Love Thy Treadmill

by Alexandra Allred

The biggest myth concerning the treadmill is that it is boring. It can only be boring if the routine is boring. The reality is, the treadmill is one of the best, most exciting pieces of equipment you can use to keep your training routine fresh, fun and challenging. But it's all in the way you use it!

While training for her tough-girl role in "G.I. Jane," Demi Moore was on the treadmill from one to two hours a day. While her results were amazing, the routine was boring. Most of us don't have millions of dollars as incentive to stick with such a routine and stray. But there are other ways to love the treadmill and the results it will ultimately bring.

Whether you are an Olympian or 9-5-desk jockey, you must ask yourself what your goals are. Better endurance? Leaner, stronger muscles? Flat stomach? Killer thighs? Hit the treadmill, three times a week with 45-minute runs. But there is a twist. Say "good-bye" to the 4.0 MPH jog. Set your pace at 3.5 MPH for a five-minute warm-up. For the next 40 minutes, you won't have time to be bored as you will be watching the timer and adjusting speed up and down. Every two minutes, raise your speed by two miles. Every fourth or fifth minute -- sprint for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Your goal will be to handle a hard sprint for one full minute. As you increase and decrease your speed, remember this: you're not on the treadmill to talk on the phone or chat with the buddy next to you. This is work. Train like an Olympian and you'll have the body of one, too.

Competitive athletes benefit from this kind of training because it keeps them from burning out on their own sports specific training routine but keeps the competitive juices flowing. That's right! Studies have shown that racing against the clock/yourself is on the best ways to develop the needed endurance, determination and dedication it takes to find that lean, mean, ready-to-wear-a-bikini-you!

Sample routine:
     5 minutes - warm up
     2 minutes - 3.5 MPH jog
     2 minutes - 3.7 MPH jog
     1 minute - 6.5 MPH sprint
     2 minutes - 3.7 MPH recovery jog
     2 minutes - 3.9 MPH jog
     1 minute - 7.0 MPH sprint
     2 minutes - 4.1 MPH recovery jog (stay longer if needed)
          *If needed, reduce speed but increase incline so that
            you are walking/hiking at a hard angle
     2 minutes - 4.3 MPH jog
     1 minute -- 7.2 MPH Sprint
     2 minutes - 4.3 MPH recovery
     7 minutes - 4.5 MPH jog
          *hold a steady jog for next seven to 10 minutes
     1 minute - 7.5 MPH sprint
     2 minute - 3.5 MPH recovery
     1 minute - 4.0 MPH jog
     1 minute - 7.7 MPH sprint
     2 minutes - 4.0 MPH recovery
     1 minute - 4.5 MPH jog
     2 minutes -4.0 MPH jog
     1 minute -- 7.9 MPH sprint
     2 minutes - 4.5 MPH jog
     1 minute -- 7.5 MPH sprint
     2 minutes - 3.5 recovery
                = 45 minutes

Alexandra Powe Allred, former member of the US Women's Bobsled team, took part in a study with the renowned Dr. James Clapp III on how extreme exercise affects the placenta during her second pregnancyi. She earned her second black belt while pregnant with her third child and continued to teach bootcamp style kickboxing throughout that pregnancy.