As the days get shorter and colder more runners are favouring the gym over outdoor runs. Here is how to make the most of your treadmill workouts.
(Oh, and here's the thing: the treadmill can actually help your outdoor
runs)...
Prepare for a hot WORKOUT
If you’re using a treadmill in a gym, you likely don’t have control of the thermostat and, as a result, end up sweating way more than you would outside. Opting inside can be an easy way to bank some heat training.
Set the treadmill to at least a 1% incline
Without wind resistance, you expend less energy on a treadmill than you would outside. But don’t let yourself off the hook—keep it challenging by experimenting with incline.
Do a hill workout
If you don't live anywhere near good hills, a
treadmill hill workout can often be more effective than regularly
hitting 'poor' hills. One of Runkeeper's regular contributors, Emilia Benton's favourite
hill workouts is 1-minute intervals at marathon pace at a 2-3% incline. "You’ll finish feeling like you got a solid workout, and mixing it up
will help the treadmill session go by faster," she says.
If possible, use a mirror
This can help you focus on your form during your run, which can only
help you carry any improvements to the roads outside. Better form can
help reduce fatigue—and increase your confidence on race day. *Learn more about why form is important, here.
For more on exactly how to tackle the (sometimes dreaded) treadmill, hit this.
*Featured image by Ryan De Hamer on Unsplash
