The Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Run Right, Hurt Less, and Burn More with Treadmill Interval Training

This author has obvious competitive experience and has a resume to back up what he is talking about. The author shares his successes and the thing I found most inspiring was this authors mistakes and sometimes failures in his races. He shares the experiences and build the chapter around how to overcome similar mistakes to help motivate you. I am not a runner and I never have been a runner....but...I have always wanted to be a runner. I have to do physical fitness tests with my employment. I do the necessary running to pass and it KILLS ME every time. I always say after each test I will keep running and in 6 months the next test won't be as hard.....like many I never stick to it. I can ride a bike all day long and have done many century cycling events, but running is difficult for me. I love the approach of interval training and scheduled incline and speed increases and decreases with periods of rest in between. I am stronger and the workouts are not as hard as they were at first. I am not fast yet, but I know I will be as I continue the program. I have my own personal best time and every workout in this book is based on my own personal level, instead of an unrealistic expectation. Being engaged with the treadmill adjusting the incline and speed on set time intervals makes the workouts fly by. I used to watch the nightly news and drudge along at a jogging pace. I felt if I was sweating that was good enough....wrong. This book taught me otherwise. I have no interest in long distance running or racing and this book doesn't pursue that mentality, it is all about your own personal best and getting healthy. I get a better workout without injury, running slower than I was trying guessing my way through a workout and going home with my shins in pain. A printed version would be easier to follow for the workouts. I purchased the kindle version. I suggest a paper copy.

I can't say that I really buy and read fitness related books that often - but treadmills are a passion of mine and I was already familiar with who David Siik is so I was intrigued. The book itself is well written, and is a blend of stories from his past (usually used to put something in the upcoming chapter in context), along with the thought process behind his workout philosophy (called BITE), and then the technical nitty gritty of how to actually use it in a workout. The first half of the book is comprised of chapters describing BITE, and then the last half is two workout progressions - if you're unfamiliar with a progression, it's a predefined series of workouts going over some period of time. In this case he includes 2 progressions, one that is a 3 week (3 workouts per week) 'Kickstarter' to get you dialed in and ready to run. The second is a 6 week (3 workouts per week again) to help you improve your skills and become a better running. I've read all of them, but I've only actually done a couple of the Kickstarter workouts, but it's easy to see how they all fit together. One of the things that really sets his progressions apart from others that I've seen is the diversity of the workouts - while they all share the same BITE roots, they all run really differently from eachother, which is really impressive. They also start out in the ~20 min range, but by the end they're closer to the ~35 min range (at least for the Kickstarter). In the process of actually doing the runs, I did run into some confusion - so I'll share what stumped me initially, and what I believe the solutions are. The first was how he actually formats the workouts - they're in a spreadsheet kind of format, but what threw me off is that each line generally represents both a work interval AND the recovery interval. Initially when I was reading them, I didn't realize that the last column was basically just describing what you should do for a recovery (although in almost all cases it's 60 seconds at a 'recovery' pace). This leads to the second point of confusion for me - and that was what should be the appropriate recovery speed. Unlike the work segments, where he gives examples of what the speeds should be, you need to remember that a couple chapters earlier he defined recovery as basically 50% of your first work intervals speed. In practice, I found this to be a bit uncomfortable pace for me (too fast to walk, but to slow to really jog), so I changed it to 55% of my PB (this is your Personal Best speed you can run for 60 seconds). For a real world example, if your PB was 8mph and the first interval was 7mph, his recommended recovery is 50%, so 3.85mph - but for me, that's a really fast walk or super slow jog, so no good. At 55% of PB it's at 4.4mph, To be fair, he actually talks about this exact issue, and his workout is basically the same as mine - just make it slower or faster until it's comfortable, but it's worth pointing out. Now, on the topic of his BITE philosophy, I routinely do both HIIT and LISS workouts all the time, and at it's core BITE is somewhere inbetween although closer to HIIT. The premise is that you soften the HIIT a bit, so it's a bit longer, but what that gains you is a much less stressful (on your body) workout - so you're less likely to get injuries, etc. To me it makes sense, and some of the workouts I was doing before were basically BITE without knowing it - but I made them without any particular methodology whereas you can see exactly what he's trying to accomplish with each one. Either way, I'm a believer. ;) About the only thing I don't agree with that he says is watching TV while running - for me, that's basically a critical component, but I also have the benefit that I can write the progressions into my treadmill so it does the work and I just have to keep up. If it weren't for that, I would agree with him, as the workouts themselves have changes typically every minute or so, and really wouldn't give the opportunity to zone out and still get an effective workout. So in summary, buy the book! ;) If you're at all interested in treadmills, and really getting the most out of them that you can, then you really do yourself a disservice by not buying this book and tuning your workout.

