Hit a plateau in your cardio training? I myself am guilty of hitting that wall and being frustrated by the lack of results. I would waste hours and miles on the treadmill with only the soreness of my joints to show for it. This low intensity elongated workout was just not cutting it for me.
Now I am a true believer and highly recommend HIIT workouts on the treadmill. HIIT ‘High Intensity Interval Training’ is a simple, yet very effective workout. The HIIT workout is intervals of a comfortable jog to a full sprint. It spikes the heart rate over and over, burning more calories than the typical steady jog you see most people do on the treadmill.
Before you start find a comfortable jog speed and sprint speed on the treadmill.
Here is my simple 30 Minute routine I currently do:
- Set your jog speed and for 2 minutes jog it out.
- Next, switch over to your sprint speed for 1 minute.
- Repeat the process for 30 minutes. Each time bringing up your heart rate for a full minute sprint and recovering and catching your breath with a 2 minute jog.
- Many treadmills have the ‘Interval’ option programmed into them, making the transitions work fluently.
Remember to always start out with some stretches and a warm up. Don’t overdo it in the beginning. Start out with only a 30 second sprint if you have to and work your way up. Find the routine you are most comfortable with and progress from there. Many injuries occur when people try to jump right into an exercise as if they are trying to set a world record.