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Woman works out on a walking treadmill as a man exercises in the room

Training for the Ups and Downs on a Treadmill

If you’ve used a Precor treadmill with incline before, you understand how having one in your home can be a game changer, especially if you want to get your cardio workout in without the threat of inclement weather or the need to head to the gym.

Whether you’re training for your first marathon or working to get rid of the extra pounds, Precor incline treadmills offer a variety of features that will let you get the most out of your workouts. From changing up your treadmill workout using the incline and decline features, to utilizing preset workouts, purchasing a Precor treadmill is like having a personal workout partner—a partner that keeps you challenged and engaged.

Woman runs on a Precor home treadmill, TRNM 211

Incorporate Decline into Your Training

Precor Precision™ Series 400 Line of home treadmills provide an incline and decline range from -2 to 15 degrees meaning you can train downhill as well as uphill. Running downhill is the best way to train for a race, increase your power and speed, and elongate your muscles. Here’s why:

  • Training for a Race: The best way to train your body for downhill is to actually run downhill. If you’re training for any sort of race, adding decline to your runs helps you thoroughly prepare for the course. Some runners also experience less delayed muscle soreness during or after races when they’ve fully trained running downhill.
  • Increase Power and Speed: We all know that running on a flat road or an incline is a great way to build muscle and increase your cardiovascular capabilities; however, incorporating downhill running into your treadmill workout helps you build power and speed by working your muscles in a different way. And regardless of whether you’re a world-class sprinter or chasing your kids around the backyard, power and speed is something we all want.
  • Elongate Your Muscles: Treadmill running on a decline works to elongate the muscle fibers in your legs, which allows the muscles to lengthen as they utilize the natural braking mechanism in your legs.

Man runs on Precor home treadmill, TRM 445, in the living room

Do a Treadmill HIIT Workout

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) treadmill workouts are a great way to drop fat and increase the overall caloric burn. Interval training is also the perfect go-to session if you’re short on time. Using HIIT exercises, you can get a great workout in as little as 20 minutes. Treadmills are an excellent place to start your HIIT workouts. You can alternate hill walking, slow jogging with sprints, and active rest through walking.

Performing HIIT workouts on a Precor treadmill with incline is easy – to set up that is! With the Precor programmed interval training workouts, you can select from a few preset workouts, including 1-1 (where your rest time is the same length as your intensity time) up to a 4-1 ratio in which you’ll be working four times longer than your recovery time. After choosing your HITT workout, you’ll select your intensity speed and your recovery speed.

Doing 8-10 rounds of high intensity interval training on your HIIT treadmill and incorporating a good warm up and cool down will have you completing stellar cardio workouts in under 30 minutes. To add a bigger challenge, incorporate the use of treadmill inclines instead of speed or include both incline and speed changes during your interval training. This workout targets different muscles groups than speed alone.

Incorporating short bursts of interval training into your treadmill workout can help build endurance and burn those pounds. Precor treadmills are perfect for HIIT workouts with their smooth transitions from fast to slow speeds, and inclines to declines.

Mature woman runs on a Precor treadmill in her home gym

Train with Programmed & Saved Workouts

When you purchase a Precor HIIT treadmill with a R40 console, it’s as if you’re getting a training coach included in your purchase. With the treadmill’s built-in preset HIIT workouts, you’ll be challenged to complete intervals, target specific muscle groups, and climb mountains. These high intensity workouts are tailor-made to help you reach your fitness goals while keeping your body guessing and helping you avoid fitness plateaus.

Another built-in Precor R40-console feature is the ability to save your workouts for future reference. If you find a HIIT sequence that works for you, save it and come back to it when you need it. If you can dream a workout, you can keep it to use over and over again.

Close-up of a man changing the incline on his R40-console during his workout on his Precor TRM 445 treadmill

Bringing a Precor treadmill into your home can be a great asset to you and your family’s health. One of the best ways to see if a Precor treadmill is your best solution is to try out our models in one of our authorized Precor dealers. Bring your running shoes and test drive the treadmill of your choice to make sure it will help you reach your fitness goals. Click here to find your closest store.