Treadmills are versatile exercise tools that can be used by people of nearly any fitness level. Advanced users can take advantage of a treadmill's built-in interval training program -- available on most powered treadmills -- to get an effective speed-building workout. High intensity interval training, or HIIT, is also ideal for burning fat, improving your cardiovascular health and toning your body.
How it Works
Doing an HIIT workout on a treadmill is a time-efficient and effective way to burn more calories than a traditional moderately-paced workout. Yyour body becomes accustomed to a steady, moderate pace during a traditional endurance workout, which triggers your body to conserve energy and burn less fat. HIIT, on the other hand, doesn't allow your body to ever "get comfortable" because you're constantly changing your workout pace. So, your body burns fat as energy rather than conserving it.
Speed of Treadmills
Depending upon the type of powered treadmill you have, it may have a top-speed of between 8 mph and 15 mph -- the majority of treadmills fall somewhere in between. For most people, this is plenty fast to get a good speed workout. Beginners who have never tried interval training before can start at a brisk walk for the "rest" interval and transition into a brisk jog for the "work" interval. Increase the speed as your fitness level increases.
If Treadmill Doesn't Have Built-in Program
If your treadmill doesn't have an interval training program built in, you can still take advantage of the benefits HIIT has to offer. The only difference is that you'll have to manually increase/decrease the speed between each interval. Start by setting the speed at your desired "rest" interval -- 3.5 mph to 6 mph -- and continue for 60 seconds. Immediately increase the speed to your "work" interval -- 6 mph to 15 mph -- at the end of 60 seconds. Repeat this cycle up to 10 times to complete your HIIT workout.
Benefits
Using your treadmill to complete your high intensity interval training workouts will allow you to increase your speed from the comfort of your home. Sprinting is one of the top fat oxidizing and muscle fiber building exercises there is. As you increase the muscle fibers in your legs by sprinting on your treadmill, you will naturally become faster. Using an interval training program as part of your speed building routine will help you lose weight as well, so you'll become faster as your body weight drops.
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