Taken a fitness resolution? Then master the treadmill

It’s easy to dislike the treadmill. The lack of scenery and variety has led some exercisers to nickname it the “dreadmill” and Satan’s sidewalk. But if you can’t get outside, it can be a lifesaver.

The treadmill allows you to precisely control your workout, which is both good and bad. You can experiment with short, powerful intervals or hills, for instance, but it’s also easier to fall into a pace that doesn’t really challenge you.

“To keep improving, your body needs to experience a bit of a crisis: a faster pace, a steeper incline or a longer interval rep than you’d usually do,” said John Davis, a biomechanics researcher and running coach in Minnesota.

Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your time on a treadmill.

There are two primary controls on most treadmills: speed and incline. If it’s been a while since you used one, start by spending some time familiarizing yourself with the controls, walking very slowly to start.

The springiness of a treadmill platform will vary, which can impact how much energy you need to maintain a certain pace. A bouncier platform can feel gentler on your body, but it’s generally slower, like running or walking on grass or dirt.

On a treadmill, it can also be easy to lose focus and wind up locked into a different pace than you planned, so pay attention to your body. “You can always increase the pace later, but starting conservative helps prevent you from getting fatigued too quickly,” Davis said.

Boosting overall fitness. If you’re a walker who is new to the treadmill, this is a good place to start. Time: 40 minutes.

Warm up: Walk for 10 minutes with zero incline, gradually picking up your pace so that you are walking briskly — still able to say a full sentence, but panting a little — by the end.

Workout: This workout is a 20-minute “ladder” sequence with intervals of hard work that vary in length. Start at the speed you were walking at the end of your warm-up. Increase your pace by 0.5 mph for 30 seconds, then bring it back for 30 seconds. Repeat the same speed increase, but this time for a full minute and then one minute back at the warm-up pace.

Next, walk two minutes at the faster pace and two minutes slower; followed by three minutes faster and three minutes slower. Then work your way back down, to two minutes, one minute and finally 30 seconds to finish.

Optional cool down: 10 minutes of easy walking.

Warm up: Ten minutes at an easy walking pace with no incline. Slowly work the incline up to a point where you start breathing harder at the same pace.

Workout: Increase the incline by 0.5 for five minutes. Take it up another 0.5 for five minutes and complete another 0.5 jump for a final five minutes. If this isn’t challenging enough, use a 1% increase at each interval.

Optional cool down: Five minutes easy walking at zero incline.

Boosting aerobic fitness. If you spend all your time running at an easy to moderate pace, a high-intensity interval session once a week will help improve your cardiovascular fitness and build speed, Davis said. Time: 30 minutes.

Warm up: Eight minutes at an easy jog that feels like a 3 out of 10 effort.

Optional cool down: Four minutes of very easy running.

Boosting endurance. This is a solid hill workout. Sustained uphill running shifts your weight onto your forefoot, which challenges the calves more. That same shift will also work your Achilles tendon, so pay attention to any unusual soreness. Time: 30 minutes.

Warm up: Jog easily for eight minutes at zero percent incline.

Workout: Run for four minutes at a challenging pace that you can maintain at 4% incline. Recover by slowly walking for two minutes, returning the incline to zero. Then repeat two more times.