Last week’s post established why running is the best exercise and highlighted different ways to approach running around campus. In the attempt to bring all of the gym rats into the running game, as well as fend off the fear of rain, a description on the best way to use a treadmill is also necessary.
Although I personally love going for long runs outdoors and being able to follow my favorite trails and routes around Winston, there are definitely days that I only have 20 minutes to work out. For me, going for a 20-minute jog just won’t cut it—I need a little bit more to my workout. In those cases, I head to the Miller Center and hit the treadmill for maximum calorie burn in the shortest amount of time possible. In other words, I use the treadmill to run intervals.
For anyone who is new to the idea of intervals, it is essentially sprints. Recent studies have proven that running intervals, not jogging, is the best way to run. I can’t quite bring myself to stop going on my runs, nor do I want to, but I have definitely been doing intervals at least once a week since I read the studies. I also read in Self magazine that Kim Kardashian has a specific treadmill interval workout that she does during her workouts, so obviously I had to try it out. I have since revised the interval workout a little bit to make it the focus of my day’s workout. The workout is below:
1 minute light jog at 6.5 mph
1 minute run at 8.0 mph
30 seconds light jog at 6.5 mph
1 minute sprint at 8.5 mph or faster
1 minute jog at 6.5-7.5 mph
1 minute sprint at 9.0 mph
1 minute jog at 6.5-7.5 mph
1 minute seconds sprint at 9.2 mph
1 minute jog at 6.5-7.5 mph
1 minute seconds sprint at 9.5 mph
1 minute jog at 6.5-7.5 mph
1 minute seconds sprint at 9.8 mph
1 minute jog at 6.5-7.5 mph
2 minute run at 8.0-8.5 mph
1 minute light jog at 7.0 mph
45 seconds-1 minute sprint at 10.0 mph
1 minute jog at 6.0 mph
Recovery: 2 minute jog, starting at 6.0 and going down to a walk
Use the range of 6.5-7.5 for the intermediate minutes to personalize the work out to how difficult you want to make it for yourself. Also, I highly suggest playing Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” during the last bit to get you through the 10 mph sprint; it is a great motivational song. Usually the 10 mph is the hardest bit of it all, so I put it last because I honestly can’t bring myself to do any more difficult running after it.
If long, pounding runs aren’t your thing, intervals are a great way to incorporate running into your workout regimen. Plus, the experts say intervals are the way to go, and if Kim Kardashian is doing them, then we probably should too.
*Photography by Ellen Dicus