Building your own home gym? Check out my picks for the top 6 foldable treadmills with incline.
Why take my advice?
My name is Seth Jarus and I am a former division 1 collegiate track and field athlete who specialized in sprints and jumps. I’ve dedicated 10+ years to maximizing my performance and understanding of the technique and form needed to sprint with maximum efficiency. Here is all the information you need to improve your treadmill sprint game.
For optimal indoor sprint training, use a self powered curved treadmill.
Proper Warm-up for Treadmill Sprints
Here is a basic warm-up to get you fully loosened up and ready to push your body to the limits:
- 5 minute jog at 50%
- Static stretching – hamstring hangs, butterfly’s, quad stretches, ect…
- Dynamic stretching – walking lunges, high kicks, high knees, ect…
- Build up sprints (30 meters) – 60%, 70%, 80% and finally 90%
Proper Form for Treadmill Sprints
Importance of Form
Weather you’re running on the treadmill or in the park, form and technique are the keys to efficiency and injury prevention. The way you move can make or break your session; your body has its own rhythm, and figuring it out boosts your performance.
Elements of Proper Form
These are the key metrics to get dialed in:
- Posture: Stand tall and keep your posture neutral. Don’t lean forward or backwards.
- Head Position: Keep your eyes forward and head stationary. It helps with balance and breath control.
- Arm Movement: Keep those elbows bent at 90 degrees and move from the shoulders. Don’t underestimate the power generated from proper arm movement.
- Foot Strike: Avoid landing on your heels. Land on the balls of your feet to absorb the impact and project you forward. The faster the ground contact time is, the faster you run.
- Stride Length and Frequency: Short and controlled is ideal. Don’t sacrifice form to increase speed.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Posture | Stand tall, no leaning |
| Head Position | Eyes front, head still |
| Arm Movement | Motions from the shoulder, elbows bent |
| Foot Strike | Ball’s of the feet |
| Stride | Fast, short steps |
Gradually increase your speed as long as your form and technique don’t suffer. Dive into more tips on perfecting your treadmill form.
For more treadmill tricks, whether for dropping weight or just improving performance, check out my guide on building a treadmill workout routine.
Training Techniques for Improving Sprinting Speed
Want to improve your top speed on the treadmill? Let’s talk about training strategies that don’t just focus on technique.
Sprint Workouts on Treadmill
Unlike your slow-and-steady neighborhood jog, these power workouts focus on unlocking your maximum performance potential! Check out these plans:
| Sprint Workout | Description |
|---|---|
| 30-Second Sprint Intervals | 80-90% for 30 seconds, then slow it down for 60 seconds of walking. Repeat for 10-15 minutes. |
| Pyramid Sprints | Kick off with a 20-second sprint, walk it out for 40 seconds. Increase sprint time by 10 seconds and decrease rest time by 10 seconds each round until you hit a minute, then come back down. |
| HIIT Sprints | Sprint it out for 20 seconds, then recover with 40 seconds of walking or jogging. Rinse and repeat for 20 minutes. |
Maximize Your Treadmill Game: Speed & Endurance
Boosting speed and endurance on a treadmill is all about form and workouts focused on building strength, speed, and keeping your heart in shape. Here’s how I do it on the treadmill:
Tackling Treadmill Hills
Incorporate some hill work by increasing the incline to boost stamina and increase leg strength. Combine this with a weight routine focused on your posterior chain (hip thrusts, squats, lunges, ect…) and you will see get the results your after.
Sprinting uphill on a treadmill hits you hard in the lower body. Try the interval workouts we talked about earlier, but at an incline. This kind of running tightens up your core, so when you hit flat ground, you will be able to feel the speed and power you’ve created.
| Incline Level | Duration | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| 0% (Warm-up) | 5 minutes | 50% |
| 10% | 30 seconds | 80% |
| 10% (Rest) | 1 minute | 30% |
| 15% | 30 seconds | 80% |
| 0% (Cooldown) | 5 | 3 |
Repeat the middle section 3-5 times before your cool down. Working these incline changes into your routine is great for building leg power and increasing stamina. The idea is to push yourself but keep good running form – don’t get hurt!
Strength Boost with Bodyweight Workouts
Mixing in body weight, kettlebell and band exercises with your sprint reps is a killer combo. It’ll not only up your speed but makes you stronger and more enduring overall.
Here’s a quick routine to try:
| Exercise | Set | Repetitions |
|---|---|---|
| Squats | 3 | 15 |
| Lunges | 3 | 12 each leg |
| Push-ups | 3 | 10 |
| Plank | 3 | 30 seconds |
After each exercise, do a one-minute sprint-jog (70%) on the treadmill. The blend of sprints and bodyweight is a good way to boost your workouts effectiveness. Listen to your body during this workout. Be aware of the risk of pulling a hamstring by fatiguing them with weights or body weight and immediately sprinting.
Looking to most efficiently burn calories with the help of a treadmill? I’ve got a great guide on building a realistic treadmill workout routine for weight loss.
Concentrating on uphill challenges and bodyweight exercises in your treadmill sessions makes a noticeable difference in sprinting speed and stamina. Looking to do this from the comfort of your own home? Check out my picks for the top 6 foldable treadmills with incline.
Tips for Effective Treadmill Sprinting
Setting Speed and Incline
I’m all about combining a great warm-up and technique with the perfect workout plan to get the most out of my training session. Curved treadmills are great for an indoor natural feeling sprinting experience. I can focus on key metrics individually to perfect my performance. This precision comes in handy to mimic outdoor runs or sprints at the track.
Monitoring Progress and Adjustments
The best thing about treadmill sprints: I get constant feedback. I can see my speed and time right there, so I know I’m on track and making progress.
I’m a big fan of keeping logs of my treadmill workouts. Here’s my process:
- Initial Check: I write down my starting stats – speed, incline, workout details and my rest periods.
- Weekly Review: Looking through these logs each week helps spot trends, like when I can sprint faster or when I need less rest.
- Tweaking as Needed: If things start feeling too easy, I dial up the speed or incline a notch.
For more tips on using treadmills like a pro, scope out our article on how to improve running form on a treadmill.
If you’re trying out a curved treadmill for the first time, check out my advice on how to improve running form on a curved treadmill. Stay happy and healthy and enjoy the process!
