If you have been wondering if you should pick up a treadmill to help you set a new personal record (PR), you should take the plunge. With a good treadmill, you can act on a focused running plan designed to help you improve quickly.
Set Your Treadmill For A Tempo Run
While it may sound counter-intuitive, sometimes if you want to become a faster runner, you need to go slower. When you are constantly pushing your body to its limit, there is no chance for your muscles to repair themselves. Instead of becoming faster, you will slow down, and your muscles will have a harder time delivering even your normal racing levels.
A tempo run is when you run 30 seconds to one minute slower than your current race pace. It can be hard to gauge a tempo run outside, even if you are looking at your watch constantly.
By using a treadmill, you can ensure that you hold a steady, slower pace. That way, you can build up your endurance without pounding your body unnecessarily.
Challenge Yourself With Incline Settings
A great way to challenge your body to improve is to use the incline setting on your treadmill. It isn’t always easy to find hills outside to train on, yet your body thrives on the challenge that uphill workouts represent.
Using various incline settings on your treadmill, you can build muscle faster as the hill workouts force your body to push harder than a 0% incline. With that extra muscle, you will have greater staying power to help you push through mental and physical hurdles as you shoot to bust your PR.
Add Speedwork To Treadmill Workouts
Part of becoming faster does involve working on speed. Speed intervals, where you run as fast as you can for 400-800 meters, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat is a great way to help you push your body further than you have before.
Treadmills make it even easier to fit in a solid speed workout. Some treadmills like the ProForm Pro 2000 come with built-in speed workouts for you to choose from, so you don’t have to worry about crafting your own.
Keep Your Treadmill Training Fluid
Lastly, it is important to mix things up when it comes to your treadmill training. You can combine incline training with your speed workouts for increased difficulty and benefits, but try to also ensure you have 2-3 tempo runs a week. These slower-paced runs can help your body stay in peak condition while allowing you to recover from the more intense workouts.
If you don’t have a treadmill yet but want a great one to help you set new PRs, use our ProForm discount code. You can take 5% off of ProForm treadmills and start setting new running records while being shopping-savvy.
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