The vast majority of runners would probably agree that running outside along your favorite trail or route on a beautiful spring or fall day is the best way to enjoy your miles.
However, when the seasons change and the bitter winter winds and dark, snowy mornings replace the mild temperatures you relished, many runners must turn to the treadmill to get in their workout plan sessions.
Although a treadmill can be a fantastic training tool for runners and a safer and more appealing alternative in stormy weather or the dark, running on a treadmill is generally not as engaging or gratifying as running outside.
Running on the treadmill can be boring and monotonous, especially if you are plotting along at a steady pace, but you can inject variety and a heavy dose of challenge into your treadmill routines by doing HIIT treadmill workouts.
HIIT training involves alternating bouts of super-intense exercise and low-intensity exercise or rest periods, often to burn calories efficiently for weight loss, weight maintenance, or to get fit.
In this guide, we will discuss the benefits of HIIT treadmill workouts and provide several running interval training sessions to add to your workout routine when the treadmill is your only option.
What Is a HIIT Treadmill Workout?
HIIT, which refers to high-intensity interval training, involves cycling between short bouts of vigorous exercise with less intense recovery periods.
You can do almost any type of exercise during HIIT exercise sessions as long as you can do it vigorously enough to raise your heart rate to at least 85% of your maximum.
Some examples intense stationary bike workout, elliptical (low impact), or even strength training exercises like bodyweight jump squats, jump lunges, dumbbell thrusters, or burpees.
However, for our purposes, as the name implies, a HIIT treadmill workout involves running intervals on a treadmill, such as 30 second sprints.
Essentially, HIIT treadmill workouts are a specific type of treadmill interval workout wherein the intensity of the intervals is vigorous enough to increase your heart rate to approximately 85-95% of your max heart rate.
It is also possible to do a HIIT treadmill workout doing incline walking, depending on your fitness level.
Very fit individuals may not be able to elevate their heart rate high enough even with a brisk walking pace and an incline of 15% grade.
A HIIT treadmill running workout may be just four minutes long (Tabata treadmill workouts) or upwards of 45 minutes or so, although most are in the 15-30 minute range, with a warm-up and cool-down on either end of the workout.
For example, a 20-minute HIIT treadmill running workout might involve a 5-minute warm-up jog, 12 x 30 seconds of running at a pace that corresponds to 85-95% of your max heart rate with 30 seconds of recovery in between, with a 3-minute easy cool-down walk or jog.
Depending on the primary goal of the workout, HIIT treadmill running workouts may increase the speed, incline, or both during the hard intervals.
Treadmills are an especially effective tool for HIIT running workouts because you have no control over the incline, weather, or other variables when running outside.
On a treadmill interval workout, you can program specific speeds and inclines; all you have to do is keep up.
Additionally, with a HIIT treadmill workout, you can watch the time right in front of you on the display rather than needing to check your watch, making it easier to know when to shift gears between short bursts and recovery segments.
What Are The Benefits of A HIIT Treadmill Workout?
HIIT treadmill workouts are inherently challenging because you push your body to near all out, maximal effort levels. However, your hard work is rewarded with the numerous health benefits of these high intensity workouts, including the following:
- Helping you become a faster runner
- Increasing metabolic rate for up to 14 hours after the workout1KNAB, A. M., SHANELY, R. A., CORBIN, K. D., JIN, F., SHA, W., & NIEMAN, D. C. (2011). A 45-Minute Vigorous Exercise Bout Increases Metabolic Rate for 14 Hours. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(9), 1643–1648. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3182118891
- Training your anaerobic system as well as aerobic system
- Improving your running economy
- Increasing VO2 max and lactate threshold
- Burning calories efficiently2Zhang, H., Tong, T. K., Qiu, W., Zhang, X., Zhou, S., Liu, Y., & He, Y. (2017). Comparable Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training and Prolonged Continuous Exercise Training on Abdominal Visceral Fat Reduction in Obese Young Women. Journal of Diabetes Research, 2017, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5071740, which can help you burn fat when in a calorie deficiency.
