5 valuable ways you can make treadmill running more effective

Love it or hate it, treadmill running can be a valuable tool for any runner. 

Whether you’re a new runner or a veteran one, a treadmill, when used strategically, can help you:

• Boost your running mental toughness 
• Get faster by increasing your running cadence
• Develop running strength with treadmill hill workouts

Here, you’ll learn the top treadmill running tips to help you get the most out of your treadmill workout. Plus, you’ll also find:

• The best treadmill running apps to keep you motivated
  
• And treadmill running workouts to help you boost your running fitness

Let’s get started.

THE TOP TREADMILL RUNNING TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Set your treadmill incline to 1%

A 1% treadmill incline simulates running outdoors to make up for air and wind resistance. ¹

This NordicTrack Commercial is a great option if you want to run with a virtual trainer who will adjust your treadmill’s incline and speed for you.

Or for an affordable alternative, try this NordicTrack treadmill.

The best ways to deal with boredom on the treadmill

Though you may resist running on a treadmill, it can be a useful tool for strengthening your mental toughness. 

You might face boredom, discomfort, and maybe even a desire to stop running altogether, but you can engage your mind with a few tips. 

Do surges. Surges are accelerations sprinkled throughout a run and can range both in time and intensity. For example, you could bump up the speed do a quick 20-second acceleration every 10 minutes. 

Do hills. Hill work is never easy but the result—stronger adductors, glutes, hamstrings, and calves—makes it worth the effort. And that’s especially good news if you’re running a hilly race. 

The hills you do today create strong legs tomorrow. 

Hill work also builds your mental toughness. That’s because the more experience you have running hills—facing discomfort, overcoming it, and knowing that you can do this—the less daunting they’ll be. 

Listen to inspiring running content.  If you’re curious, you’ll find a list of the best running audiobooks here and 16 running podcasts to listen to now.

Try a higher run cadence. A higher run cadence can help you run efficiently. And, it can reduce the impact on your joints, preventing injury.

According to this study, you can reduce the impact on your joints if you increase your preferred step rate by 10% or more. 

And, researchers found that the knee absorbs less energy (roughly 20% and 34% ) when step rate increased by 5 and 10 percent.

If you want to master a higher cadence, using a treadmill can help you do so. 

You’d set your speed—for example, at 6 mph—and keep it steady while you increase your step rate by 5 to 10 percent. 

To find your preferred step rate:

1. Check if your running watch measures your preferred step rate or cadence.
2. If you don’t have a watch or it doesn’t provide a cadence measurement, here’s what to do. Count the number of times your right foot hits the ground for 1 minute, then double it. This number’s your preferred step rate or cadence.
3. Take your preferred step rate and add anywhere from  5—10% to increase your step rate.
4. It’s helpful to practice an increase in step rate with a metronome. If you’re practicing an increase of 5% of 156 steps per minute, you’ll set the metronome to 164 beats per minute (BPM).
5. Try keeping your speed steady—for example, at 6 mph—while you experiment with step rate increases. 

 

How to pace yourself on the treadmill ²

If you’ve ever set your treadmill speed to match your outdoor running pace and found it difficult, then you’re not alone. 

Your treadmill pace may not even be your outdoor running pace.

In this study, runners ran on an outside track for 3 minutes. Then, they ran on a treadmill for another 3 minutes. 

But it wasn’t quite so simple for these runners.

Researchers hid the treadmill display so runners couldn’t see the speed they’d selected. 

Runners could only adjust the speed until it felt the same as running outside. And that speed turned out to be much slower than their outside running pace.

This mismatch of treadmill pace and outdoor pace may not apply to all runners. But if it does, consider running by rate of perceived exertion (RPE) instead of relying on your treadmill display. 

RPE, on a scale of 1 (very easy)—10 (very hard), is how hard you feel you’re running, based on physical cues, like your heart rate, how hard you’re breathing, and how tired you feel.

Plus, running by RPE can help you:

• Relieve pressure to hit specific splits or paces.
• Run based on how you’re feeling that day to avoid overtraining.
• Give you a good estimate of your actual heart rate when running. ³

THE TOP APPS FOR TREADMILL RUNNING

Nike + Run Club

Need a coach in your ear? You might like the audio guided run in this free Nike app.

Peloton Digital

You don’t have to have a Peloton Tread to try an instructor-led treadmill walk/ run or running class. With the app, you’ll find classes that range anywhere between 10—60 minutes, for runners of all levels.

The app’s free for 30 days and $12.99 a month after the free trial. 

Zwift Run

If you’re serious about having fun while running at home, then you might like Zwift. Here in Watopia (Zwift’s virtual island), you can run virtually with runners around the globe. 

But note, if you don’t have a Bluetooth-enabled treadmill, you’ll need a footpad and a media device to stream Zwift. 

The app’s free to download, but you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription of roughly $14.99 a month. 

THE TREADMILL RUNNING WORKOUTS THAT WILL HELP YOU GET STARTED

Ready to break a sweat? Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter and download these 5 treadmill running workouts to spice up your treadmill running game. 

CONCLUSION

There you have it, the best treadmill running tips to help you get the most from treadmill running.

You’ve learned:

• The top treadmill running tips to help you get the most of your treadmill workout.
  
• The best treadmill running apps to keep you motivated.
  
• And treadmill running workouts to help you boost your running fitness.

With these resources, your treadmill sessions can be a valuable tool in your running routine.

Tired of running on the treadmill and want to brave winter running? Come on over and read this post on boosting your winter running motivation. You’ll also find tips on how to transition to outdoor running here.

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