The treadmill gets a bad rap, but with the right approach, running indoors can feel dynamic and rewarding. We’ve put together three training sessions that adjust easily for all levels—from beginners to seasoned pros—keeping every indoor run fresh and purposeful. Beyond offering a way to skip tough weather days, treadmills are a fantastic tool for dialling in your pace, playing with intervals and building incline stamina. With varied speed, incline and intensity in these workouts, your indoor runs can bring as much energy and focus as your best days on the trail or road.
The rolling hills workout
Perfect for: Building endurance and strength with hill variations.
Warm up with 5-10 minutes at a comfortable, easy pace to loosen up.
Alternate between incline levels to simulate running up and down hills:
Beginner: 2 minutes at 2 per cent incline, 2 minutes flat. Repeat 4-6 times.
Intermediate: 2 minutes at 4 per cent incline, 2 minutes flat. Repeat 5-8 times.
Advanced: 3 minutes at 5-6 per cent incline, 1 minute flat. Repeat 6-8 times.
Cool down with 5 minutes of easy running or brisk walking.
This workout mimics the natural undulations of trail running, making it excellent for building strength and endurance in your legs. The incline shifts keep your mind engaged, pushing you to reach the top of each “hill.”
The ladder interval challenge
Perfect for: Increasing speed, stamina and mental toughness.
Warm up with 5-10 minutes of running at a comfortable pace.
Run progressively faster for short intervals, then scale back to a comfortable pace:
Beginner: 30 seconds at a challenging pace, 1:30 recovery. Repeat 8-10 times.
Intermediate: 45 seconds at a faster pace, 1:15 recovery. Repeat 8-10 times.
Advanced: 1 minute at near-sprint pace, 1 minute recovery. Repeat 10-12 times.
Cool down with 5-10 minutes of easy running or walking.
This interval workout is mentally stimulating and pushes you to reach new speeds. The ladder format (gradually increasing or decreasing time) helps improve both top-end speed and pacing, so you’ll feel the effects on your endurance and speed over time.
The tempo and sprint mixer
Perfect for: tempo control, speed bursts and cardiovascular fitness.
Warm up with 5-10 minutes at a steady, comfortable pace.
Alternate between longer tempo efforts and quick sprints (don’t stress if it takes a few seconds to adjust your treadmill speed between paces):
Beginner: 2 minutes at tempo (moderate effort), 30 seconds hard effort, 1:30 recovery. Repeat 5-6 times.
Intermediate: 3 minutes at tempo, 45 seconds of hard effort, 1 minute of recovery running or walking. Repeat 6-8 times.
Advanced: 4 minutes at tempo, 1 minute of hard effort, 1 minute recovery. Repeat 8-10 times.
Cool down with 5-10 minutes of gentle running or brisk walking.
Mixing tempo intervals with sprints makes for a dynamic workout that’s challenging yet satisfying. The tempo segments boost endurance, while the sprints add a burst of intensity to improve overall speed and power.
Just like after any outdoor speedwork session, make sure to follow with a day of rest or very easy recovery running.