- Helping reduce body fat3Viana, R. B., Naves, J. P. A., Coswig, V. S., de Lira, C. A. B., Steele, J., Fisher, J. P., & Gentil, P. (2019). Is interval training the magic bullet for fat loss? A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing moderate-intensity continuous training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(10), bjsports-2018-099928. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099928
- Providing an effective workout in an efficient amount of time4Wewege, M., van den Berg, R., Ward, R. E., & Keech, A. (2017). The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 18(6), 635–646. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12532
- Building strength
- Providing a more engaging treadmill experience5Gillen, J. B., Martin, B. J., MacInnis, M. J., Skelly, L. E., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Gibala, M. J. (2016). Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLOS ONE, 11(4), e0154075. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154075 compared to a steady-state run to help pass the workout time
- Presenting a way to improve your mental strength and focus
- Boosting confidence
What Are The Ultimate HIIT Treadmill Workouts to Get Faster?
A HIIT treadmill workout can be configured in nearly endless possibilities, which is excellent for my athletes who can’t get outside for their sessions.
You can have different durations for the hard intervals and even change the length of the intervals throughout the workout.
For example, a good HIIT treadmill workout for my beginners entail sets of 30 seconds hard followed by 30 seconds easy, but you can also do cycles of 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, 60 seconds hard, and 60 seconds easy. There are no rules.
No matter how you structure the intervals in a HIIT cardio workout, all HIIT treadmill workouts should begin with a few minutes of easy running to warm up and should end with a couple of minutes of easy jogging to cool down.
The best HIIT treadmill workouts challenge you, keep you engaged, and make you worry you might not finish (but you will!).
Below, I share a few of my best treadmill interval workouts that have helped my athletes improve and run faster from the comfort of a treadmill.
#1: 20-Minute HIIT Treadmill Workout for Beginners
- 5-minute warm-up of brisk walking or easy jogging.
- 12 x 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. Aim for a pace that feels like a fast run and gets your heart rate up to 85-95% of your maximum heart rate.
- 3-minute cool down walk.
#2: 30-Minute HIIT Treadmill Workout to Build Speed
- 5-minute warm-up, walking, or jogging slowly.
- 10 x 45 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy. Aim for a pace that feels like a fast run and gets your heart rate up to 85-95% of your maximum heart rate.
- 5 x 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. Aim for a pace that feels like a sprint and gets your heart rate up to 90-95% of your maximum heart rate.
- 5-minute walk to cool down.
#3: 30-Minute HIIT Treadmill Workout for Experienced Runners
- 4-minute warm-up, light jog.
- 10 x 45 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. Run the hard intervals at mile race pace.
- 10 x 45 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. Run the hard intervals at an 800m race pace.
- 2-minute cooldown.
#4: 30-Minute Treadmill Workout at 6-Minute Pace
You can also do treadmill HIIT workouts that are geared toward running at a specific pace or speed.
This is an example of a 6 min/mile pace treadmill interval workout, but you can choose a different pace for your hard intervals.
Just choose a speed that feels like you’re working at 85-90% capacity.
- 5-minute warm-up jog.
- 16 x 45 seconds hard at 10 mph, 30 seconds easy at 6 mph.
- 5-minute cool-down jog.
#5: Hit the Distance HIIT Treadmill Workout
In this HIIT treadmill workout, rather than going for time with each interval, you’ll be running for distance.
The faster you run, the sooner you get your recovery!
You’ll cover three miles for the intervals portion of the workout, with two miles at race pace.
- 5-minute warm-up jog.
- 20 reps x 0.1 mile at mile race pace, 0.1-mile recovery jog.
- 5-minute cooldown.
You can also play around with the incline during your hard intervals, especially if you are training for a hilly race or prefer incline walking to running or jogging.
Start with a 3.0% grade, and gradually build up to running at 6-10% grade or more. If you are walking, you can even walk up to 15% incline.
Doing HIIT running workouts on the treadmill is a fantastic way to not only boost your fitness, improve your running, and lead to faster race times but also to help the workout time fly by.
While HIIT treadmill workouts can certainly be challenging, they may just be the ticket you need to embrace treadmill running and improve your fitness.
If you aren’t familiar with running on a treadmill but see treadmill running in your near future, you can check out our guide:
