40 Minute Treadmill Workout

Whether winter days or summer heat has you stuck inside, this 40 minute treadmill workout will help you make the best of it! This workout features intervals that adjust both incline and speed, giving you variety to make the minutes fly by. You’ll love how you feel when you finish!

Disclaimer: This post was written and reviewed by Chrissy Carroll, MPH, RRCA Running Coach and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. This is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as training advice. Consult a doctor prior to beginning any new exercise program.

Note: You’ll find the workout towards the bottom of the post, but I recommend reading the tips and guidelines in this article before starting.

Helpful information about this workout

This treadmill workout is built using a 5-minute warmup, 30 minutes of intervals, and a 5-minute cool down. The intervals progress in a pyramid-like style.

You’ll first move up the pyramid with a moderately paced hill run at 4% incline. You’ll start with a 1 minute interval, then 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 4 minutes, all with 1 minute of recovery in between.

You’ll then get a little break at the top for 4 minutes of recovery, before moving back down the pyramid.

As you move back down, the speed and incline change slightly. The incline drops to 2%, but your run pace should go up to whatever is a challenging pace for you at that incline. You’ll start with a 4 minute interval, then 3 minutes, then 2 minutes, then 1 minute, with 1 minute of recovery in between each.

(If this sounds confusing, I promise it’s not! It makes a lot more sense in the workout breakdown by time).

Adjusting the workout to your fitness level

This workout contains recommended ranges for speed along with specific inclines (0%, 2%, and 4%). The speed ranges are intentionally broad, as you should choose a speed that works for your body.

Pay attention to the RPE (rate of perceived exertion), which is given on a 1-10 scale. Also pay attention to the “feels like” section, which gives you an idea of what that portion should feel like.

For example, someone new to running might complete the 4% hill intervals at a 4mph pace, which may feel like a hill run at a moderate pace to them.

On the flip side, someone with adequate running experience might complete those at a 7mph pace, which would feel like a hill run at moderate pace to them.

It is all about what works for your body and your fitness level.

Don’t be afraid to work outside of the ranges listed if this workout is too challenging or too easy for you. The ranges are provided as guidance that will work for many, but not all, people.

You can adjust the workout to make it easier or more difficult by doing the following:

• Decrease the speed (easier) / Increase the speed (harder)
• Decrease the incline (easier) / Increase the incline (harder)
• Decrease the interval length (easier) / Increase the interval length (harder)
• Increase the recovery length (easier) / Decrease the recovery length (harder)

Important tips

A few key points to keep in mind when doing this type of training:

• Do not do interval treadmill workouts if you are injured. Focusing on speed should only be done with a healthy body.

• Avoid doing too many interval workouts per week. Even though this is not as challenging as some other interval workouts with sprint pacing, it still puts more stress on your body than comfortable steady state work. Use a mixture of different types of workouts in your exercise program.

• Pay more attention to the RPE ranges than the speeds. Do not worry if you need to drop to a speed below what’s listed to achieve that.

• If you are a faster runner, keep in mind safety when adjusting speed. Sometimes it may be easier to jump to the sides of the treadmill to adjust both and allow the belt to slow as needed. This would be more of a concern with sprint pacing, but is worth mentioning nonetheless.

40 Minute Treadmill Workout

Here is your 40 minute treadmill workout! You can save a PDF version of this workout, or you can pin the image below. (Important: if you want to print the PDF, you’ll need to scale down the size in your printer settings).

For accessibility purposes, the workout is also written in plain text below the image.

• 0-5 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 5-6 minutes – Hill run at moderate pace at 4 to 7 miles per hour and 4% incline.
• 6-7 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 7-9 minutes – Hill run at moderate pace at 4 to 7 miles per hour and 4% incline.
• 9-10 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 10-13 minutes – Hill run at moderate pace at 4 to 7 miles per hour and 4% incline.
• 13-14 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 14-18 minutes – Hill run at moderate pace at 4 to 7 miles per hour and 4% incline.
• 18-22 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 22-26 minutes – Challenging but doable run at 4.5 to 8 miles per hour and 2% incline.
• 26-27 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 27-30 minutes – Challenging but doable run at 4.5 to 8 miles per hour and 2% incline.
• 30-31 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 31-33 minutes – Challenging but doable run at 4.5 to 8 miles per hour and 2% incline.
• 33-34 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.
• 34-35 minutes – Challenging but doable run at 4.5 to 8 miles per hour and 2% incline.
• 35-40 minutes – Comfortable walk or jog at 3 to 5 miles per hour and 0% incline.

More Treadmill Workouts

Looking for additional ideas? Check out one of these other workouts here on the blog:

• 15-minute treadmill workout
• 20-minute treadmill workout for runners
• 30-minute beginner treadmill workout
• 10 different HIIT treadmill workouts
• 5 different hill treadmill workouts

I hope you enjoy this! If you get a chance to try it out, feel free to leave a comment and let us know how it went.

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Chrissy Carroll

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.

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