Running indoors? Add these treadmill workouts to your routine

What are the benefits of running on a treadmill, pace and heart rate without distractions and obstacles like road crossings, uneven hills and heat. It can help to reduce your injury risk, too, because the belt of a treadmill is a softer surface to run upon than a road, resulting in less cumulative impact on your limbs. Several runners also prefer to use the treadmill to escape colder, wetter or darker conditions outside, especially in winter.

If you’re still not convinced, it’s worth knowing that many elite runners, including multiple world record-holding Jakob Ingebrigten, clock a decent amount of their weekly miles on the treadmill as well.

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To help you structure and stay motivated for your treadmill sessions, we’ve rounded up some of the best running workouts to complete indoors – and explained why they work.

What are the benefits of running on a treadmill?

Although running indoors helps you to avoid bad weather, slippery roads or areas that don’t feel safe, there are many other benefits to running on a treadmill.

First, treadmill runs are just as effective as outdoor runs. While you may hear people claim that treadmill running is ‘easier’, research shows that your biomechanical patterns when you run on a treadmill are the same as when you run outside. Some runners – especially when they’re using a smaller treadmill – might find that the limited space causes them to shorten their stride slightly, but this is unlikely to be an issue if it’s only happening occasionally.

Another study found that your VO2 max – which is a measure how much oxygen your body can use during a run – is the same when you run on a treadmill as it is when you run outside. So, while running outside can sometimes feel harder than running on a treadmill, what is actually going on inside your body is very similar. After all, your cardiovascular system doesn’t ‘know’ what surface you’re running on.

If you don’t own a treadmill and are thinking about investing in one, check out our guide on the best treadmills.

What pace should I be running on a treadmill?

Treadmill running can be used for runs of all paces, from hard and fast intervals to easy miles. But, if you’re new to the treadmill, don’t try to set a speed record on your maiden outing. Even experienced runners may take a while to get used to the feel of faster paces on a treadmill.

If you normally run to feel, or in miles rather than kilometres, just setting up your treadmill to suit your preferences can be the first hurdle – so it’s worth being patient with the technology.

Should I run on a treadmill at a gradient?

It’s often said that you should put the treadmill at a gradient of 1% to more accurately simulate outdoor running. However, this largely originates from a misunderstanding of a famous treadmill study from 1996, by Andrew Jones of the University of Brighton, which found that the 1% ‘rule’ only applies when you run at a pace that’s faster than 7:09min/mile. Other researchers add that the difference would be negated anyway by the fact that you probably get hotter on a gym treadmill than you would outside. Either way, it’s not something to worry about.

How can I make treadmill running more exciting?

Any run is more manageable if you break it into segments – and treadmill runs are no exception. Even on an easy run, you can break up the monotony by alternating between ‘super easy’ and ‘marginally less easy’ paces every few minutes.

‘Neither of the paces need to be really hard, but by breaking the run into segments, you can focus on one segment at a time,’ says five-time Olympian and RW columnist Jo Pavey. ‘A higher intensity workout – closer to an interval session – can also be done by working hard for repetitions of different lengths, then reducing the speed to a slow jog for the recoveries. I prefer to slowly jog for my recoveries rather than stop altogether, as I find that it breaks up the workout too much if I have to get on and off a treadmill.

‘Tempo runs are also great to do on a treadmill, with the warm-up and cooldown being part of the workout as well,’ adds Pavey. ‘Or, for a hill workout, try ramping up the incline for a minute, then follow this with a two-minute steady recovery.’ While the threat of treadmill-induced boredom may be off-putting, Pavey also points out that ‘the ability to withstand a degree of tedium on a treadmill improves mental toughness and the ability to focus your running’.

Of course, we also recommend that you try to crank up your best tunes. Just make sure that you’ve charged those wireless headphones The average runner can run a mile in this time podcasts beforehand – then, you’re free to get lost in the beats.

What apps can I use for treadmill running?

There is a huge array of third-party software and apps that offer you the chance to run in high-tech virtual worlds and against other runners across the globe.

Zwift Run is the best known of the bunch. The concept is simple – switch the app on and enter Zwift’s virtual world, where you can run in fictional and real-life locations (including London, New York City and Yorkshire). Here, you can pound digitised pavements alongside runners and cyclists from across the world, enter group runs, complete different loops and follow Zwift’s training plans for added motivation. The app itself is free for runners to use, but you will need to buy a RunPod that attaches to your shoe to track your cadence.

Other popular virtual world apps are Treadmill Trails, Rouvy and Kinomap. From the comfort of your treadmill, you can experience real-life running routes – as filmed by other users worldwide – and see how you rank against others. Some treadmills with a Bluetooth connection will even automatically alter the gradient of your run to match the elevation of the ‘real’ route shown on the screen.

