More Than Miles: Four Ways to Build a Better Engine This Winter
When winter rolls around, maintaining your cardio can become a challenge. Freezing temperatures, icy sidewalks, and shorter days make outdoor running less appealing, but that doesn’t mean your conditioning has to suffer.
The treadmill can be more than a backup plan. With the right approach, it’s an effective tool for improving endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and athletic performance.
Rather than running at the same pace every session, try these four workouts to keep your training purposeful throughout the winter.
1. Norwegian 4×4: Build Your Aerobic Engine
Goal: Improve VO₂max, your body’s ability to use oxygen during exercise.
- Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of easy jogging.
- Main set: 4 rounds of 4 minutes hard running + 3 minutes easy jogging.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy jogging or walking.
Intensity: Challenging but controlled, around 85-95% of maximum heart rate.
My personal favourite, the longer intervals challenge your cardiovascular system, helping develop the aerobic capacity needed to sustain demanding physical activity.
2. Tempo Run: Build Endurance
Goal: Improve your ability to maintain a challenging pace for longer.
- Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of easy jogging.
- Main set: 20 minutes of steady tempo running.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy jogging or walking.
Intensity: Comfortably hard, with heavy but controlled breathing. You should still be able to speak in short phrases.
Tempo running helps improve your ability to sustain effort and delay fatigue during longer runs and other endurance-based activities.
3. Speed Endurance: Repeat Hard Efforts
Goal: Improve high-intensity conditioning and your ability to repeat fast efforts.
- Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of easy jogging.
- Main set: 10 rounds of 1 minute fast running + 90 seconds of easy jogging or walking.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy jogging or walking.
Intensity: Fast and challenging, around 90–95% of perceived maximum effort, while maintaining good running form.
This workout is particularly useful for sports that demand repeated bursts of effort, such as hockey, basketball, soccer, and martial arts.
4. Hill Repeats: Build Running Power
Goal: Challenge your lower body while developing running-specific strength and conditioning.
- Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of easy jogging.
- Main set: 8 rounds of 45 seconds uphill at a 4-6% incline + 90 seconds of easy recovery.
- Flat finish: 5-10 minutes of moderate running.
- Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy jogging or walking.
Intensity: Strong and controlled, around 85-90% of perceived maximum effort.
Running uphill increases the demands on your lower-body muscles while challenging your cardiovascular system. Keep your stride controlled and reduce the speed or incline if your technique starts to break down.
Make Your Winter Training Count
Each workout serves a different purpose:
- Norwegian 4×4: Aerobic power
- Tempo run: Sustained endurance
- Speed endurance: Repeated high-intensity efforts
- Hill repeats: Running power and lower-body conditioning
You don’t need to do all four every week. Start with one or two sessions that fit your current fitness level and training schedule, then build gradually as your conditioning improves.
If you’re new to structured running, begin with shorter intervals, easier efforts, and longer recovery periods. Always prioritize good technique and safe treadmill speeds over intensity.
Don’t just put in the miles this winter. Build a better engine, stay consistent, and head into spring ready to perform.
-Adam Viste (Personal Trainer)
