Treadmills are convenient fitness tools that allow you to exercise indoors when the weather is bad. Additionally, many treadmills offer built-in programs, incline capability and easy speed adjustments. One of the most effective treadmill workouts for burning calories, improving your aerobic capacity and increasing your speed is the interval training program many treadmills come factory-equipped with. This is a high speed workout that will have you exercising at a vigorous pace, so consult your doctor before trying it.
Treadmill Speed
Not all treadmills are designed for high speed training. Running or sprinting puts far more stress on the treadmill deck and motor compared to lower intensity exercise like walking. Commercial-grade treadmills offer more quality that is ideal for high speed workouts. Additionally, this type of treadmill generally offers faster speeds to choose from, many times offering top-speeds of 15 mph. Commercial treadmills are more expensive than a budget choice, but it's pretty much a necessity when it comes to high speed workouts.
HIIT
Most powered treadmills offer a built-in high intensity interval training, or HIIT, program. This high speed training technique involves jogging for a short interval -- 30 to 60 seconds -- and then sprinting for a short interval. You then repeat this cycle for a total of 20 to 30 minutes max. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 minutes of vigorous exercise is equivalent to 60 minutes of moderate exercise.
Benefits
The Mayo Clinic points out that this sort of training can help you burn more calories compared to moderate exercise, improve your endurance, strengthen your leg muscles and burn fat directly. Although HIIT can be performed without any special equipment, a treadmill allows you to accurately track your speed and calories burned. This allows you to progressively increase the speed over a period of weeks to avoid fitness plateaus.
Considerations
High speed training is not for everyone. The Mayo Clinic reports that people with heart conditions should consult their doctor before trying any vigorous exercise regimen. People with joint pain, such as arthritis or osteoporosis, may want to exercise at a moderate pace rather than at higher speeds. Know your limits when exercising at a vigorous pace; symptoms of overworking your body include dizziness, nausea, muscle pain and cramps, or chronic bone or joint pain. Begin your high speed treadmill workouts by exercising for 10 to 15 minutes and progressively increasing your exercise time as your fitness level improves.
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