3 Treadmill Workouts For Faster Fat-Loss

3 Treadmill Workouts For Faster Fat-Loss
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Lift weights or do more cardio?

That’s long been a dilemma for many people who looking to shed body fat quickly.

Proponents of lifting weights cite the increased metabolic effect gained by adding muscle tissue to the body. Just one pound of muscle can increase a person’s daily metabolic rate by 30-60 calories. That doesn’t sound like much, but it really adds up when you pack on 5-10 pounds of muscle.

The pro-cardio group argues that cardiovascular training burns FAR more calories per hour than lifting weights. In fact, some research has shown that cardio training can easily burn 2-3 times more calories than resistance training.

So if you want to get lean and toned, what’s your best way to get there quickly?

The Perfect Fat-Burning Combination

It likely isn’t surprising to learn that research has proven that “a combination of aerobic and resistance training…[is] the best for fat loss.”

But what might be surprising is that this same research showed that the idea amount of weekly training was just 5 hours. You see, many people neglect to include one very important ingredient in their fat-loss equation: Adequate rest.

Exercising intensely for 5 hours per week presents your body with enough stimuli to change, while still providing ample time for you to rest and recover.

Yes, it’s time to exercise smarter, not harder

Smarter exercise moves away from long bouts of steady-state cardio in favor of shorter, higher-intensity aerobic workouts. That’s what these treadmill workouts are perfect for. Get in, work hard, get out, and watch your body shed fat like you’ve never seen before.

3 Treadmill Workouts You Have to Start Using

These treadmill workouts are quick and efficient, meaning you’ll have lots of time to hit the weights and then let your body rest.

1. Wall Squat Sprints

If you’ve ever gone for a long run you’ve certainly experienced a lactic acid build-up. This occurs when you are no longer able to take in enough oxygen to meet the needs of your muscles. Your muscle cells begin to flood with lactic acid, a byproduct of glycolysis, and your legs begin to feel very heavy.

It’s at this point in your training when you are able to really change your body. When you “push through” a lactic acid build-up, your body is strengthened to do it again in the future. Ideally, you’d get to this point in your cardio training every workout – your gains would be incredible!

One problem: It takes longer and longer to reach that point of lactic acid accumulation, so you’d end up doing more and more cardio. (Not what we want!)

Here’s a shortcut:

  • Warm up with a 5-minute jog
  • Get off the treadmill and perform a wall squat for 3 minutes
  • Immediately sprint on the treadmill for 2 minutes
  • Repeat for 4 wall squats and 4 sprints

The wall squats put your muscles into a state of lactic acid build-up, which you can then push through during your 2-minute sprint. This combination will not only improve your running, but the intensity of these intervals is an amazing calorie-burner.

2. Weighted Hill Workout

Just like the wall squat sprints, this workout adds resistance training to your cardio workout for faster fitness and fat-loss.

  • Warm up with a 5-minute jog
  • Strap on a 10-30lb weighted vest, or put an equivalent sandbag on your shoulders
  • Increase the treadmill incline to 5% and maintain as fast of a pace as you can for 2 minutes
  • Increase the incline to 8% for another 2 minutes
  • Increase the incline to 10% for another 2 minutes
  • Increase the incline to 12% for another 2 minutes
  • Remove the weighted vest or sandbag
  • Reduce the incline back through all levels (i.e. 12%, 10%, 8%, and 5%), jogging as fast as possible at each level

Dr. Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico uses a similar protocol to this with his high-performance athletes. Dr. Kravitz found that carrying the additional weight in a vest or on the shoulders did not impact a person’s running gait, BUT adding ankle weights or hand weights DID alter their gait.

Therefore, for your safety, only perform this workout using a weighted vest or weight on your shoulders.

3. 30-20-10

If you’re really in a time crunch, this is the treadmill workout for you. It is the perfect expression of HIIT training that is simple yet ultra-effective for fat burning.

  • Warm up with a 5-minute jog
  • Run at a moderate pace for 30 seconds
  • Increase your speed for the next 20 seconds
  • Increase your speed again (this time to an all-out sprinting pace) for just 10 seconds
  • Return to your 30-second moderate pace
  • Repeat the 30-20-10 sequence for 10 sets

Including the 5-minute warm-up, this workout requires just 15 minutes, and it will have you dripping in sweat.

Concluding Thoughts

Remember that “more” is not better when it comes to exercising for cutting fat. You need a balance of strength and cardiovascular training, but just as important, you need to let your body rest. Using these efficient treadmill workouts will help you achieve your fat-loss goals.

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