If you’re a little too familiar with the looming sense of pre-speedwork dread or can’t bring yourself to sprint unless a soon-to-depart train is involved, you’re in luck. Treadmill classes are the answer to your speedwork session prayers – we took a look inside to discover exactly how pounding something other than the pavements can improve your running.
What normally happens in a treadmill class?
Following a warm-up run to wake up your legs, you’re normally looking at a 50/50 split of treadmill intervals and strength training. In terms of how that’s divided, it’s up to the instructor and the session. Most will split the time on the treadmill into different sections - for example a hill run, or purely speedwork.
Strength-wise, workouts can be full body or area-specific, such as legs or core. Pick and choose your session to suit what you most need to focus on – Hannah Luck, a trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp encourages runners not to be put off by leg sessions. “One of the areas in which most runners are quite weak is their glutes. A lot of runners are quite quad-dominant and they don’t recruit their glutes properly. Obviously doing strength work focusing a lot on that area, your muscles get stronger and the point at which they fatigue gets further away.”
What are the benefits of doing a treadmill class when I could do speedwork outside?
For anyone with even the smallest competitive bone in their body, copping out halfway through an interval seems less appealing in a room full of fellow runners. “When you’ve got an instructor behind you like ‘go on, keep pushing, you’ve got 30 seconds more,’ you know it’s a finite period of time. I think it’s much easier when you’re outside on your own to give up,” Luck says.
New to intervals? That’s not a problem. “We always offer three levels of running, tailored to beginner, intermediate and advanced, which gives you options on your speed. Instructors are always very open to adapting things where they need to.”
Who are treadmill classes best for?
reasons why you should be deadlifting.
Where can I give it a go?
Barry's Bootcamp
With studios in London and Manchester, Barry's was one of the first on the treadmill trend. Expect big, but well organised classes and don't panic if you find the first class overwhelming - everyone does.
Sweat It
If you're London-based, Sweat It classes take place on a treadmill and using a rig. The classes are divided by the part of the body you'll be focusing on (eg. core and abdominals). If you're new to using the rig however, this class can seem a little chaotic.
Victus Soul
A relatively new studio in London, Victus Soul offers smaller classes, with focused, intense bouts of running. Ignore the 'beginner', 'intermediate' and 'advanced' terminology and run by what feels like your threshold pace to get the best out of this class.
Fitness First
With studios all over UK, Fitness First have a new treadmill class worth trying. Named ROX, the workout mixes running and boxing in a seriously intense HIIT style format. The 50-minute class moves through ten rounds in total, five running and five boxing. ROX is now available to try at Cottons DW Fitness First. The best part? Non-members can also trial ROX by downloading DW Fitness First’s free 3- day pass.
