My Alternating Incline Treadmill Workout
When it comes to treadmill workouts the majority of those published online follow the same cookie cutter regime.
Place the treadmill on a moderate speed on a slight incline and perform 30 seconds on (sprinting) and jump off the treadmill for your 30 second rest periods.
If you want to burn some calories this does the job, however I've got a better alternative for you.
If you want to build your cardio conditioning and burn a ton of calories this one is for you.
All you require is a treadmill with an adjustable incline function and your mental intensity.
Start Off At A Moderate Pace On A Steady Incline
Find a moderate pace and incline setting that you could easily maintain for 1 minute.
This will be your starting point.
I personally begin this workout at a pace of 10kmph with an incline gradient of 10.
Jump on and perform your incline jog for 30 seconds.
Jump off.
Increase The Speed & Incline By 1 During Each 'Off' Interval
After your 30 second rest period jump straight back on with your adjusted speed and incline (increase each of these by 1 during your 30 second rest period).
For me this equates to...
A pace of 11kmph with an incline gradient of 11.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 12kmph with an incline gradient of 12.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 13kmph with an incline gradient of 13.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 14kmph with an incline gradient of 14.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 15kmph with an incline gradient of 15.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 16kmph with an incline gradient of 16.
As this is the highest incline gradient the treadmill is able to adjust to I deem this to be the 'top of the mountain'.
Now we work our way down...
Once You Reach The Top Of The Mountain It's Time To Come back Down
Your lungs should now be burning! It's time to continue our intervals however we'll be reducing the speed and incline by 1 each interval until we reach the bottom (our starting speed & incline).
For me this equates to...
A pace of 15kmph with an incline gradient of 15.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 14kmph with an incline gradient of 14.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 13kmph with an incline gradient of 13.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 12kmph with an incline gradient of 12.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 11kmph with an incline gradient of 11.
30 seconds off.
A pace of 10kmph with an incline gradient of 10.
From here it's straight back up the mountain, I perform the above regime 2 - 3 times during my interval workout days.
This Structure Works Regardless Of Your Current Fitness Level
Perhaps the above is a walk in the park for you, or perhaps it's too hard.
No problems.
Speeds, incline levels and rest between rounds is easily customizable.
The principle of the workout remains the same.
Increase speed and incline by 1 each interval until you reach your threshold, then begin descending back to your baseline speed.
Rinse and repeat for multiple rounds.