These advanced HIIT workouts on the treadmill are for fitness enthusiasts who love grueling and agonizing cardio workouts. Think outside the box; the treadmill isn’t just for walking and running; it’s also for jumping on. I’m a certified personal trainer and advise that if you decide to try one of my searing HIIT workouts on a treadmill, make sure you are very fit and have no joint problems.
If you’re advanced, you should already know about the importance of warming up, so I’ll skip that. This article will cover advanced HIIT workouts for walking, jogging, running and jumping — all both forwards, backwards and sideways — on the treadmill. Make sure your treadmill is sturdy enough to receive the impact of jumping.
Some Workout Details
If you hold onto any part of the treadmill during these HIIT routines, consider this CHEATING. (Why?) Hold on only when adjusting the settings, then let go. All recovery-pace times range from 2-4 minutes. Recovery paces should be very easy walking. Do your most intense HIIT intervals 4-6 times.
Walking HIIT treadmill workout. For walking to be advanced, you must use at least a 12 percent incline and a speed of at least 4 mph. Your work intervals should be intense enough to exhaust you within 30 seconds. For some people, 12 percent incline won’t be high enough; go to 15 percent. Crank up the walking to 4.5 mph or more if you must. DO NOT JOG.
Jogging HIIT treadmill routine. In order for jogging to be intense for an advanced fitness enthusiast, it must be done at an incline. Find the speed and incline that makes you breathless within 30 seconds. This might be, for instance, 7 mph at 15 percent incline.
Running HIIT treadmill workout. How fast can you run before you must stop — within 30 seconds? Find that speed, then use that as your HIIT interval. It may be 12 mph for some, 13.5 for others, and 14.5 for others, depending on how fast the treadmill can go. If you can run faster than 12 mph for longer than 30 seconds, and the machine only goes up to 12 mph, then add an incline so that 12 mph at the incline is impossible to sustain for longer than 30 seconds.
Treadmills or Running
Backwards walking, jogging and running HIIT routines on treadmill. Don’t hold on or you’ll defeat the purpose. Practice at SLOW speeds first to get used to not holding on backwards. Follow the same guidelines as previously mentioned. For example, try walking backwards at 3.5 mph at 15 percent incline for 30 seconds. GOOD LUCK!
How can you tell what 30 seconds is when facing away from the treadmill’s clock? Count out seconds in your head or get the seconds off of a watch.
Sideways walking, jogging HIIT workouts on treadmill. Follow guidelines previously mentioned for moving backwards. An incline will be necessary to make this intense enough for advanced people. Jogging sideways can quickly cause skin irritation in the feet (which you’ll eventually adapt to over time).
Jumping HIIT workouts. Always jump and land with both feet together. The no-holding-on rule applies. Example: Jump at 5 mph at 15 percent. This is wicked and if you can hold out for 15 seconds without having to grab onto the machine, you’re a true athlete. First experiment with 3 mph at 15 percent. See how fast you can jump before 16 seconds becomes impossible. Warning: Jumping at faster speeds at the highest inclines requires more than fitness; it requires athletic skill.
You can also jump sideways. Practice first at slow speeds. Use an incline for intensity. You can jump backwards too. Again, practice at slow speeds. An incline will be necessary to induce intensity. Jumping backwards faster than 4.5 mph is not recommended.
These advanced HIIT treadmill workouts will not only challenge your cardiovascular fitness, but some of these routines will demand a lot of agility.