This is a great book and David does a great job of breaking it down and making even novice runners understand the benefit of his system. Whether you hate running, love running or hate to love running... whether you are a gym rat or refer to it as the "dreadmill"... whether you have never run a day in your life or you have been killing it for years... If you vow to only run outdoors or you prefer the steady environment of indoor running.... Everyone should read The Ultimate Treadmill Workout by David Siik. It will change how you look at training and the treadmill generally and will give you more insight into the why and how of running. David explains the mechanics of running in a way that doesn't make you want to cry from the flashbacks of high school science. I found myself reading the book and thinking "huh, I never thought of that..." He gives you the whole story and by the end of the book you really do want to put in the work to be a better runner. And he tells you his own personal stories of running triumph and failure. You know that he knows what he's talking about because he has lived all the same things you have... even if he is doing it at a much faster pace. But I love that he doesn't sugar coat it and make empty promises about how easy running is and the next miracle cure for weight loss and faster speeds. If you want those things, you have to put in the work and David shows you how. I have done 4 workouts from the book and every one is the perfect balance of pain and exhilaration. My time on the treadmill is efficient and I can feel myself getting stronger with every workout. I used to feel like I wasn't a "real" runner if I was just slogging along on the dreadmill, but now I realize that the treadmill can really be a benefit to any training program. I can't wait to incorporate these workouts into my marathon training so I can kill my goal time. I can't recommend this book enough! Seriously... buy it. You won't be sorry.

This is a great, short, quick read that gets right to the meat of the book. The interval program. I bought this because I'm 60 and I run on treadmills to save my joints so I can keep running. I've always used treadmills but only do steady runs. But, being old, I can't just keep adding miles, I now need them to be smart miles, and smart miles are interval miles. Yesterday was my first day I used the book and it felt really good to challenge my body in this new way. I'm not an interval runner. I don't do speed because I don't have fast-twitch muscles...none! But I don't mind speedwork on a treadmill as much as a track, so this book is perfect for my situation. And it was great! I do have some suggestions if you're going to use this book 1) If you're older like me, take extra time to warm up. Us old guys need it. I do 10 minutes of starting with a walk and taking it to a slow jog before I run. (3.0 to 5.0 mph on my treadmill.) 2) Make sure your shins aren't tight. If you're not used to doing inclines, the fast pace and incline combined can really put a strain on them. Make sure that shins are part of your stretching routine. 3) I created a spreadsheet of the workout instead of using the book. It's much better for tracking history, it puts all of the segments on one sheet, and you can still make a place to write your daily notes. 4) My treadmill isn't programmable so I put each segment on a separate, large Post-It Note. I stick those to the treadmill dashboard, next to the display and controls. When I finish a segment, I tear off the top note and the next segment is right there. It's the only way I could think of to know what changes to make. 5) Get Joe Friel's "Fast After 50" to go with this if you want to understand the physiological necessity of interval training for older adults. It's a great book that goes perfectly with this book. If you're old and still care about your run / race times. The first day of the Three Week Kick Starter section was great and I look forward to my next run. 03/29/2017: Second run day after an "off" day. Wow. I ended up going .5 mph over my current treadmill PB, and this increase was with a 3% incline. The program just proved that I haven't been pushing myself hard enough. I feel good knowing I'll get faster because the program is going to challenge me to work harder. I'm totally good with that! 04/05/2017: Still lovin' this program. I believe I'm getting stronger, but I have no proof yet. I think I'm going to find out what a good VO2 Max test and a good lactate threshold test is to take on a treadmill so I can track any performance gains. I'll say this about the program, I'm more motivated to go run and to run hard, than I've been in a very long time. Buy this book!

I had the privilege of hearing the author speak a bit on this topic and his experience with the sport of running right before buying this book. He his a dynamic speaker, highly relatable and clearly passionate & knowledgeable about the science of running. While reading, I most loved the science aspects of running and the science behind this method of conditioning, but the motivational aspects of raising your own bar on your workouts were also powerful. Although I have finished the book, I am only in the in the middle of 3 week phase of the running program. The workouts are challenging, but efficient. I am getting my full money's worth! The only thing I wish were a little different are the level of detail in the tables. The fact that you have to constantly calculate the next move makes the workouts fly by (and clearly builds the mental muscle along with all the others), but I would still prefer to have the recovery spelled out on their own rows of the table with the time ladder on the table too, like he mentions in the treadmill troubleshooting appendix. Nevertheless, I fully intend to try to make it through the full 6 week program too. I am looking forward to the rewards of the added strength it should result in. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for an interesting, challenging way to maintain (or even boost!) their level of fitness in the cold, dark months of the offseason. It would be also a great program for anybody coming off an injury recovery and needs to rebuild.

