3 Reasons Why Tread Bootcamp Is Good for Runners

If you’ve finally perfected your running pace, slowly building up your miles and speed over time, you may not be itching to try a new workout. Or perhaps you want to incorporate more strength training into your routine but are finding it difficult to make the time to get both cardio and strength in. That’s exactly where Peloton Tread Bootcamp classes can help. Created to optimize both your time and performance, sections of bootcamp classes alternate between cardio on the Tread and strength training on the floor.

Here, Peloton instructors Adrian Williams and Joslyn Thompson Rule share how booking more bootcamp time in your weekly routine will pay off on those future runs.

Strength Training Makes You a Better Runner

“Most people are surprised at how good they feel and how much faster they are after adding strength training into their workouts,” Adrian says. “That’s because resistance and weights improve aspects of the body you don’t even think about, such as muscle activation, restoring balance, and making your running more efficient so you spend less energy but produce the same amount (or more) of effort.”

Joslyn adds, "It's common for people to think that running alone will build leg strength, but it is not the same as concentrated strength training. Running a lot will not build a huge amount of strength in your legs, but strength training your legs will positively impact your running."

Bootcamps Can Prevent Brain Drain

Doing the same type of workout each day can put you in a rut. Not to mention, doing the same activities during each workout will stop challenging your muscles, potentially halting progress. But combining strength and cardio can be a great way to keep your training fun and prevent your runs from becoming stagnant, while letting you notice your body's improvements.

"I often program my classes so that you can feel the immediate impact of how strength training can improve your running, often by adding core and unilateral work (one leg at a time, etc.) so your body is moving really efficiently in the run," Joslyn says.

Heavy Weights Pay off for Runners Too

There’s a myth that to be a faster runner, any strength training you do should be low weight, high repetitions. But research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that heavy resistance in addition to plyometric training (exercises like reverse lunge knee-ups and jump squats) can help increase endurance, speed and sprinting time. This means you shouldn’t shy away from picking up that heavier set of weights during your bootcamp class.

“All bootcamps have elements of endurance building and high-intensity intervals,” Adrian says. “Make it a point to take classes that let you work on areas of the body you’re not particularly strong at yet to improve overall body mechanics.” If you’re not sure where to start, Adrian says you can’t go wrong with a full-body strength class.

How Often Runners Should Do a Bootcamp

Joslyn recommends starting off with Tread Bootcamp classes once a week, in addition to other standalone running and strength training classes. Here’s a glance at which classes will help best meet your goals:

Still nervous about trying a Tread Bootcamp? Maybe it's time to reframe the way you think about it: "People often find the word 'bootcamp' intimidating, and it really isn't that," Joslyn says. "It's an efficient way of combining strength and running together to save on time and give you a great workout."

Take a Tread Bootcamp class on the Peloton App!