Treadmill workouts.

We at Constantia Gear have been going over our training year for next year.  

And we have collected some great workouts that you can do to get better.  If you have some of your own e-mail us at connect@constanitagear.com and we will put them up.  The best ones will get something from the Constantia Gear collection.

( Stay tuned for our outdoor workouts next week)

 

Our favorite indoor workouts 

1)  1 hour great for Adventure race training:

20 mins on the Bike.  Make sure the tension increases every 5 min’s.  

20 mins on the weights.  Try to get through every machine as fast as you can.  We do 10 reps at a weight of your choosing.  If you get through them all do it again.

20 mins on the treadmill.  You should be warmed up by now so put the treadmill up 2% every 3 min’s.

 

2)  The movie workout

Watch a movie or Game on the treadmill.  Every commercial ether raise the incline to 5% or speed up the treadmill.  You will not know how long the commercial will be but usually they are 3 min’s. This is great interval training. 

 

There’s a great treadmill workout list on active.com. Which we featured below:

 

On Aerobic Days

The bulk of your running should not be hard. You should be maintaining an aerobic heart rate while rapping along to your music. These aerobic days are also a chance to improve running economy, or the amount of energy needed to run a given pace.

Upper-level aerobic runs can form anywhere from 50 to 100 percent of your winter training, depending on your goals. Here are two (mostly) aerobic workouts to make sure you don’t throw away your shot on the treadmill.

 

The Barracuda: 40-80 minutes easy with a fast 30 seconds every five minutes (starting at 15 minutes)

The pace chart of the Barracuda looks like sharp little teeth. The fast sections act as strides that improve your running mechanics and make you faster at all effort levels. On the strides, try to go the quickest pace you can while staying totally relaxed.

 

The Stairway to Heaven: 40-80 minutes easy with 50 seconds at 10-percent grade every six minutes (starting at 15 minutes)

This workout adds a strength component and changes up running dynamics, which is important because repetitive motion can increase injury risk. On the "hills," think about a springy, powerful stride.

 

On Hard Days

 

Hard days are the butter sticks of training. Aerobic toast works on its own, but butter makes everything better.  However, you don’t want too much butter (nor to subsist on a diet of butter alone). After you've run your aerobic base miles, add some hard workouts to improve your VO2 max, lactate threshold and endurance.

 

The Progression Panda: 15 minutes easy, 4 x 30 seconds fast/3 minutes easy, 4 to 8 x (three minutes easy/two minutes moderate/one minute hard), 15 minutes easy

Start all hard workouts with an easy warm-up jog, followed by 30-second strides with full recovery to get your blood pumping and prepare for what is to come. The Panda starts soft with three minutes easy, but you soon learn the panda’s true nature as a ferocious killing machine when the bear comes out—two minutes moderate and one minute hard. Do four reps if you are a lower-volume runner, and up to eight if you are advanced. This workout is engaging and incorporates every energy system you will use in a trail race.

 

The Surprising Sloth: 15 minutes easy, 4 x 30 seconds fast/3 minutes easy, 8 to 15 x 1 minute fast/2 minutes easy, 15 minutes easy

This workout is mostly a sloth, with 43 to 57 minutes of easy running. But the claws of the workout are surprising with 10-17 minutes of fast running that jump-starts your VO2 max and improves your running economy. On the fast portions, focus on going the fastest you can sustain with straining. Similar to the Panda, do more intervals if you are a higher-volume runner, but never sacrifice quality for quantity.

 

The Long Liger: 90 minutes to two hours alternating between three minutes moderate, three minutes at 6-percent grade, and four minutes easy

Long runs are where many of the most important aerobic adaptations take place. The Long Liger has all the benefits of a long run while mixing up multiple stresses to keep you engaged. After an easy warm-up, break up each 10-minute set with some moderate running, some hill running and some easy running.

