By: Aaron Boike (3CLICK Fitness Lead Trainer) – B.S. Kinesiology, A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer

As much as we’d all love to go outside and enjoy a run on a beautiful summer day, sometimes it just isn’t possible, comfortable, or safe. Here are a few tips and a short video clip to help you make a smooth transition to treadmill running and stay injury free.

1. Use Incline

The surface of the treadmill is flat and the belt moves by itself, resulting in less stimulus of the posterior chain muscles as compared to running outdoors. When the treadmill’s incline feature is used, the hamstrings and glutes play a larger role in the movement. This helps you maintain healthy strong running form and better muscular balance. Use an incline of 1-2% during normal running, and mix in hill workouts to keep up your lower body strength.

2. Run Interval Workouts

Interval training is simply the act of alternating between a harder and easier bouts of exercise within the same workout. An example would be a walk/run workout where the individual walks for one minute, then runs for one minute at a challenging pace. Intervals help to build cardiovascular capacity and can help you break speed and distance plateaus.

3. Tread Lightly

The surface of most treadmills has a suspension system that can temporarily disguise poor running form. Since the surface of the treadmill is softer than pavement, runners will often times land heavier on their feet and take larger strides. This can result in joint damage over time, and is sure to cause you trouble when you return to outdoor running. Monitor your form and aim to take quick, short strides, and land lightly on your midfoot or forefoot.