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Try a Manual Treadmill: Here’s Why You Should Check Out the Woodway Curve for Strength & Endurance

Have you noticed a new piece of equipment show up to the cardio area of your club over the last few weeks? Or perhaps it’s been there for some time but you’ve yet to try it out because of its unique, spaceship-like concave design. That new piece of equipment is a manual treadmill – the Woodway Curve – an evolution to the traditional treadmill.

The Curve is not belt-driven and has no motor. It is completely self-propelled, meaning you produce all the energy to power the machine and it more closely resembles outdoor running conditions then the traditional treadmill. Because of this, the Curve is great for all fitness levels and is a great tool for weight loss, sports conditioning and interval training.

How Do You Use the Woodway Curve Treadmill?

  • Start by stepping on from the side, into the bottom of the Curve.
  • Hold on to the rails and begin to walk at a controlled pace with short strides.
  • Once you feel controlled and are comfortable, increases your speed by walking higher up the Curve with longer strides.
  • When you’re at a steady pace (such as a light jog or run), release the rails.
  • Jog or run for as long as tolerable.
  • Dismount the treadmill by grabbing the rails and moving your feet to the sides, off the belt.

Try this Sample Woodway Curve Treadmill Workout

Now that you’ve got the gist of how to use the Curve, let’s turn your training up a notch!

Here’s a workout for that can be done on the Woodway Curve manual treadmill (though this workout can also be done on any treadmill, in any running scenario).

1. Walk, jog or run 1 mile

2. Every 1/10th / .1 mile, step off the treadmill using the above procedure and perform…

  • 5 squat jumps and 5 push-ups (beginners)

– or –

  • 10 burpees (advanced)

3. Reduce distance and repetitions to suit your fitness level.

4. Note the time it takes to complete the task. Repeat once a week with the goal of matching or producing a faster time of completion.

Related: try this other quick treadmill out over your lunch break.

The Woodway Curve will add a new twist to any treadmill workout. Give this a try the next time you are in the club, in place of your normal cardio run – it’s a great way to spice up your steady-state run workout by turning it into an interval workout to target multiple energy systems. Because it’s a manual treadmill it’s also highly efficient: for the time it takes, it burns massive calories!

Please note: take your time and focus on moving safely before you add intensity to any workout. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask a personal trainer for assistance. It is our mission to help our members produce great results. We’d love to assist you in any way possible towards doing so!

About Marques

Marques is a master personal trainer at FFC East Lakeview specializing in weight loss, strength and conditioning for sports-specific activities. His mission is to help you find the path to becoming the best YOU that you can be. Want to set up a complimentary consultation with Marques? Email him at mchaplin@ffc.com! You can also check out his printable workout here – bring it with you the next time you go to the gym!

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HIIT Workouts for Beginners: Why Do HIIT & Sample Workout

FFC Gold Coast coach and personal trainer Jeremy Gorden shares some benefits of high intensity interval training, plus HIIT workouts for beginners.

You may have heard of The Faction, but you still may be trying to figure out what it is. In short, The Faction is a new type of workout at Fitness Formula Clubs that focuses on a high intensity interval training (HIIT) format. It utilizes non-conventional equipment (such as kettlebells, TRX straps, barbells, tires and sleds) and incorporates elements from MMA, boxing, Olympic weight lifting and others.

HIIT workouts for beginners - benefits and a plan to try on your own

I’ve been running classes in the Performance Training Center (PTC) at FFC Gold Coast since we started in the spring of 2016 and we’ve come a long way since. When building the program, we wanted to focus on HIIT, metabolic conditioning, and sports performance training. Over the years, we’ve learned what our members enjoy most and tried to build around those preferences. We still focus mostly on HIIT and metabolic conditioning but we’ve recently added three kettlebell classes and we’re always throwing out new class ideas we think our members will both enjoy and benefit from.

As trainers, we have the freedom to build the style of class that we personally enjoy teaching while still offering all of the benefits of full body instructional training. The benefits of HIIT workouts may have something to do with why the American College of Sports Medicine put it at the top of their list of recent fitness trends. Exercise enthusiasts everywhere are jumping on the HIIT wagon and here are a few reasons why:

  • Calorie burn and metabolic boost: A HIIT workout done properly has the potential to burn calories not only during the workout, but for up to 48 hours after the workout has been completed. Your metabolism is the process your body uses to convert food into energy. A high metabolism allows you to eat more food, which means you get to enjoy all of those guilty pleasures without the after effects.
  • Muscle gain: I structure all of my classes so that the participants are pushing their bodies to their individual limits. I encourage everyone in my classes to use as much weight as possible for the specified exercises in order to stimulate muscle growth along with calorie and fat burn.
  • Community: We’ve really striven to build a community that PTC members feel confident and comfortable being a part of over the past three years. We have every type of member involved in PTC with ages ranging from early 20s to members in their 60s turning heads with their abilities. 
  • No experience necessary: members of any skill level to be able to come to class and be confident in their abilities. All of my classes are put together so that members coming on any given day are progressing through that workout for the entire month. This allows participants to see progression in strength, skill, or both.

HIIT Workouts for Beginners: A Sample Plan to Try

Check out the sample program below for a taste of what you can expect during a Faction workout. Want to try out The Faction for yourself? Head over to this link to learn more and sign up for a free class!

90 seconds ON – 60 seconds OFF – 2 rounds; run through each station in order, then start back up at the top. 

  • Heavy sled row and push back – 20 yards
  • Kettlebell swing x 15; box jump x 3 – repeat
  • Battle rope circles x 40, rope slams x 40; burpees x 3 – repeat
  • Sand ball slam x 15, stair run with sand ball x 1 
  • Row – 21 calorie goal (gals), 27 calorie goal (guys)

Related: check out The Faction at FFC, for serious workouts on the turf, coaches that motivate & inspire and progress tracking through monthly performance testing. You’ll hate it, then you’ll love it. Find out more here.

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