Treadmill Workouts

Who doesn't feel pressed for time between the major holidays? I asked my Equinox trainer, Lauren, for a couple quick cardio workouts to burn up the calories. She gave me a rowing workout — a great machine that always seems to be available — and an incline workout on the treadmill. Even though you might be short on time, you don't need to give up your sweat sessions. Try these quickies.

Rowing Machine Workout
Set resistance between two and five; anything higher and you're likely to hurt your back.

• Warmup: Row for three to five minutes at 50 percent of max.
• Sprint: Row at 90 to 100 percent of max for 100 meters; rest for 15 seconds, repeat for a total of 10 reps.
• Cooldown: Row for three minutes, at 50 percent of max.

This is a great workout to add into circuit training for a nice cardio kick. Be sure to read up on tips for using the rowing machine before heading to the gym.

Not feeling it for the rowing machine? Keep reading to check out the treadmill incline workout.

The treadmill has the potential to bore, but running in the cold and the rain is rarely fun. To make sure you still get your cardio on this season, we've created this boredom-busting, fat-fighting treadmill workout that, after the warmup, changes by the minute. It ramps up with speed bursts but brings you back to a slower pace to recover. Clocking in at 30 minutes, this interval workout won't break the time-limit rule at most gyms, either.

Ready to run? Then check out the workout.

Running not only burns calories, but it also does wonders for strengthening and sculpting your entire lower body. If you want to tone your legs and butt even more, give this calorie-torching workout a go. You can do our sculpting interval workout on a treadmill or outside; just increase the incline on the machine or find an actual hill on your outdoor route for the steeper intervals.

This 53-minute workout, including a warmup and a cooldown, is full of walking lunges, high-knee running, sprints, walking uphill, and running sideways to target different muscles in your lower body. Pay special attention to the speed and incline so you know how fast and how steep your legs need to go.

Continue reading to see this 470-calorie-burning interval and strength-training workout.

Some runners dread hills and actively avoid them, which if you live in the SF Bay Area can be a rather difficult task. But by skipping the incline you miss the opportunity to build both speed and stamina while giving your booty a little extra kicking. Plus running hills makes the flats feel like a breeze. If you're not into running outside, you can still run hills with this rolling hill treadmill.

As always, feel free to play around with the elements — speed, incline, and duration — to make the workout suit your needs. Since this is a hill workout, I do think it better to slow your pace but keep the incline up.

Get ready to roll with the hills!

The changing weather of Fall inspired me to hit the wooded trails near my house, and the steep inclines inspired me to do hill repeats. They're great for strengthening the legs, as well as building speed and endurance. If hilly terrain is hard to come by in your neck of the woods, try this version on a treadmill instead. This workout is moderately paced so feel free to speed up or slow down, depending on your ability and mood.

Continue reading to see this 40-minute workout and find out how many calories you'll burn.

When you don't feel like getting your heart rate up, either because of illness, it's a rest-and-recovery day, or there's no time to get sweaty and take a shower, here's an interval workout that's all about walking. It's geared for the treadmill using the incline, so print this poster, hop on the belt, and do this 50-minute workout.

If you're new to running, I'm a firm believer in easing into your relationship with running to give your body time to adjust to the physical demands — you don't want to get so sore that you never want to run again. Mixing walking and running is a great way to get your heart rate up while priming your body for distance and speed. Here's a 40-minute walking/running workout perfect for beginners, or for seasoned runners in the mood for a lighter workout.

Take a look at the workout when you read more.

Caught in a rut on the treadmill? FitSugar reader FitFabCities has created a 40-minute treadmill workout that is certain to get you excited about the gym again!

I'm not afraid to say it: I love the treadmill. I know, I know, my fellow runners out there probably gasp in horror at the thought of spending even 30 minutes "running but going nowhere," but I love it. I love staying dry, I love watching TV, and I really love being warm.

That said, I am willing to admit it can get a wee bit  boring if every time you hop on the old treadmill, you hit your regular three to five miles. Well that's why I love this workout; you'll be changing speeds, inclines, even directions every minute, so there is no chance you'll get bored. After all,  keeping your mind and body guessing is the best way to keep seeing results!

See this interval workout (and get a printable copy) after the break!

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Tina Haupert

It’s that time of year when I take my running workouts inside to the treadmill. Or should I say dreadmill? The treadmill can be a real drag, but I find that using a plan to guide my workout keeps me on track, interested, and motivated, so the time flies by. Here are three of my favorite (read: not boring) treadmill workouts.

Health.com: Fun Ways to Get Fit Without a Gym

Walk-Jog-Sprint
This is one of my go-to workouts when I’m dreading my time on the treadmill. It keeps me guessing for a solid 45 minutes, so it’s over before I know it! And I feel like I’ve really worked hard when I’m done. I’m almost always a sweaty mess at the end!

Walk at 4.0 at 7.5 incline for 4 minutes
Jog at 6.5 at 1.0 incline for 5 minutes
Repeat walk and jog twice
Jog at 6.5 at 2.0 incline for 3 minutes
Run at 7.0 at 1.0 incline for 3 minutes
Sprint at 8.0 at 1.0 incline for 1 minute
Jog at 6.0 at 1.0 incline for 1 minute
Sprint at 8.0 at 1.0 incline for 1 minute
Run at 7.0 at 1.0 incline for 1 minute
Jog at 6.5 at 1.0 incline for 3 minutes
Cool down (walk) for 5 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Health.com: Winter-Proof Your Run

Roll Play
Changing my speed every two minutes keeps my interest and motivation high while running on the treadmill. I covered a little over 5.5 miles in 60 minutes during this workout. There’s a walking interval from minutes 30 to 35, so this workout can easily be shortened to 35 minutes if needed.

Keep on reading for two more treadmill workouts.

Weight loss on your mind? Kick it up a notch in the workout department with this 41-minute interval workout for the treadmill that will burn about 500 calories. Complete it five times in a week and you are well on your way to burning an extra 3,500 calories — the magic number of calories it takes to lose one pound in a week. This means you would need to cut out about 150 calories daily from your food intake to meet that goal. Not too difficult right?

Continue reading to see this 500-calorie-burning interval workout