Tips for Effective Treadmill Running

As we get into the colder season, more and more of us are going to be heading indoors for our running workouts. Here are three tips to help make the most of your time on the treadmill and be ready to hit the pavement and the trails again next spring. The first tip is to use incline. Using incline on the treadmill helps to engage more of the posterior chain muscles that don’t really get worked when you run on a flat surface. This helps keep your legs in tiptop shape for the spring training season ahead. The second tip is to train with intervals. Varying your pace during a workout helps to increase your cardiovascular capacity, which is going to mean mean you’re going to be able to run better and stronger next spring season. Tip number three is tread lightly. The surface of the treadmill has a suspension system that makes it a little softer than running outside, which can temporarily disguise poor running form. Try to use a high stride frequency and land softly on your feet to avoid stress on the joints.