Treadmill Workouts
Treadmill Workout Tips: Incline Or Interval?
If you’re looking for a good cardio treadmill workout but are bored with the “same old, same old”, there’s an easy way to add a jolt of enthusiasm to your treadmill time.
Regardless of whether you’re walking or running (or both), these two styles of cardio treadmill workouts will banish boredom and give you the results you want.
Incline and interval treadmill workouts are two distinctly different treadmill exercise programs often used as a welcome alternative to typical treadmill running or walking. So which is better?
The short answer is simple … it depends what your fitness goals are. The longer and more accurate answer is that both incline and interval treadmill workouts should be part of your overall fitness regimen. Let’s examine why this is the case …
Incline workouts are easy to define. You use the treadmill’s incline feature to simulate walking or running up a hill. Incline workouts target not only your cardiovascular health, but are ideal for sculpting your glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
In fact, most treadmill fitness experts suggest using a 1% incline even if it’s your intent to run on flat ground. The reason is because a 1% incline simulates normal walking and running conditions outdoors, where the terrain varies ever so slightly even when it seems level.
What Are Treadmill Interval Workouts?
A treadmill interval workout is actually many things. First, it’s the perfect antidote to 30 minutes of monotonous running or walking at the same speed. Interval workouts require you to vary your speed, incline, or both. As a result, the workout tends to be more engaging by keeping your attention and interest through the duration of the program.
Another benefit of treadmill interval workouts is their positive effect on cardiovascular health. If you consistently run at the same speed, your body will quickly adapt, usually within two weeks. Your workout eventually becomes easy as the law of diminishing returns kicks in.
A good interval program forces your body and cardiovascular system to adapt to change. The benefits are two fold … You will challenge your fitness level and your treadmill workouts will be more interesting and less mundane!
If you use a treadmill for fitness consistently, we recommend adding a good incline workout and an interval workout to your regimen. It’s also a good idea to vary the duration of your workouts … perhaps do a 20 minute incline program, a 30 minute interval session, and a standard running workout in the course of a week.
The bottom line is this … treadmill workouts don’t have to be boring! In fact, the best approach is to rotate between 15-20 defined treadmill workout programs. You’ll stay mentally fresh, be less prone to injury, and you’ll actually enjoy hopping on the treadmill for your workouts.
Varying Your Workouts: The Key To Fitness Progress
The main reason why people get bored with treadmill workouts (or any workout plan for that matter) is simple …
We are creatures of habit, and as such, we tend to do what we’re comfortable with. This reality extends to our workout routines. We do them over and over and they tend to become … well … routine.
Our bodies are highly capable of adapting to just about anything, so it stands to reason they will easily adapt to your workout regimen. If you find yourself confused and frustrated as to why you’re not making more progress toward your ideal body and fitness goals, try changing up your routine. Your body will respond, and you’ll challenge your body to change in a positive way …
In terms of treadmill workouts, this phenomenon is exactly why we recommend doing different workouts. Specifically, you should rotate incline and interval treadmill workouts consistently. After about two weeks of doing the same workout, your body and your mind will begin to adapt. You’ll find you’ll be much less bored and your fitness goals will be easier to reach if you switch your workouts twice a month.
For a complete ready-to-go package of 25 unique and challenging treadmill workouts, grab your very own copy of our ebook, “Banish Treadmill Boredom”, available as an immediate download from the upper right hand corner of this page …
