How to Improve Running Speed Using a Treadmill

It’s clear; running improves muscle strength and heart fitness and helps lose weight. Running in an open area is wonderful, but it also has limitations.

Furthermore, taking breaks on roads affects your speed. It can be extremely annoying standing for vehicles to allow you to pass safely. Pedestrians can be a hindrance, can interrupt, and affect you down.

The best approach is to train on a treadmill. However, a treadmill not only eliminates all these factors. But can also take your workout to the next level.

A treadmill is an excellent machine for increasing your running speed in many ways. It will take some time as you first strengthen your muscles and endurance.  

Speed exercises include running hills and tempo runs which are quick and easy through a treadmill.

During speed exercises such as tempo runs or interval training, time is the major element. Usually, individuals use a stopwatch to check the time. 

But by using the treadmill, time is continually there in front of them. You can quickly watch a timer and move without using a stopwatch.

Moreover, a treadmill is ideal for inclination training (sometimes known as “running hills”). You don’t need to go out to a steep place to work out because treadmills feature built-in inclination options.

You can make the steepest hill and regulate your improvements by adjusting the incline and monitoring your progress. This form of speed workout improves your running speed by increasing your mobility.

Another speed training is running stairs, which uses faster than longer timed intervals. Although a treadmill has no stairs, some training sessions on treadmills mimic stair climbs.

Professionals suggest doing interval workouts at least once a week. You can incorporate them into your daily workout routine by trying these interval exercises designed by professional running coaches.

Interval Workout for Speed

Speed activity increases strength by firing big muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. On the other hand, high-intensity workouts increase your post-exercise oxygen consumption. It means you’ll burn calories quickly for up to 24–48 hours after your training. A Tabata-style workout is a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout that involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by brief periods of rest. You’ll need to give your bursts 100% each round and be able hop off onto the side rail for your break so it’s recommended once you’re agile and used to running at high speeds.

Here’s how to do a Tabata workout on the treadmill to increase speed:

1. Warm up for 5-10 minutes at a moderate pace.
2. Set the treadmill to a high speed (i.e., your sprinting speed) and sprint for 20 seconds.
3. Rest for 10 seconds by hopping off the treadmill and standing beside it. Use this time to catch your breath and recover.
4. Repeat this pattern of 20 seconds of sprinting followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 rounds.
5. After the 8th round, rest for 1-2 minutes at a moderate pace to catch your breath and recover.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for a total of 3-4 sets.
7. Cool down for 5-10 minutes at a moderate pace.

Descending Ladder Interval Workout on the Treadmill

The key to this program is to increase your effort as the interval length decreases. “That explains you not only how to switch through gears rapidly, but to locate turnover and speed after a brief recovery phase,” says Matthew Luke Meyer, a trainer at Mile High Run Club in New York.

Warm-up:

• Start with a 5-minute light jog or brisk walk to get your heart rate up and loosen up your muscles.

Interval Workout:

• Set the treadmill to a light jog you can comfortably maintain for 5 minutes. This will be your starting pace for the workout.
• Run at this pace for 5 minutes.
• Increase the speed by 0.2-0.3 mph and run at the new pace for 4 minutes.
• Increase the speed again by 0.2-0.3 mph and run at the new pace for 3 minutes.
• Continue decreasing the time interval by 1 minute and increasing the speed by 0.2-0.3 mph each time until you reach the end of the ladder.

Here’s what the ladder would look like:

5 minutes at 6.5 mph (or your comfortable starting pace) 4 minutes at 6.8 mph 3 minutes at 7.1 mph 2 minutes at 7.4 mph 1 minute at 7.7 mph

Interval Workout for speed Endurance 

The build is slow, but the speed isn’t. “The purpose of endurance training is to train your body to function effectively over longer periods of time, and the goal is to change your speeds rather than keep the constant pace,” explains Andrew Slane. In essence, speed endurance drills will help you to maintain a higher work rate for longer.

One of the most effective speed endurance workouts on a treadmill is the “3-2-1” workout. This workout involves running at increasing speeds for short intervals to help improve both your speed and endurance. Here’s how to do it:

1. Warm up for 5-10 minutes at an easy pace.
2. Set the treadmill to a moderate pace that you can comfortably maintain for a few minutes.
3. Run at this pace for 3 minutes.
4. Increase the speed by 0.5-1 mph and run at the new pace for 2 minutes.
5. Increase the speed again by 0.5-1 mph and run at the new pace for 1 minute.
6. Decrease the speed back to your original moderate pace and run for 3 minutes.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for a total of 3-4 sets.
8. Cool down for 5-10 minutes at an easy pace.

Pyramid Treadmill Workout

The approach is that you’re moving up and down a “pyramid” by beginning your tough interval at a one-minute portion, gradually increasing to a five-minute portion, and then continuing to work back down to one minute. As it moves you up and down, this activity is commonly referred to as a ladder workout.

Warm-up:

• Start with a 5-minute light jog or brisk walk to get your heart rate up and loosen up your muscles.

Pyramid Treadmill Workout:

• Begin at a moderate pace for 1 minute.
• Increase the speed by 0.2-0.3 mph and run for 2 minutes.
• Increase the speed again by 0.2-0.3 mph and run for 3 minutes.
• Increase the speed again by 0.2-0.3 mph and run for 4 minutes.
• Increase the speed again by 0.2-0.3 mph and run for 5 minutes.
• Decrease the speed by 0.2-0.3 mph and run for 4 minutes
• Decrease at the same rate until you’re back to 1 minute.

Race Pace Treadmill Workout

On a treadmill, you can easily train for a marathon. Many runners effectively train for marathons using treadmills, whether as a fitness machine for particular marathon speed workouts or all of their marathon training runs.

A race pace workout is a type of training workout in which you practice running at a pace similar to your target race pace. The purpose of this workout is to help you become more comfortable with the pace and improve your endurance for maintaining that pace throughout the race.

Here’s how to do a race pace workout:

1. Warm up for 10-15 minutes with a light jog.
2. Determine your target race pace (for example, if you’re training for a 10k and want to finish in 50 minutes, your target pace would be around 8 minutes per mile).
3. Start running at your target race pace for a set distance or time (for example, 1 mile or 10 minutes).
4. Take a 1-2 minute break to recover.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for a total of 3-5 sets.
6. Cool down for 5-10 minutes with a light jog or walk.

Conclusion 

Overall, these are just a few in which treadmills can improve your speed and flexibility. The benefit of a treadmill is that you may use it at home to increase your endurance training and overall fitness. Most treadmills now include built-in features and LCD screens that allow you to choose from various workout plans.