20-minute Treadmill Workout

A 20-minute Treadmill Workout

Fitting in running and walking sessions on your treadmill delivers many health and fitness benefits. Your cardiovascular health is improved, your muscles develop more tone and definition, your stress levels are significantly reduced, and, with the right workout, you'll even lose weight. Even better, all these benefits can be achieved from the comfort of your own home.

Having an exercise routine and sticking to it is the most successful way of getting fit but, as we all know, this can be challenging when the weather outside is against us. With a home treadmill, however, who cares whether it is wet, snowy, or simply too hot outside. All you have to do is power up your treadmill and jump on it. Fitting a quick 20-minute treadmill workout into your daily routine couldn't be easier. You can add even more impact to these home treadmill workouts by including some high-intensity interval training or HIIT.

By combining short spurts of intense exercise with recovery periods you get the benefit of maximum fitness in minimal time. Do a 20-minute treadmill HIIT workout four times a week for 12 weeks or more and watch your stamina and lung capacity improve enormously. Along the way, you'll also be burning off calories, defining your muscles, and losing weight.

What is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

The name High-Intensity Interval Training is perfectly chosen to sum up the activity. With HIIT, short bursts of intense exercise are followed by lower intensity periods of recovery. A HIIT workout of between 10 and 30 minutes is an effective and time-efficient way of exercising whether you are looking to improve your running stats, muscle tone, cardiovascular fitness or burn off calories.

There are many forms of intense activity that work for HIIT but sprinting is particularly effective and the perfect choice for home treadmill workouts. HIIT eliminates the boredom that can accompany running at a consistent pace for a long period of time. It can also improve your running speed and stamina as well — ideal if you're into competitive running.

During the intense period of activity, it is easier to push yourself harder when you know it is only for a short period of time. This spurt of intense activity followed by a more relaxed period of exercise is commonly called a round or a repetition. During a typical HIIT workout, you should be aiming to complete between six and ten repetitions. It doesn't matter which activity you choose and however many rounds you aim for, to get the best results it is vital that your heart rate speeds up considerably during the high-intensity periods. Have we convinced you? Are you ready to get started with HIIT? Then read on for the best 20-minute treadmill workout.

A 20-minute treadmill HIIT workout

For getting fit, improving your stats, and losing weight, this really is one of the best 20-minute treadmill workouts using HIIT. It's easy to follow and, knowing that the intense activity period is only going to last one minute really means you can push yourself to the max. Aim to be fitting in at least eight to ten repetitions during your workout.

• As always, warming up is important. Get your muscles ready to perform by spending five minutes gently jogging on the treadmill.
• Choose your high-intensity speed (minutes per mile or kilometer) and set the treadmill for this. Sprint at that speed for one minute.
• Select and set your rest speed and walk at it for thirty seconds. During this period, your heart rate should quickly return to normal, ready for your next burst of intense activity.
• Sprint at your high-intensity speed for another minute (maybe adding an incline to push yourself that little bit harder).
• Follow with a further 30 seconds at your rest and recovery speed.
• Continue the repetitions for 20 minutes and then cool down by walking for two minutes.
• Complete your workout with a few legs stretches (don't skimp on this or you risk cramps and sore muscles later).

Why a 20-minute HIIT treadmill workout burns calories

You may be surprised to know that using HIIT during your 20-minute treadmill workout can burn up to 30% more calories than simply going for a run. This is even more surprising when you realize that you're probably only working at maximum effort for a third of the time your previous runs would have taken but you are burning off at least the same number of calories.

The good news doesn't stop there, however. The way you have trained means that your body's metabolic rate has been increased to an impressive level and you'll continue to burn calories even after you've stopped exercising. This effect can last for up to 24 hours! And your metabolism has also been shifted to using fat for energy rather than carbohydrates. Work at least three HIIT sessions a week into your exercise routine and pair it with some sensible dietary changes and you'll soon see dramatic changes to your weight and body shape. You'll be fitter, look better, and feel amazing. This pairing of high-intensity interval training and your home treadmill is definitely a win-win combination.