First off, we use the term “stride” to mean a short build to faster than race pace for approximately 15-20 seconds with a walking rest of about 1 minute. It’s not a max effort sprint (but not too far off either). Strides are primarily done after a run, to trigger some fast twitch muscles and work on proper run form.
So, if you’re running on a treadmill and have strides on tap, how do you go about doing them? Changing the speed for a 15-20 second stride on a treadmill can be mighty annoying if you’re constantly trying to push buttons. Instead of worrying about changing the speed at all, simply set the treadmill to the pace you’d like to do your interval. When you’re done with y0u’re 15-20 second effort simply jump off and walk around the gym a bit to recover. When it’s time to go again, jump back on and you’ll already be at full speed. Note: Use of the handrails for a couple seconds is strongly advised! 
