6 Boredom Busters to Spice Up Your Treadmill Workouts

Oh, treadmill. It’s not that we don’t love you. You’ve got so many great qualities that we totally appreciate. You’re always there for us. You’re not complicated. You give us a quick cardio workout when we’re short on time. But lately we’ve been getting a little bored. Things have just become so … predictable. 

Sound familiar? Feel that burning love again with these new moves.

1.  Use the incline. 

Burn more calories without putting in more miles or even moving any faster. (Yep, it’s possible!). How? Just change the incline setting from “0” to “1” and move up from there. The higher you “climb,” the harder your muscles have to work. 

2.  Move back.   

Ever feel like you’re about to accidentally punch the console? You’re too far forward on the treadmill. This can cause you to inadvertently shorten your stride, which lowers the intensity of a workout, and may even strain your neck and shoulders. So, just move back a bit. (But not too far!) Aim for the middle of the treadmill. Still able to reach the console but with plenty of room to safely swing those arms.    

3.  Do intervals.

Whether you’re using the interval setting on your treadmill or creating your own plan, you’ll get tons of benefits from adding high-intensity bursts to your cardio workout. You can either shift from a brisk walk to a jog or from a run to a sprint. No matter what type of interval you choose, it can be a big-time boredom buster and get your body moving in new ways.

4.  Lunge instead of run.  

“Walking lunges” are a top way to target leg muscles and glutes. Get on the treadmill and start slow, so you have time to complete each lunge instead of racing against the machine. You can tweak the incline for even more of a challenge.

5.  Climb mountains. 

Once you get used to putting the incline into your workout, increase intensity by doing a “hill workout.” When you bring the incline way up, it causes your calf muscles to work harder and boosts your general leg muscle activation. When that happens, your glutes and abs also get involved, giving you a great full-body cardio workout.

6. Go sideways.

When you side step on a treadmill, you’ll work your hips, abs, obliques, and inner and outer thighs. You’ll also be giving your balance a major workout, so start slow and put your hand on the rail in front of you. Shuffle in a foot-to-foot motion and bend the knees to increase stability.

Look Ma, Results!

Changing up your treadmill workouts does more than keep boredom at bay. By challenging your muscles to pay attention and try new things, you may even see results faster. Ah, it feels good to fall in love again.