If you’ve been running for a while, you’re probably working on sprinting or distance. Sprints benefit your cardiovascular system as they increase your heart rate and boost you’re endurance and speed. If you’re interested in challenging yourself and making your workout more exciting you should try sprint workouts. Here’s how to build your own treadmill sprint workout.
Setting Speed
If you’re used to running outside, your sprint on a treadmill may not be as fast as outside, as it’s common to take longer strides on the treadmill. To determine your sprint speed, you have to first figure out your easy pace, or the speed you can run and still have a conversation with someone. Typically, this will be a 3 or 4 out of 10 effort and for your sprint, you’ll want to aim at a speed that’s fast, but feels like a 9 out of 10 effort. In general, it’s best to start your sprint at a slightly slower speed than you think you can run, because it’s better to sprint with good form than to sprint fast and injure yourself. After you sprint a bit at a slower speed, and if it feels like a challenge, stay at the speed, and if it doesn’t slowly increase the speed by 0.5 mph.
Length and Number of Sprints
Aim to sprint for 20 to 30 seconds. In between your sprints, you’ll need to rest and build up energy for the next one, so try and do a 4:1 rest-to-workout ratio. With more experience, you can shorten the rest intervals. For beginners, you should aim to do four to five sprints and for advanced runners, aim for 10.
Adding Incline
Always set your treadmill sprint workout at a 1 percent incline and to make the run harder, add greater steepness. For each sprint, try setting your incline to 2 to 5 percent, which will make it feel like you’re running uphill. After you finish sprinting, bring your incline back down to a flat surface.
