If you read the first “HIIT At Home” article, you’re in the know. You know what HIIT is, and what the benefits are. Now, it’s time for you to apply some of that knowledge and gain some experience. Today we’ll go over three different HIIT formats that you can implement into you
r routine with your treadmill at home.
When we hear the word “treadmill” most of us automatically think of running. That’s a fair thought, considering most of what we do on the treadmill is run. However, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to one form of exercise, especially when we have high quality equipment readily available! There are so many different ways we can apply HIIT training. We don’t HAVE to run at one speed for 30 minutes every day. We can push, lunge, walk, run, shuffle, and do so many other things to benefit our body and health.
Today we’ll go over three of my favorite ways to implement HIIT training on the treadmill in order to prioritize our fitness, and avoid getting bored.
My first and favorite way to use the treadmill is to mimic the push-style movement that we’d get from pushing a weighted sled. There are a couple of options here, depending on what your treadmill can handle. The first option would be to keep the treadmill off as you push, and the other would be keeping the treadmill at a very low speed as you push. With the treadmill off and your hands safely secured on the handles, lean into a forward position and begin pushing the treadmill as hard and fast as you possibly can for one minute. By the end of that first minute, you should be pretty exhausted and ready for a break. Turn the treadmill on and begin a fast-paced walk or a slow jog for three minutes. That’s your recovery bout. Alternate between these two for 15-30 minutes and you’ve got yourself a new creative HIIT workout!
The second way you can use your treadmill for a creative workout is by incorporating your upper body into the picture. It’s going to sound and look silly, but hey, you’re in the privacy of your own home, so you can feel free with this one! With the treadmill on and at a low to moderate pace, begin a bear crawl for one minute. By the end of this minute, you should be gassed and ready for a break. Once the minute is up, stand up and recover by walking for 3 minutes. I love this one because there isn’t too much button-pressing, and it’s a great way to improve upper-body muscular endurance.
The last format I’d like to go over today involves moving laterally (side-to-side). With the treadmill at a moderate pace, begin shuffling with one hip facing the front of the treadmill and the other facing the back of the treadmill. Stay in a low and athletic stance. After 30 seconds, switch sides for another 30 seconds. At the end of the minute, face forward going into a walk or slow jog to recover for 3 minutes. This is a great way to work on the gluteus medius. Strong and stable glutes can prevent knee injuries down the road.
Give these workouts a try, and play around with them a bit! Switch up the time and speeds, and continue progressing to improve your muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
Also, stay tuned for more creative ways to bring HIIT into your life in the “HIIT At Home” articles!
Do you want to learn more about HIIT Training? Look for next weeks blog post or download our FREE HIIT Training Workout Guide.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.