Best Treadmill Workouts That are Perfect for Everyone

Treadmill workouts (Photo via Birk Enwald/Unsplash)
Treadmill workouts (Photo via Birk Enwald/Unsplash)

Treadmill workouts are a great addition to your routine, especially if you’re inclined towards including exercises that comprise both cardio and strength training. These exercises work for both cutting fat and adding muscle!

There are several types of treadmill workouts such as incline, HIIT, steady-state, and others that can help with burning calories and adding a cardio variation to your routine.


Types Of Treadmill Workouts For Your Routine

Treadmill workout (Photo via Mike Cox/Unsplash)
Treadmill workout (Photo via Mike Cox/Unsplash)

The following are some of the treadmill workouts that you can add to your workout routine to help with burning extra calories and accelerating your overall weight loss:

1. Steady-State Training

In this exercise, the idea is to set the treadmill at a suitable pace where you can hold conversations comfortably. Additionally, the treadmill is not inclined at any degree or level.

It’s a steady-state or LISS (low-intensity steady state) cardio session, and is primarily used for warm-ups or by beginners to allow their bodies to get adjusted to the change in routine.


2. HIIT

High-intensity interval training refers to a method where you raise your heart rate for approximately 30 seconds by giving 100% of effort. It is followed by another 30 seconds of 20% effort to allow the heart rate to slightly stabilize.

A HIIT treadmill workout refers to the same type of training, and it depends on your fitness levels as well. Ideally, in a HIIT treadmill workout, you’ll focus on running or sprinting for 20 seconds followed by slow-walking for 20 to 30 seconds.

As a beginner, you should aim for 5 to 6 rounds, and keep pushing the number of rounds as your fitness levels improve.


3. Sprint Training

This is another treadmill workout for weight loss wherein you focus on short bursts of sprints, which are followed by jogging as a recovery period. This is similar to a HIIT treadmill workout.


4. Incline Training

In this type of treadmill workout for weight loss, you need to set the treadmill at an inclined level of 12-14. Next, set a moderately low pace of 4 to 4.5. Finally, walk for at least 15 to 20 minutes, and more, if you can push yourself.

Incline treadmill workouts are great for boosting metabolism and burning calories.


5. Endurance Training

Endurance training is among the types of treadmill workouts that require you to be able to run for a significant period of time, like 3 to 5 minutes continuously. The idea is to challenge your endurance levels and push your body to complete the entire run without giving up.

As a result, your body will work on its endurance levels to ensure it can push through without difficulty during the next sessions. To continue building your endurance levels, you must keep pushing your body as the levels improve.


Benefits Of Treadmill Workouts

Treadmill workouts (Photo via Intenza Fitness/Unsplash)
Treadmill workouts (Photo via Intenza Fitness/Unsplash)

If you’re planning on adding treadmill workouts to your fitness routine, it’s important to know their benefits as well. It’ll help you understand the importance of having a mixture of resistance training and cardio to achieve your goals.

Here are the benefits of treadmill workouts:

  • Improved endurance
  • Reduced stress
  • Better balance and coordination
  • Improved cardiovascular health
  • Burning fat
  • Weight management
  • Variation to the routine

Why should you combine resistance training with cardio?

Resistance training (Photo via Alonso Reyes/Unsplash)
Resistance training (Photo via Alonso Reyes/Unsplash)

If you want to cut fat, you need to follow a calorie deficit diet. If you want to gain weight or add muscle, you need to follow a calorie surplus diet.

Next, it’s a given that you need to lift weights for your muscles to become bigger. However, if you just want to cut fat, then cardio isn’t the only way to go.

Ideally, resistance training also helps with burning calories and even more so than certain types of cardio. However, you can add cardio to your routine as an additional method of burning calories rather than making it the only method. This way, your body will not hit a plateau due to excessive cardio or excessive strength training. Moreover, your muscles will also get toned as you begin to lose weight.

Quick Links