Leave the Treadmill Off to Improve Interval Training
You typically sprint intervals on a moving treadmill, alternating between resting and running at maximum speed, but try this advanced turn: leave either treadmill off and use your two legs to propel the strap for an incredible sprint workout.
These “dead sprints,” as they are called, are decent workouts because you have to resist the tension of the running belt from a dead end (hello Candace Hudspeth, VP of Marketing at Bodybuilding.com for showing me this).
First, make sure the treadmill is off and place both hands on the handle in front of you. There is no need for a death grip – you want your arms and shoulders to be relaxed, but you still have something to lean on. Using the handle for support, push and start digging your toes as if you were trying to run while pushing a heavy object (such as a hobo push ). It takes some grunt at first to get the belt to move, but once you’ve done that, the real challenge is keeping it moving while maintaining a decent speed.
You will soon realize that you won’t last that long, which is normal. As with workout- like high-intensity interval training, the idea is to figure out your work-to-rest ratio (for example, work for 10 seconds and rest for 50 seconds) and stick to it. I did it myself the other day , and I can say that repetition of 5-6 times is more than enough!
The video on the link above, prepared by Fitness Mentality, demonstrates how the exercise is performed.
Update: You guys have informed us that it could harm e-powered treadmills. We didn’t think about it that way, so thanks for the clarification. If you choose to do so, proceed at your own risk.