It’s dark, cold — and tempting to pack in the Parkrun until the clocks go forward. But why not train on the treadmill? It’s not an easy ride if you up the ante: James Stirling, wellness ambassador at the sports equipment manufacturer Technogym, has designed three workouts to put runners through their paces until spring.
1. Recreate an uphill run
Adding incline better recreates the conditions of running outdoors and also builds muscle. “Hills work your glutes, hamstrings and calves to build strength and power,” Stirling says. Add sprints at the end: “Fast hills teach your body to keep good form even when you’re fatigued.”
Warm-up: 8 min
– A 5-min jog at a 1 per cent incline — jogging pace is typically 4-6 miles per hour. Increase to 4 per cent and run for 2 min at the same pace. Finish with 1 min of walking, incline set to 1 per cent.
Main set: 16 min
– Set the incline to 4-6 per cent and hold your jogging pace for 2 min. Maintaining speed, increase the incline to 8-10 per cent for 1 min. Reduce the incline to 1 per cent and recover for 1 min. Repeat four times.
Finisher: 7.5 min
– Set the incline to 6-8 per cent. Increase speed to a pace you couldn’t manage for long and run for 1 min. Recover with a 30-second walk. Repeat this five times.
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2. If you want to get faster, sprint
Doing the same jog at the same pace won’t help you get faster: you need to add sprints. “Sprinting improves your speed endurance, enabling you to hold a fast pace for longer,” Stirling says.
Warm-up: 8 min
– Run at an easy pace, one at which you could hold a conversation, for 2 min.
– Run for 3 min at a pace at which you could manage short replies. For the final 20 seconds of each minute, sprint at maximum speed. After the final sprint, return to your moderate pace and run for another 3 min.
First set: 14 min
– A fast 2-min run with a 90-second walking recovery. Repeat four times.
Second set: 8 min
– Run for 1 min at your fastest pace, with 1 min recovery in between. Repeat four times.
Final set: 5 min plus 5 min cool-down
– Do 30 seconds of maximum-effort sprinting, then a 30-second recovery. Repeat five times (three for beginners). Cool down with a 5-min easy-pace run.
3. Run like a Norwegian
The “Norwegian 4×4 protocol” is a fancy name for a “simple format that uses heart rate to guide intensity”, Stirling says. Using your heart rate as a guide helps to adjust the intensity of your run. It’s one for the Fitbit/Garmin/Oura ring gang — start by linking your heart-rate device to the treadmill.
Workout
– Warm up with a 5-min jog, then move to 4 min of running at 60-70 per cent of your maximum heart rate, followed by 4 min of running at 85-95 per cent. Repeat this four times. Cool down with 3 min of stretches.