! The best way to get around this is to add variety! WE NEED THE INCLINE TO CHANGE! WE NEED THE SPEED TO CHANGE! WE NEED TO GO FASTER AND SLOWER AND UPHILL! With varying inclines, you get to train for hills and increase your glute, quad, and calf strength at the same time! Cycling through incline changes is also a great way to mimic what happens at most OCRs...incline change. Increasing and decreasing the speed as you go is also a great way to mimic races; faster on the flat, slower up the incline. Add moments of "break-neck" speed to replicate that final push at the end to beat the athletes across the finish line!
Here's the "Beat The Monotony" workout:
*There will be transitional time. That's totally fine!*
Jog at 4.7mph for 5 minutes at 0% incline (warmup)
Run at 6mph for 3 minutes at 4% incline
Walk at 3.5mph for 3 minutes at 12% incline
Run at 7mph for 4 minutes at 0% incline
Jog at 5mph for 6 minutes at 8% incline
Sprint at 9mph for 1 minute at 0% incline
Walk at 3mph for 4 minutes at 0% incline (cool down)
*Video Above - TFOCR Coach Joel taking an easy cardio day by walking on a 16% incline*
REASON 2: Treadmills suck for most of us because the scenery just stays the same. We want things to change up! That's easily taken care of. We just need to get a little creative!
Here's the "Change Of Scenery" workout:
*There will be transitional moments. Don't worry about it!*
Walk at 4mph for 3 minutes (warmup)
Run at 6.7mph for 6 minutes
10 Burpees
40 Jumping Jacks
Run at 6.5mph for 5 minutes
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
10 Jump Squats
Run at 6.3mph for 4 minutes
20 Mountain Climbers
15 Lunges
Run at 7mph for 3 minutes
15 Burpees
20 Air Squats
Walk at 3mph for 4 minutes (cool down)
REASON 3: The FINAL reason why you hate the treadmill and it's so BORING is because you are always either just walking or running. That's it. Your hands don't really do anything. We'll fix that with this third workout! The following workout is also great for building more grip endurance, lower body endurance, and core strength.
Here's the "Use Your Hands Too" workout:
*Be very careful when making transitions...don't drop a weight* *KB = Kettlebell*
Walk at 3mph on an 8% incline with a 10lb KB in each hand for 4 minutes
Walk at 3.5mph on a 2% incline with a 10lb KB in each hand for 4 minutes
Walk at 2.5mph on a 15% incline with a 10lb KB in each hand for 4 minutes
Walk at 3.5mph on a 0% incline with a 10lb KB in ONE hand for 2 minutes each hand
Walk at 3mph on a 10% incline with a 10lb KB in each hand for 4 minutes
Walk at 3mph on a 0% incline with a 10lb KB in each hand in the front rack position for 4 minutes.
NO MORE BORING TREADMILL WORKOUTS! We did it! Let us know if this helps you spice up your training and helps you improve. We're all about the improvement, and making training more fun is a massive plus!
If you don't know how to take your training from step one all the way up to "I'm going to crush this Beast", check out our OCR Training Programs! Our programs are customized to fit your specific race goals, current fitness level, and equipment/time availability!
Featured Program:
3 Training Days Per Week
Perfect for the beginner OCR participant, The Finisher will get you ready to complete your first race or maximize your performance on short courses.