The treadmill is a standard piece of equipment in every gym. It is also one of the most popular. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an available treadmill to use during the gym’s peak hours. It’s not just for runners. Even casual gym members who want to lose weight and get fit favour the treadmill to meet their goals. However, can a runner train for a race on a treadmill? Can you go from couch potato to 5k treadmill training?
Running On A Treadmill Vs. The Road: What’s The Difference?
Running on a treadmill gives you a different experience to outdoor running. There are many reasons why even the most hard-core runners include treadmill running workouts when preparing for a race:
Lower Risk Of Injury – Running is a high- impact sport. Every time your heel strikes the ground, impact forces go through your feet and make their way to your shins, knees, hips, and ultimately, your lower back.
Impact forces are much stronger on the road. Outside the soles of your shoes, running on the road offers no shock absorption except if you run on a track.
The treadmill uses a conveyor belt system that includes a shock absorption system. Thus, treadmill running workouts reduce your risk of injury as impact forces are greatly decreased.
Customizable Workout – Every treadmill comes with built- in programs that allow you to customize your workout. Among the most popular built-in treadmill training programs include:
- Terrain
- High Intensity Intervals
- High Elevation Running
- Race versus the machine
Of course, treadmills have a manual setting. You can adjust the speed and incline according to your preference.
With outdoor running, you can run downhill, deal with unstable ground conditions, and unpredictable weather. Front-end wind speed will add resistance and make outdoor running more challenging.
- Convenience – If the weather is bad, treadmill running workouts are a great way to still get your miles in. Also, it does not take you far from your family. Use the gym as family time or buy a home treadmill. You can still have T.V. time with the family while running on the treadmill.
Then there is the mental challenge. Running outdoors is hardly ever boring. You get to see the sights, other people running, and experience the beauty of nature. Your focus tends to be higher when you run outdoors because you have to be more aware of the surroundings.
Treadmill training can be boring. Most gyms are air-conditioned which make it hard to break a sweat and get warmed up. Unless you bring an iPad, your entertainment is at the mercy of the gym.
Watching the news may not be your ideal distraction from the monotony of treadmill running. Unfortunately, most commercial gyms don’t see it that way.
Another issue with treadmill training is if the gym sets time limits per machine. The time limit is usually set at 30 minutes per member which won’t be enough for a runner training for a 10k run.
How To Train For A Race On A Treadmill
Runners include the treadmill in their program because it lowers the risk of injury. If you run exclusively outdoors, you will constantly subject your body to powerful impact forces.
Doing so will increase the wear and tear on your body. In time, you will incur injuries to your heels, shins, knees, and lower back that will derail your progress.
If you are training for a race, you can use the treadmill to support your running program. The distance does not matter. Whether you are running a 5k race or a marathon, running on a treadmill can help you achieve your goals.
You want real proof that training for a race on a treadmill works? Christina Clark used the treadmill for most of her running workouts and she won the 2000 U.S. Olympic Women’s time trials.
A good benchmark would be to dedicate 30% to 50% of your training program running on a treadmill.
For example, if you run three days a week, one of those days should be on a treadmill. If you run, five days a week, two of those days should be allocated to treadmill running.
How do you know which days to assign for treadmill running?
As mentioned in the previous section, most gyms impose time limits on treadmill use. This is because the treadmill is probably the most popular piece of equipment in the gym. Even if you have the entire length of a wall lined up with treadmills, you might find each one occupied during peak hours.
Assuming your gym has set the time limit at 30 minutes, this will not be enough time to train for a 5k or 10k race. Remember, you need to do a warm up run as well as a cool down walk after running.
Thus, given a 30- minute time limit, you can use the treadmill for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This is a training method whereby you alternate periods of low- intensity activity with high- intensity activity.
Incorporating interval training with outdoor running will improve your lung capacity or VO2 Max and help you develop a powerful finishing kick which you’ll need during a tight race.
Here are examples of HIIT programs you can use on the treadmill:
- 400/200
- Warm up by jogging lightly for 5 minutes
- Run 400m; increase to 70% of your maximum speed.
- Sprint 200m; increase to 90% of your maximum speed.
- Do as many intervals as you can for 20 minutes.
- Warm down by walking for 5 minutes.
- 200/200
- Warm up by jogging lightly for 5 minutes
- Sprint 200m; increase to 90% of your maximum speed
- Run 200m; decrease to 70% of your maximum speed.
- Do as many intervals as you can for 20 minutes.
- Warm down by walking for 5 minutes.
- 200/100
- Warm up by jogging lightly for 5 minutes
- Sprint 200m; increase to 95% of your maximum speed
- Walk 100m; decrease to 40% of your maximum speed
- Do as many intervals as you can for 20 minutes.
- Warm down by walking for 5 minutes.
- 3/2 Incline Run
- Warm up by jogging lightly for 5 minutes
- Increase to 70% of maximum speed
- Increase incline to 4%; run for 1 minute
- Increase incline to 5%; run for 1 minute
- Increase incline to 6%; run for 1 minute
- After 3 minutes of incline running, return to zero incline and run for 2 minutes.
- Repeat but increase the incline to 7%, 8%, and 9% per minute.
- By the 20th to 25th minute or 4th interval, you should be increasing the incline to 13%, 14%, and 15% per minute.
- Warm down by walking for 5 minutes.
- 4-3-2-1
- Warm up by jogging lightly for 5 minutes
- Run 400m; increase to 85% of maximum speed
- Walk 100m; decrease to 40% of maximum speed
- Run 300m; increase to 90% of maximum speed
- Walk 100m; decrease to 40% of maximum speed
- Sprint 200m; increase to 95% of maximum speed
- Walk 100m; decrease to 40m of maximum speed
- Sprint 100m; increase to 100% of maximum speed
- Warm down by walking for 5 minutes
You can also do a light jog day on the treadmill. This is usually done a week before the race just to keep the runner active.
Since you’re already in the gym, why not do some cross-training?
Runners frequently utilize cross-training programs to improve strength, conditioning, mobility, and flexibility. It also takes away the monotony of pure running programs.
Here are a few cross-training workouts you can use in combination with the treadmill running programs:
- Cross-Training Workout A
- 400/200 Treadmill Program
- Rowing Machine – 20 minutes (light)
- Elliptical Machine – 20 minutes (light)
- Cross-Training Workout B
- 200/200 Treadmill Program
- Stationary Bike – 3km
- Rowing Machine – 3km
- Cross-Training Workout C
- 200/100 Treadmill Program
- Dumbbell Lunges – 2 sets x 10 reps
- Barbell Squat – 2 sets x 5 reps
- Deadlift – 2 sets x 3 reps
- Bench Press – 2 sets x 5 reps
- Pull Ups or Machine Pull Downs – 2 sets x 10 reps
- Plank – 3 sets x 1 minute
Do not go heavy when you are lifting weights. The purpose of the weight training program is to build strength. You can use the following guidelines when choosing the amount of weight:
- Squat – 65% to 75% of your bodyweight
- Deadlift – 75% to 100% of your bodyweight
- Bench Press – 50% to 65% of your bodyweight
- Lunges and pull-downs – A weight that you can do for 12 reps but stay with 10 reps.
To be clear, the treadmill should only be used to support the running program. You can go from couch potato to 5k treadmill training. You can even go from couch to marathon in one year.
However, you have to run outdoors when preparing for a big race. The bulk of your training time should still be spent outdoors. Christina Clark had no choice because she lives in Alaska where outdoor conditions can be unforgiving.
For the long run, treadmill training can help increase longevity by reducing the risk of injury.
