Close up of jogger on curved treadmill Ravelin Internal Photos

Try these two Skill Mill workouts

3 min read

Ravelin Sports Centre Sport blog

Portsmouth is the perfect place for running outside - you can run along the beach and have a great view or if you prefer short intervals, then parks could be great for you. But with the temperature decreasing and the sun setting sooner and rising later, some might prefer running indoors on a treadmill. Treadmills are great - you can set your own pace without having to watch out for cars, cyclists, or people walking on pavements. But if you're in the gym and all treadmills are occupied? Or what if you get bored of running in the same spot and want to try something new? The answer is simple - Skill Mill. 

Skill Mill enables you to perform fundamental movements and exercises to reinforce all the skills that determine your physical fitness level and athletic performance: Power, Speed, Stamina and Agility. Increase your speed, metabolic rate and glute and hamstring muscle activation, by alternating between resistance-free running and sledge pushing against resistance.

More muscle groups are worked compared to a regular treadmill as the curve allows for the posterior chain of the body to be engaged (lower back, glutes, hamstrings and calves).
 

Start slow


If it's your first time on the skill mill, start by walking and getting used to how the treadmill feels. These are manual so have no start or stop buttons. As you step on the treadmill you will want to make sure the resistance is about halfway, this is the handle you will see on the right-hand side. When the handle is pushed forward it is on its highest resistance, pulled all the way back is on its lowest resistance.
As you walk on the treadmill you will find that the higher you place your foot, or the further forward you place your foot, the faster the belt will move. When you need to slow down step closer to the middle, you will also see a line at either side of the treadmill, this will help show you where that stopping/ slowing down point is.
Keep your hands on the rails until you are confident enough to remove one, and then the other. Keep your head up and try to look straight ahead while getting used to walking comfortably.
 

Building Confidence


Once you have the confidence you can then try a gentle jog, again until you are happy with how you feel on the treadmill, making sure you keep your head up and looking straight ahead. Once here, you can then look at taking more resistance off making the treadmill slightly faster.
When you are comfortably running you then need to look more at technique. This means standing up straight, head up, driving knees high and striding to the front /top of the treadmill with arms driving back.
When you start building speed, try not to jump off to the side to rest, bring yourself further back, slow down and walk to recover.
 

Workout 1 SPEED

Resistance 4-5

  • 1-minute jog
  • 5 x 20 seconds at 80% - 40 seconds walk
  • 2 minutes walk (resistance 3)
  • 5 x 50 seconds at 50% - 10 seconds sprint 100% (resistance 4-5)
  • 1-minute jog 1-minute walk cool down

 

Workout 2 STRENGTH

Resistance 6-7 

  • 1-minute walk (test the resistance to make sure not too hard)
  • 10 x 30 seconds jog- 30 seconds effort around 80-90%
  • 2-minute walk (resistance 4)
  • Resistance 8-9 Sled Push (holding handles at the front)
  • 5 x 20 seconds hard- 20 seconds rest
  • Resistance 5 
  • 2-minute walk (cool down)