10 Secrets To Make Treadmill Running Less Boring
So long 'dreadmill'— here are easy ways to spice up your indoor running routine.
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If your treadmill workout is as entertaining as being on hold, waiting for a computer update, or listening to former prom royalty blather on about the glory days, you’re doing it wrong! Sure, your workouts might not always be quite as captivating as a post-game-analysis call with your BFF or people-watching at your local first-date spot. But, your time on the treadmill — or any exercise machine for that matter — should not be boring.
Thankfully, if your treadmill jaunts are starting to feel a little more ‘Zzzz’ than ‘Wooo!’ there are some simple edits you can make to make your workouts exciting once again. As running and obstacle race expert Kris Rugloski, an elite competitor with HYROX puts it, “There are so many ways to make treadmill workouts interesting, so your treadmill run is only going to be as boring as you allow it.”
Ready to kick boring to the curb? Read on. Ahead, a round-up of trainer-approved tips for replacing treadmill monotony with treadmill variety!
Related: The 12 Best Treadmills of 2023, Tested & In-Depth Reviewed
10 Tips To Make Treadmill Running More Fun
Strut It Out
Grew up in the dance studio? Notorious for hogging the aux during road trips? Show your love with curated playlists? If you answered yes to any of these questions — or otherwise enjoy music — this tip is for you.
ICYMI: The TikTok famous treadmill strut, gone viral thanks to mastermind Allie Bennett, involves walking on the treadmill to the beat of the music streaming your AirPods. “Listening to your favorite music while you’re on the treadmill is a great way to keep yourself motivated, as well as build confidence in the gym,” Bennett tells Shape.
To give it a try, you can download one of Bennett’s Spotify playlists like The Original Taylor Swift Strut, Disney Channel Strut, or Emo Treadmill Strut. Then, sync your gait with the beat. As you strut, sashay, or stride, go ahead and pretend you’re working New York Fashion Week and strike a pose or wave at your fans, she suggests. “Channeling your inner runway model is so much more empowering than you might think.”
Try Interval Training
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock treadmill, you’ve probably heard about high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Quick refresher: HIIT involves alternating bouts of very high-intensity work with bouts of rest and recovery, explains fitness expert Heather Grace Kaschak, and instructor at Barry's in Chicago, IL. As far as running on the treadmill is concerned, it’s essentially the opposite of a slow-and-go, shake-out run.
“High-intensity interval training has a lot of benefits, including muscle strength, endurance, agility, and of course, burning those calories,” she says. Because the training style involves vacillating between different speeds and inclines, interval training can also be a lot more mentally stimulating than a steady-state run, she says. In other words, bye-bye boredom, hello intensity!
Most treadmills have a handful of pre-programmed, interval-style workouts programmed right into them. These are a great way to dip your toe into this style of training. If your treadmill doesn’t have that option, or you’ve already exhausted those, you might also try doing a handful of sets of the following interval running workouts:
30 seconds of sprints, followed by 90 seconds of rest
20-second jog, followed by 10-second sprint
Half-mile sprint, followed by a half-mile jog, followed by a quarter-mile recovery walk
Worth mentioning: Due to the high level of intensity and therefore strain on the body, Kaschak recommends that most people do HIIT no more than 3 to 4 times per week. Depending on your fitness goals, the other days of the week you might do a steady-state run or strength train.
Get Some Big Picture Goals
Typically enjoy treadmill workouts, but haven’t been recently? A lack of specific fitness goals could be to blame. “Having a goal is incredibly important for staying motivated and engaged in your workouts and workout routines,” says Kaschak. When realistic and specific, remembering your longer-term goals can help re-energize you on days you’re feeling ‘blah’ about working out.
Remember: There are a number of health and fitness benefits of using the treadmill, such as improved cardio, stronger legs, increased body awareness, and improved mental toughness — all of which carry over to sports outside of walking and running. So, don’t feel like you have to limit your health and fitness goals to running-specific ones. As it goes, your goal could be to run a marathon, says Kaschak, but it could also be to PR your deadlift.
If you’re having a tough time figuring out what your goals are, consider asking yourself the following questions:
Are there current activities or actions in my day-to-day life that I wish were easier?
Are there certain health markers I could improve with a fitness routine?
Is there something fitness or movement-related that I’ve always wanted to (be able to) do?
Write a Daily Objective
In addition to making longer-term goals, Kaschak says it can also be motivating to set an objective for the specific treadmill workout you’re about to participate in. “Going into your workout with an intention like ‘I want to jog at a faster pace than yesterday’ or ‘I want to stay on the treadmill 5 minutes longer today’ can help keep you motivated,” she says.
You might also create a daily objective for your mental and emotional state while on the machine. For instance, you could set a goal to keep your self-talk positive even if you get bored on the treadmill or to be gracious with yourself if you need to drop the pace on a day when you aren’t feeling one hundred percent.
These daily objectives are designed to help keep your head in the game, not to hold you to an unobtainable standard. So, “don’t be hard on yourself if you can't achieve this particular goal,” she says. After all, there is always tomorrow (or whenever your next treadmill workout is)!
