I must admit that I have only recently discovered interval training. I have learned that treadmill interval training will help you to burn more calories and to lose weight much faster. Using your Treadmill for your interval training allows you to push yourself as much as you want, space your intervals for your own personal goals and to track your progress.
I have exercised all of my life and have tried just about everything out there. For cardio, I enjoy jumping rope, jogging, walking, my treadmill, bike riding, the recumbent exercise bike and stair climber just to mention a few. You can incorporate interval training into any of these forms of cardio exercise.
One good thing is that most exercise machines including treadmills come with preprogramed factory exercise routines. These factory programs almost always have interval training programs for your benefit. Some even allow you to program your own interval programs so you can meet your own personal goals. If they don’t, you can buy an interval training watch which can be most useful to track your time for each interval.
I started interval training on my treadmill about six months ago. Now that I have discovered interval training, I now shake up my treadmill workout with interval training to keep if fun and interesting. Your high intensity interval training on treadmill will burn more calories in less time and keep them burning longer.
Define Interval Training
Interval Training is a form of training used by many athletes in which they alternate intense exercise intervals and rest intervals during the same exercise activity. It is basically alternating intervals of rest or lighter activity in with your intervals of intense activity. The lighter or rest activities allow your heart rate to slow down to a near normal rate before the next burst of more intense activity.
Interval training has now become very popular with the average exerciser, like me.
A good example can be walking outside or walking on your treadmill. To incorporate interval training for your walking on your treadmill or outside, you can add in short bursts of running or jogging into your normal periods of regular walking. Depending on your physical shape, if you cannot run, then you can add walking at a faster pace or power walking in with your normal walking pace.
The Advantages of Interval Training
- Burn More Calories – During the short bursts of intense exercise, you will definitely burn more calories. The combination of the lower and higher intensity intervals will increase your overall metabolic rate. Another advantage is that your metabolic rate will continue to stay higher longer after you are done.
- More Aerobic Capacity – These short burst of intensity increases your cardiovascular fitness. As you continue interval training, you will soon be able to increase the intensity level and also exercise longer. You will be able to get more benefit from the exercise in a shorter amount of time.
- No More Boredom – Anything that adds some variety to your exercise routine will reduce the boredom. You can change the interval time and speed anytime during any exercise routine. Because I have an older Proform treadmill Model J4i, it lacks some of the features the newer models have. It has no programs for me to follow, so I use a clock with a second hand to time my intervals. I change them up according to my mood. No two treadmill workouts are the same for me with interval training.
- No Special Equipment Required – To start interval training, all you need to do is to modify your existing cardio routines. You can interval train even if all you do is walk for your exercise.
- Reduce Muscle Soreness – Your muscles produce waste products called lactic acid during intense exercise. Lactic acid can build up in your muscles and cause soreness and discomfort. With interval training, the slower intervals or rest intervals slow down the buildup and clear the lactic acid and thus will make for a more comfortable exercise and less soreness afterward.
How to Incorporate Interval Training on Treadmill to Lose Weight
For me, I like to walk for five to ten minutes at a low to medium pace before I start the interval training to make sure I am adequately warmed up. This is most essential. Then I speed up to an eight to ten mile per hour pace and run for one minute. Then back to the four to five mph pace for one minute.
I then continue to alternate between the slower pace and intense pace at one minute each for at least thirty minutes. Then I slow down to about a three to four mph pace for five minutes to cool down before I stop.
You can also use the incline feature of you treadmill to increase the intensity instead of speed. I sometimes add in a couple of these during my workout. Remember, don’t be afraid to add variety. It doesn’t have to be the same every time.
When you are picking your walking speed, choose one that is comfortable for you. When choosing your intense speed, choose one that you can do for one minute. You should be slightly out of breath and ready for the slower paced interval. Your physical condition will determine what your high intensity one minute limit will be. In the beginning, just try only one or two high intensity intervals during you exercise session.
The cool thing is that you determine the speed and the length of your high intensity intervals depending on how you are feeling that day. You may decide to increase the high intensity intervals by thirty seconds before returning to the slower pace. You may decide to go for two to three minutes on the next high intensity burst. It is all up to you for each exercise routine. Remember, change it up for variety.
Be sure to consult your physician before beginning any exercise program especially if you are over the age of 35 or have any pre-existing health problems. Always start out slow and stop immediately if you are having any pain or feeling dizzy.
Try Interval Training
The road to a leaner body is not a slow, long march. It is instead bursts of high intensity combined with slower, recovery efforts. Twenty minutes of interval training can burn as many calories as an hour of steady, traditional cardio exercise. Unlike traditional cardio workouts, interval training workouts will keep your body burning calories long after the workout is over.
Try interval training on your treadmill today. You will like it, I guarantee it!
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