 

 

Winging it and Singing It: 60 minutes to two hours with every other song moderate

Do you hate numbers? Then cover the treadmill readout with a towel and just run by feel. When the song changes, increase the pace. When the next song comes on go back to easy effort. You can use this method any day of the week, even breaking it down by verse (for example, a hill repeat every time the chorus comes in). Let’s just hope that your playlist doesn’t have four-hour experimental jazz tracks.

 

On Purely Easy Recovery Days

Some days, even the aerobic runs are too much and you just need to slow down and smell the roses. Unfortunately, there is nothing that smells like a rose in the gym. So here are some ideas to break up the monotony of super-chill recovery days.

 

The Slow Climb: 40-60 minutes alternating five minutes level, five minutes at 2-percent grade, and five minutes at 4-percent grade

Start with the pace comically slow and keep it slow, just alternate the gradient every five minutes. Changing up your form in the hills will ensure you limit the repetitive pounding on your joints and bones.

The Invigorator: 40-60 minutes starting extremely slowly and increasing pace by 0.1 miles per hour every two to four minutes

On days you really, really don’t want to start, the Invigorator can get you moving. Start with a pace that is up to two times slower than your 5K pace. As you work into the run, increase the pace gradually. Ideally, at the end you’ll be moving and grooving, ready for runs to come.

Easy Treadmill Runs

Most of your running should be easy. Treadmills can break up your easy runs and mix up stride dynamics in a way that lets you train intelligently without going crazy. Some examples:

The Escalator: 40 minutes to 2 hours alternating between 0-, 2-, 4- and six-percent grade every four minutes, reducing speed a couple notches with each increase in grade. This is a staple easy run that mixes up movement patterns without much thought.

Miles of Smiles: 4 to 16 miles easy with every other mile at five-percent grade. This run is engaging without too much button-mashing.

Moderate Treadmill Runs

It’s okay to add a bit more spice to your training curry a few times per week. These workouts let your body get moving without too much mental anguish.

Sergeant Surge: During a 40 minute to 2 hour run, at 15 minutes and every 5 minutes after, do 1 minute at 8-percent grade moderate, with the rest easy. This is a variation of the classic surge workout and is a great option for a moderate run you do often, including your long run each week. It mixes up stride dynamics without spending much time above aerobic threshold. You can make it an easy, everyday-style run by shortening the surge to 30 seconds.

The Burn Ladder: 40 minutes to 2 hours with 5 minutes at 2-percent grade, 4 minutes at 4-percent grade, 3 minutes at 6-percent grade, 2 minutes at 8-percent grade, and 1 minute at 10-percent, including 5 minutes at 0-percent between each ladder set. Have the 0-, 2-, 4-, and 6-percent sections be easy and the 8- and 10-percent sections moderate. You’ll likely find yourself straddling aerobic threshold during the middle sets and approach lactate threshold on the 10-percent intervals. If you do races with lots of hiking, you can add two minutes at the top of each ladder, power hiking at 12 to 15-percent grade.

Hard Treadmill Runs

Major stresses should be reserved for special occasions, emphasizing full recovery afterward. These workouts are hard, but rewarding, improving comfort with difficult climbs. Only do them if you have a well-constructed base, a lot of mental conviction and a good idea of your training goal.

The Infinity Buzzsaw: 10 minutes easy at 0-percent grade, then 4 to 10 x 2 minutes at 15-percent grade, 2 minutes at 12-percent grade and 2 minutes at 8-percent grade, finishing with a cool down of 10 minutes easy at 0-percent grade. The 15-percent grade is a power hike or slow run, the 12-percent grade is a moderately hard run and the 8-percent grade is an easy run, focusing on recovering as much as you can while going uphill. This workout acts similar to a cruise interval session targeting lactate threshold. Our athletes often use a variation prior to major ultras, like UTMB or Western States (very advanced athletes will even use it as a second workout on key days)

It Burns So Good: 15 minutes easy at 1-percent grade, 4 to 10 x 3 minutes moderate/hard at 8-percent grade with equal recovery at 0-percent grade, 15 minutes easy at 1-percent grade. These intervals have more recovery, targeting an effort slightly harder than lactate threshold. They are good for maintaining strong form while putting out lots of power.