Programs

One of the primary benefits of treadmills is the ability to precisely quantify your performance in real time. You can track how far you go and how quickly you move, while tracking a host of metrics from calories burned to your active heart rate. The gear onboard treadmills includes fitness programs that structure your treadmill session for you. For example, you can run a 5K or 10K at the touch of a button, or set up a constantly changing session where the treadmill automatically adjusts the pace and incline as you go.

Distance and Pace

Common treadmill routines include timed sessions where you run at either a set or variable pace, or sessions where you cover a specific distance at a pace of your choosing. Either type of routine can provide a thorough workout as long as you go fast enough, far enough or long enough to tax your system. Timed runs let you easily fit your treadmill workouts into your schedule, but you will have to increase either the time of each session or the treadmill's pace as your body adjusts to the routine.

Intervals

To boost your heart rate, use interval training, where you run as hard as you can for either a short amount of time or a short distance, then go at a slow walking pace for 30 seconds to two minutes before ramping it up again. Do multiple intervals in the space of 45 minutes or an hour.

Incline

Treadmills also provide a quick method for adjusting the angle of your workout. The steeper the incline, the tougher workout you do. You can simply raise or lower the incline for a set amount of time or distance, but altering the incline periodically prevents your body from adjusting to it, giving you a consistently tough workout. Steep inclines during intervals create a tough, effective exercise as well, but this workout is extremely challenging and is not recommended for beginners.

Considerations

Rest is crucial for running intervals and for distance work. You can walk or lightly jog on several successive days, but try to rest at least one day in between hard sprints or long-distance runs on the treadmill. Most treadmills feature basic impact absorption to protect your knees while running, but the impact of the motion cannot be completely ameliorated. Over time, interchange distance work with interval sessions to maximize your gains, improve your overall fitness level and prevent performance plateaus.