The treadmill can help you burn a lot of calories and maximize fat burning through high intensity interval training. This method involves alternating bouts of high intensity and low intensity work for the duration of your workout. In 2010, the journal "Metabolism" published a study showing that sprint training among 10 obese men resulted in increased resting fat metabolism. Researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario found that high intensity interval training over the course of six weeks improved the fat oxidizing abilities in new exercisers, as reported in the journal "Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism" in December 2008. These studies affirmed the results of an earlier study published in the "Journal of Applied Physiology" in 2007 in which seven sessions of high intensity interval training performed by moderately trained women over the course of two weeks markedly increased whole body fat burning. You can perform HIIT on any type of cardio equipment, but the treadmill offers an easy way to increase your intensity while keeping track of time.
Step 1
Warm up before any high intensity, fat burning routine. Spend five to 10 minutes easily walking or lightly jogging to increase circulation and warm the muscles.
Step 2
Raise your speed to the fastest you can sustain for 30 seconds. Return to a manageable pace for four and a half minutes. Repeat four to six times for a complete workout . Perform three times per week on nonconsecutive days for six weeks to simulate the study reported in "Metabolism." Because the high intensity intervals are short, this is a good fat burning treadmill workout for beginners.
Step 3
Increase the length of your working intervals after a couple weeks. Go as fast as you can for one minute--try 7 mph or faster--and then return to a slow jog or walk for one minute. Repeat 10 times. In just 20 minutes, high intensity interval training effectively burns calories--many of which are fat calories--notes the "Oxygen Magazine" website.
Step 4
Decrease your light- to moderate-intensity "recoveries" and increase the length of your speed drills after a month or two of training. Attempt to push as fast as you can for four minutes, followed by a moderate pace for two minutes. Repeat these segments for an hour and do it three times per week, on alternating days.
Step 5
Cool down after every high intensity interval trainingsession. Walk at a modest pace for three to five minutes and then stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and hips.
Tips and Warnings
- If your body cannot stand the impact or intensity of running, perform intervals by raising your treadmill's incline to 10 percent or higher.
- Interval training taxes your cardiovascular system and the muscles of your legs. Give your body at least 48 hours between workouts so that it can recover sufficiently. If you have heart problems, please check with your doctor before beginning an aggressive interval training program.
Things You'll Need
- Treadmill
References
- "Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism"; High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases Fat and Carbohydrate Metabolic Capacities in Human Skeletal Muscle; C.G. Perry et. al.; December 2008
- "Journal of Applied Physiology";Two Weeks of Aerobic Interval Training Increases the Capacity for Fat Oxidation During Exercise in Women. of High-Intensity; J.L. Talanian et al; April 2007
- "Oxygen Magazine": Melt Fat Now!
- "Metabolism"; Effect of 2 Weeks of Sprint Interval Training on Health-Related Outcomes in Sedentary Overweight/Obese Men; L.J. White et al; Feb. 11, 2010
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