The treadmill is the No. 1 piece of workout equipment logged by MyFitnessPal users and that’s with good reason — it’s simple and easy to use. Yet, while it’s great to establish a regular workout routine utilizing the treadmill, in order to continue getting results from your cardio sessions, you’ll need to switch things up.
Next time you hop on the treadmill, rather than running at a steady pace for a long amount of time, try adding incline and intervals to really feel the burn.
Grab a sweat towel, a bottle of water and get moving with this calorie-torching routine, perfect for both joggers and runners. Note: Take things at your own pace and adjust to suit your fitness level. The following paces, inclines and durations are general suggestions.
30-minute treadmill workout for joggers and runners
Warm-up: 4 minutes
| Activity | Pace | Incline | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk | 3 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 3 minutes |
Speed Interval: 1–7 minutes
| Activity | Pace | Incline | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run | 6 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Sprint | 8.5 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Sprint | 8.5 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Sprint | 8.5 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Sprint | 8.5 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Walk | 3 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
Strength Interval: 2–7 minutes
| Activity | Pace | Incline | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Run | 6 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 3% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 5% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 7% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 9% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 7% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 5% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 3% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Run | 6 mph | 9% | 30 seconds |
| Walk | 3 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
Endurance and Speed Interval – 8 minutes
| Activity | Pace | Incline | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Run | 7.5 mph | 1% | 3 minutes |
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Sprint | 9 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 1 minute |
| Sprint | 9 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
| Sprint | 9 mph | 1% | 30 seconds |
Cooldown: 4 minutes
| Activity | Pace | Incline | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jog | 5 mph | 1% | 2 minutes |
| Walk | 3 mph | 1% | 2 minutes |
In just 30 minutes, this line-up of speed, strength and endurance work will leave you feeling spent! Once you get off the treadmill safely, spend a few minutes stretching your legs, hit the foam roller, chug some water and make sure you log your session.
Follow these tips while running on the treadmill:
- Keep your chest up and eyes forward. Don’t look down at your feet.
- Breathe! Try this pattern: In through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Use your arms. Keep your elbows at 90-degree angles, swinging behind the body.
- Do not hold onto the rails, even when the inclines get tough. Lean forward into the climb.
- Never jump your feet off the belt onto the rails. Always run your intervals down to a walk.