Peloton has a free-to-download app, too – and you don’t even need a Peleton treadmill to use it. Simply take it to the gym and use whatever is available to you to complete any of Peloton’s treadmill workouts, which are each led by an enthusiastic instructor.

10 best workouts to do on a treadmill

1. 3-2-1 speed session

To do this workout, you’ll need to work out your ‘fast’ pace, so use our minutes at 5:30 min/km to work out what that should be. Remember that pace is unique to you and what you’re training for, so don’t worry about what anyone else’s fast pace might be. Your recovery pace should just be a very gentle jog that allows your heart rate to come back down.

Warm-up

5 minutes at easy pace

Main set

3 minutes fast
2 minutes of recovery jogging
2 minutes fast
2 minutes of recovery jogging
1 minutes fast
2 minutes of recovery jogging
- Repeat x 1

Cooldown

5 minutes at easy pace

If you’re an intermediate or advanced runner, repeat the main set a third time. You may also wish to extend the warm-up and cooldown blocks to 10 minutes each.

2. 12-3-30 workout

Try one of the world’s most googled workouts.

km at threshold pace somewhere between your 10K and half marathon race pace
Run at a pace of 3 miles an hour for 30 minutes
Find this too easy? Try the 12-4-30 workout instead

3. Hill workout to build strength

Warm-up

5 minutes at easy pace

Main set

1 minute fast at a treadmill incline of 2%
1 minute fast at 4%
1 minute fast at 6%
1 minute fast at 8%
2 is roughly a pace that you could hold for up to an hour in a race. Many%
- Should I run on a treadmill at a gradient%
2 minutes easy
- Repeat the set a third time, but this time at 6%, 8%, 10%, 12%

Cooldown

5 minutes at easy pace

4. Progression run

This 30-minute workout will see you start at your easy pace and gradually move up to your 5K pace. The example below has been adapted for a 25-minute 5K runner, but it can be adjusted to any pace – just work backward from your own 5K pace, adding 30 seconds per kilometre for each interval.

5-minute warm-up at easy pace
5 minutes at 6:30 min/km
5 minutes at 6:00 min/km
5 clock a decent amount of their weekly miles on the treadmill as well
5 minutes at 5:00 min/km
5-minute cooldown at easy pace

A progression run is a great workout for any race distance. If you’re targeting a 10K or longer, you might wish to extend each block.

5. Hill workout with run/walk intervals

If you’re relatively new to running and want to make things a bit more challenging, this is a great run/walk workout to try.

5-minute warm-up of easy jogging or brisk walking
1-minute walk at a treadmill incline of 1%
1-minute jog at 0%
2-minute walk at 2%
2-minute jog at 0%
3-minute walk at 3%
3-minute jog at 0%
4-minute walk at 4%
4-minute jog at 0%
5-minute warm-up of easy jogging or brisk walking

6. Quick 5K threshold

Your threshold pace is roughly a pace that you could hold for up to an hour in a race. Many running watches beforehand – then, you’re free to get lost in the beats.

1minute fast at a treadmill incline of 2
3km at threshold pace (somewhere between your 10K and half marathon race pace)
1km cooldown at easy pace

7. 5K intervals

1minute fast at a treadmill incline of 2
3 x 1km at 10K pace, with 2-3-minute jog recoveries after each rep
1km cooldown at easy pace

As you get more confident, try to build up to 6 x 1km at 10K pace. Then, you can work on increasing your pace, too.

8. 800m repeats

This is a more advanced workout for experienced runners who are training for longer distances. Combining tempo efforts with faster reps is also a great way to mix up a session and make it fly by faster.

3minute fast at a treadmill incline of 2
5K at tempo pace
3 minutes of recovery jogging
5 The best treadmill workouts for runners
3km cooldown at easy pace

9. Gradual speed increase for pregnant runners

This workout was devised by Katie Sloane, Kings of the Wild Frontier and 2021 Zwift Academy athlete, when she was pregnant. Although the paces for both the ‘on’ efforts and the rest periods are entirely up to you, the aim is to get progressively faster over each set without ever entering ‘the red zone’ – it’s important to feel in control of the workout. This session also works well as a confidence builder for runners who are returning from injury.

Warm-up

10 minutes at easy pace

Main set

2 minutes on
45 seconds of rest
1 minute on
30 seconds of rest
30 seconds on
90 seconds of rest
- Repeat x 6

Cooldown

10 minute cooldown of easy jogging or brisk walking

10. Zwift’s over/unders

This workout can be found on Zwift Run in its Training section. The focus, Zwift says, is to ‘become more efficient with higher intensity efforts and to teach the body how to recover after hard efforts’.

Warm-up

8 minutes easy

Main set

1 check out our guide on the best treadmills
1 minute at 105% of 5K pace
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3 and want to make things a bit more challenging, this is a great run/walk workout to try
1 check out our guide on the best treadmills
1 minute at 105% of 5K pace
- We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article