That's because your muscles quickly adjust to the demands you're placing on them, eventually improving only the muscle fibers necessary for maintaining that specific speed and effort level. The rest of your body never gets a chance to be part of the action-that is, unless you mix things up once in a while. Get ready to take the run of your life by doing just that.

These three routines push your legs through three unique courses that can help involve more muscles throughout your legs and challenge your cardiovascular system beyond it's accustomed level. If you want a longer workout, simply extend any of the following recommended running lengths evenly by 30 seconds. For example, if the program asks you to run for three minutes, run for three and a half minutes instead.

Beginner
Set the incline at a 1 percent grade, and warm up at a low-intensity speed (3.5 to 4.5 mph) for a total of 5 minutes. Increase your speed to a faster pace that's challenging. (Keep increasing the speed until you reach a point that makes it uncomfortable to talk and exercise at the same time.) Maintain this pace for 4 minutes; then reduce your speed

back to a lower level that's easy for you to maintain. Continue to run at this speed for 4 minutes; then raise the treadmill back to the higher pace you ran at previously for another 4 minutes. Continue to flip back and forth between a high and low speed for the length of your workout. Complete your workout with a 5-minute cooldown walk, setting the machine at 2.5 to 3 mph.

Intermediate
Set the incline at a 1 percent grade and warm up at a low-intensity speed (3.5 to 4.5 mph) for a total of 5 minutes. Set the treadmill at a comfortable pace you could normally maintain for 30 minutes (5.5 mph, for example) and run for 1 minute. Next, raise the incline by 1 percent and run for another minute. Continue raising the incline by 1 percent every minute until your treadmill is set at a 5 percent incline; run for 2 minutes.

Next, lower the level of incline by 1 percent, while increasing your speed by 0.2 mph (For example, if you were running at 5.5 mph at a 5 percent incline, you should now be running at 5.7 mph at a 4 percent incline.) Run at this new setting for 1 minute; then repeat the process, lowering the incline 1 percent while increasing your speed by 0.2 mph. Keep decreasing the level of incline by 1 percent and raising your speed 0.2 mph every minute until your treadmill is back at a 1 percent incline. Run at this new setting for 2 minutes.

Finally, increase the incline by 1 percent, lowering your speed by 0.2 mph. Run at this new pace for 1 minute. Continue increasing the incline 1 percent while lowering your speed by 0.2 mph every minute until you're back running at a 5 percent incline. Run for 2 minutes; then lower the incline 1 percent each minute, leaving the speed stable as you go, until you're back running at a 1 percent incline. Run for another 3 minutes; then end your workout with a 5-minute run at a low-intensity speed (3.5 to 4.5 mph).

Advanced
Set the incline at a 1 percent grade and warm up at a low-intensity speed (3.5 to 4.5 mph) for a total of 5 minutes. Adjust the speed to 5 mph and run for 1 minute. Raise your speed by 0.2 mph and run for 3 minutes. Continue to raise your speed by 0.2 mph every 3 minutes until you reach a speed you could maintain for only about 5 to 10 minutes. Keep running at this speed for 3 minutes; then lower your speed back down to 5 mph and run for 1 minute.

Next, raise the incline to 3 percent and begin increasing your speed 0.2 mph every 3 minutes until you reach a pace that you could maintain for 5 to 10 minutes. Keeping running at this speed for 3 minutes; then lower your speed back to 5 mph and run for 1 minute. Finally, increase the incline to 5 percent. Raise your speed 0.2 mph and continue to raise it every 3 minutes until you reach a speed that's difficult to maintain for more than 5 minutes. Run at this pace for 3 minutes; then return your speed back to 5 mph. Run for 3 minutes; then lower your incline 1 percent each minute until you're once again at a 1 percent incline. End your workout with a 5-minute run at a low-intensity speed (3.5 to 4.5 mph).

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