Related: The 11 Best Guided Journals of 2023, Picked By Mental Health Pros
Turn on the Tube
Why waste your favorite TV show episodes on a Netflix & Chill date with a boring right swipe when you could enjoy them while working out? Hint: You shouldn’t.
“Saving your favorite shows for when you’re on the treadmill can be a great way to get in a great workout that’s the length of an episode,” says Kaschak. “If you are craving movement during the week, this is a great tool to use to feel good while also having fun,” she says.
Watching television or a movie can be a great way to help pass the time while you work out, while also helping your brain create a positive association with running (or other treadmill work), she says. Indeed, in one 2016 study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, researchers found that watching TV during exercise led to greater enjoyment during that exercise.
Still, watching TV while you’re on the treadmill will shift your attention from your strides to the screen. As you might guess, this can increase your risk of tripping while you tread, or otherwise injuring yourself during your sweat session. To help keep yourself safe, wait to pair your training with the tube until you are very familiar with the treadmill you’re using.
Kaschak also says it's A-OK to keep your treadmill session nice and leisurely on the days you're pairing it with TV Time. “Enjoying TV is a leisure activity, so make it that way,” she says. Go as slow as you need to combine the two safely.
Walk Backwards
Turn up your tunes and back it up. That's right, Kaschak suggests incorporating backwards walking into either your treadmill warm-up or the workout itself.
“Walking backwards is a great tool for activating and strengthening your quadriceps, shins, and calves, which are the primary muscles used to run,” she explains. A little backward strut before a long (forward-facing) running workout can help prepare these muscles for the hard work ahead, she says.
Because backward walking also puts less force placed on the knee per step, compared to walking forward, she says. As such, this can be a sound rehabilitation exercise for individuals with pre-existing knee pains.
You might consider incorporating one minute of backwards walking into your treadmill workout for every half mile (or five minutes) you run or walk forward for example. Or, simply add two minutes of backwards walking into your run warm-up routine. “Just make sure to hold on to the railings for safety and use a low speed,” says Kaschak.
Worth noting: Not all treadmills have the functionality that allows you to walk backwards, according to Rugloski. “You won’t be able to effectively walk backwards on all treadmills because you need to be able to manually force the tread in reverse,” she says. “Even if your machine won’t let you manually move the tread you might incorporate 5 mins of backwards walking around your gym to get the same benefit on your tendons and ligaments,” she says.
Strut Side to Side
Be it bootcamp, cycling, or CrossFit, these days most exercise routines and fitness classes have you moving either forward or backward 99 percent of the time. Given that most locomotion in daily life requires you to move in these directions, it’s important that we can move forward and backward with sound form for long periods of time.
However, moving laterally — either on the treadmill or on land — is a great way to strengthen your hip adductors and abductors, which are not targeted from running alone, says Kaschak. Research shows that together, these muscle groups help stabilize your pelvis which supports balance, stability, mobility, flexibility, as well as sports performance.
Your move: Walk or shuffle on the treadmill laterally. Make sure to spend an equal amount of time facing each direction, so that your right and left side gain strength and mobility in equal measure. (Muscle imbalances between sides can lead to muscle compensation, which increases your risk of aches, pains, and injury down the road).
Sweat In Style
Gone are the days when the Nike Tempo Running Short is the be-all and end-all of running gear. If you want to stick to your tried-and-true running wear, you do you!
But don’t underestimate how motivating it can feel to slip into something a little more fashion-forward before getting your sweat on. Indeed, Bennett says wearing a fun gym outside really helps get her excited about her workouts. “It may sound silly, but whatever gets you moving consistently is always the best option.”
If you’re currently on the market for some new workout wear, we recommend these Lululemon Leggings or these ones from Gymshark.
Consider Cozy Cardio
On the flip side, if the lack of a designated workout wardrobe is keeping you out of the gym, consider giving cozy cardio a whirl. Another trend popular on FitTok, cozy cardio involves working out in whatever outfit and in whatever way feels best to you! For individuals who don’t go to the gym because of fear that they don’t have the proper workout attire, or won’t look cute enough, adapting a cozy cardio mindset can be powerful.
The Founder of the Cozy Cardio Club, Hope Zuckerbrow, hits her treadmill (or walking pad) in pajamas. But really, anything goes — just be sure to read your gym’s dress code ahead of time, as some gyms do not allow you to exercise in just a sports bra, while others forbid exercising in jeans.
Take Your Run Outside
No doubt, treadmills are a great way to get your run in when you need to train indoors, don’t have access to child or pet care, or are limited on time. But don’t forget about nature’s treadmill (AKA the outdoors).
Rugloski is a proponent of running outdoors wherever possible — especially if your training is starting to feel boring day after day after day. “There are so many benefits of being outside in the fresh air and sunshine,” she says.
Plus, many races take place outdoors as opposed to inside,” she says, which can make outdoor training a smidge more transferable on race day.
Related: The 9 Best Folding Treadmills of 2023, According to Shape Testers
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Read the original article on Shape.
