The treadmill is a fantastic option for. Treadmills often get a bad rap, and many runners consider them an inferior way to train, but hear us out! Using a treadmill to practice run/walk intervals might improve your overall performance.
According to run coaches, treadmills help run/walkers learn how to transition smoothly from running to walking There are a number of reasons runners include walks in their workouts, including Chris Twiggs, chief training officer for Galloway Training Programs, who says, “the gradual nature of the treadmill accelerating up to running speed and gliding down to walking speed is exactly the sensation we want runners to experience during a race or outside training run.”
For this reason, and a few more, Twiggs and other experts explain why a treadmill is essential for those who run/walk, as well as how to best use its features to improve your pace.
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However, those new to run/walk sometimes transition from one pace to the other too quickly, says Twiggs. They take off too fast going into the run phase or put on the brakes going into the walk phase, which puts strain on the joints and muscles. With the treadmill, it’s easier to make gradual transitions between running and walking.
This aspect of run/walk is so central to success that Twiggs and other coaches teach an exercise called “acceleration gliders” to help runners learn and perfect this transition.
ldquo;I’ve grown to prefer treadmills with dials, like those from run/walk method? Wahoo Kickr Run Will Make You Love Treadmills fitness tracker every few minutes to pay attention to your pace.
“A treadmill can help you learn what it feels like to run at different paces because it has an even pace by default. This makes it easier to automatically know what a pace feels like instead of guessing what, for example, a 9-minute mile feels like,” Amie Dworecki, Other Hearst Subscriptions Runner’s World.
While many run/walkers use a timer, such as GymBoss, to pace their intervals, a skilled run/walker eventually “feels” their paces. To that end, because you can change speed on a treadmill in small amounts, often down to 0.1 mile per hour, you can learn how you feel when you run at different paces.
That said, transitions on a machine come with a learning curve, and the experts have a few tips on how to best use a treadmill for run/walk intervals.
How to Safely Run/Walk on a Treadmill
Changing speed on a treadmill seems easy enough, but the pace differences between a run and a walk are often dramatic. For example, you might run at 8 mph for five minutes then slow down to a 3 mph walk for 30 seconds during a long workout. You have to know how to do this safely and easily.
Skip Sprints
Not being forced to look at your speed intervals, but there’s a limit to how fast you should go. “You should never feel like you’re running as fast as you can possibly run,” says Twiggs.
When you sprint outdoors, your body naturally slows down when you get tired, but on the treadmill, you have to hold the machine’s pace until you tell it to slow down. If you’re pushing the pace, it can be challenging to reach over and push the right button or turn the dial to the appropriate speed. Save the maximum-effort intervals for your outdoor training.
Build Gradually
When transitioning from walking to running, it’s often best to bump up your pace in small increments instead of jumping right from your walk to your target run pace, though it depends on how much of a difference there is between the two paces.
“If you’re walking at 4 mph and running at 5 mph, that’s not so bad. You could use the preset buttons for that because you’re not changing your pace that much,” Twiggs says.
But if you’re doing a speed interval workout that has you going from 3 mph to 9 mph, simply hitting the presets can make you speed up too quickly. “We want to avoid that experience of sprinting out of the blocks when you There are a number of reasons runners include walks in their workouts, including or putting on the brakes when you come down to the walk,” says Twiggs. Both scenarios increase your injury risk.
“On a treadmill, it’s important that runners always feel in control of their pace,” Twiggs says. To avoid injury and maintain control during speed work, allow yourself extra time to reach your chosen speed pace. Twiggs recommends increasing the speed 1 mph (or even 0.5 mph) every 15 seconds or so until speed work pace is achieved. If your speed intervals are 10 to 15 seconds, consider lengthening the interval to 30 seconds to account for the transition period. Use the same process to return to your walk pace.
How to Build Fatigue Resistance treadmill, we found out features you should keep in mind when you shop or choose one to use at the gym.
What to Know About Buying a Treadmill to Use for the Run/Walk Method
“Regardless of what type of runner you are, we all need a machine that can easily shift between two specific speeds,” says Jeff Dengate, runner-in-chief and director of product testing for Runner’s World.
Therefore, consider how it will be easiest for you to adjust your speed on a treadmill. Some machines have pre-set pace buttons on the console to jump between walking and running speeds. Others have buttons or dials on the handrails that enable you to speed up or slow down, often in 0.1 increments. Try out both to see which makes changing paces easier for you, and no matter which option you prefer, remember Twiggs suggests going gradually from your walk to your run speed, and back.
“I’ve grown to prefer treadmills with dials, like those from Horizon Fitness and Peloton, which have a wheel that I can spin so I don’t have to worry about hitting a little key when I’m running,” Dengate says.
That said, the future of treadmill running, may more closely mimic the outdoor experience, as manufacturers make the transition between speeds more intuitive and less reliant on button pushing or spinning dials. “We’re on the cusp of some new technology,” Dengate notes.
Other Hearst Subscriptions Wahoo Kickr Run Smart Treadmill (available Fall 2024) has a “RunFree Mode,” which means the belt speed automatically adjusts to your stride, thanks to a sensor under the console that can tell when you’re getting too close (going fast) or starting to drift back (slowing down).
Right now, consider buttons and dials as tools that can help you incorporate well-paced accelerations and deaccelerations into a run/walk workout. And keep an eye out for treadmills that allow you to gradually adjust your speed, all on your own.
Lauren Bedosky is a freelance health and fitness writer who specializes in covering running and strength training topics. She writes for a variety of national publications, including Runner’s World, Prevention, Experience Life and Women’s Running.