I met David at the Rock Run Retreat (RRR) for Fellow Flowers in November. He's authentic and really knows his stuff. I was intrigued to go to a session on treadmill running as I've done a lot of it for years and it was never anything groundbreaking. His book talks a lot about how to put a treadmill workout in action. The best part for me, however, has been reading his thoughts on the mechanics of running. We talk about form in running, but you need to talk about form on a treadmill. I've recently put some of his thoughts into action on my own treadmill and found it really did change how I thought about my "new" tool for making my runs better. I now look at my treadmill differently and see it as another tool in my running toolbox. When it's really cold, as in single digits, I'm not going out to do my long runs as I train for a half. While doing a long run on the treadmill isn't what I'd normally do, I have done that and I've also swapped out an interval training for the long run. It gave me a sense of accomplishment knowing I didn't get lazy and blow off a crucial part of my training. This book offered some of David's life examples, I always love hearing someone else's story, but he also offered understanding of how we get better from some of our failures. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone...even those of you who are die-hard outdoor runners. You'll find it's another option for continued training through some of the coldest, and hottest, of times. (Having lived in Minnesota, Texas, and now Colorado, I've had to find my own way of coping).

It is an ok book, but I wasn't that impressed with it. Something I could have done without.

I love the work out, not the how is written the book. Really boring the reading part, to much, " I" "I" , bla bla bla. I wouldn't like to have a conversation with the author, that for sure. I was jumping page after page in order to try to read only the interesting parts. The only thing you need to know in order to do this workout are that you must know how is your maximum speed/1 minute. From there just follow the instruction of the table that are in the half of the book There are actually 2 workout, one of 3 weeks and the one of 6 weeks. The first one work as a base build. I was running already so I skip it and I'm doing ok. Some people maybe will need to rest a bit more but that isn't an issue since the recovery time doesn't work equal to everyone, if you can make it good, is not, 30 second more of recovery will not affect the results. I'm not doing it 3 times per weeks since I also doing some p90x3 workouts (the challenge, eccentric upper, eccentric lower, and incinerator) since I also want to build some muscle. I do like that run/rest/p903/rest/run and so on, and it does work fantastic. I got the hard copy, not kindle one, so, I photocopy the page with the table and I bring it with me to the treadmill, the kindle version maybe will allow you to put your kindle in front of you to follow the plan (not easy to memorize). The advantage of taking a photocopie is that you can write your speeds and recovery times if they are different to the ones written.

Il libro in se non è scritto male... di certo non è cio che aspettavo. Spiega in maniera generica la metodologia di allenamento e fornisce un programma generale. Avevo acquistato il libro nella speranza desse almeno qualche spiegazione su base scientifico di questo metodo, ma a quanto pare non esiste, ne nella letteratura italiana ne in quella internazionale. sto valutando se darlo indietro.

Life changing!!! It takes your running to a whole new level! No one should own or use a treadmill without this book! Amazing workouts with real results!

I never write reviews but this is worth writing one for as I’m always influenced by other people’s reviews. This is simply a brilliant work out plan. I hate running outside, much prefer the treadmill but it can get boring and I wasnt progressing with my speeds/times. There is NO time to be bored with these workouts and I can feel the difference already. You’re so busy changing speeds and inclines and switching between running and recovering that there’s no time to get bored. I absolutely love it and would recommend it 100%. I’m sitting here writing this, purple in the face and sweating buckets after a workout that flew by yet had my heart rate almost at max after running at 13.2kmph at a 5% incline (impressive for me!). The only thing worth noting is that the plans are in mph. My treadmill only does kmph so I’ve had to do some conversions but even that is a positive - get my brain working. It’s suitable for all abilities - beginners through to the super fit - as it’s all based on the best speed that you can run for 1min. I have MS and altered sensations in my legs. If I can do this training plan and love it, I think everyone can.

An excellent book from beginning to end. Very useful information. The first half of the book is to help you understand why people fall short of making it work out for them on the treadmill and serves as an introduction to the second half. The second half of the book is dedicated to the actual speed, interval and incline settings to use as you work your way to fitness on your treadmill. I find this book especially useful as I own an ifit compatible treadmill and have programmed the workouts into the machine so it responds automatically at every adjustment. I've been waiting for a book like this to come out for a very long time.

good learning