25 Minute Treadmill HIIT Workout

Fellow mamas, it’s time to kick it into high gear with a calorie-burning treadmill HIIT workout!  This 25-minute workout is ideal for anyone that’s short on time but still wants to get in a good sweat sesh.

What is HIIT Training?

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training.  Essentially, you alternate short periods of very intense exercise with periods of recovery.  The recovery can be complete rest, or – for many workouts like this one – active recovery, where you are still moving but at a far easier pace.

These workouts are popular for several reasons:

• More variety – If you’re not a fan of a long, steady state run, HIIT treadmill sessions offer the variety you might be looking for!
• Greater post-workout calorie burn – There’s a phenomenon in the exercise world called EPOC – excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.  It’s the “afterburn”; the calories you continue to burn after you finish exercising.  It’s thought that EPOC is higher for HIIT workouts compared to steady state workouts.
• Short & sweet – Because you’re challenging your body in those intense intervals, you can get away with a shorter overall session.  It’s great for time-crunched moms!
• Ideal for winter – When that snow starts up (and we all know it’ll be here before we know it!) it’s great to have an arsenal of indoor workouts for the days that you don’t want to brave the elements.

Creating HIIT Treadmill Workouts

While there’s a specific treadmill HIIT workout for you below, know that you can also create your own workouts too.  There are two variables that you can manipulate on the treadmill to create intense intervals:

• Speed
• Incline

You can focus on one of these at a time, or you can manipulate both.  Look for a speed/incline that feels challenging enough that you can only maintain it for 1-2 minutes.

For those of you who might have joint issues, manipulating the incline gives you an easy way to create an intense challenge while still walking.  This is very helpful if the force of running bothers your joints.

You can also manipulate the duration of your intervals and overall workout to create an easier or more challenging session.  For example:

• Shorter/longer intervals
• Shorter/longer rest time
• More/less total number of rounds

Other Tips for Treadmill HIIT Workouts:

• Avoid holding onto the arms of the treadmill (unless you have balance/vertigo issues and need to do this for safety).  Instead, focus on a speed/incline that you can do without holding on.  Pump your arms to help keep you moving!
• If you’re new to HIIT exercise, you want to push yourself – but not so hard that you injure yourself.  You can always adjust the speed/incline from published workouts to be at a level that works for you.
• HIIT workouts put a lot of stress on your body.  If you run frequently, it’s best to stick with just one of these each week and focus your other workouts on easier, steady-state running.
• Disclaimer:  Check with a doctor before beginning any new exercise routine, especially if you’ve had any issues with injuries or medical issues in the past.

25 Minute Treadmill HIIT Workout

Alright, are you ready to give this a try?!  Two quick notes for the workout:

• For minutes 5-10, choose a pace that feels like a comfortable jog.
• For the speed intervals, choose a pace between 6-9mph and a 2-3% incline.  The pace/incline you choose should feel quite difficult like you couldn’t get past more than 1-2 minutes at that level.

Be sure to pin this for later so you can refer to it when you’re ready to get on the treadmill!

Looking for more treadmill workouts?

Try this treadmill workout for beginners or these five treadmill workouts for weight loss.

Share:  Have you ever tried a treadmill HIIT workout?  What’s your favorite type of running workout – do you prefer slow and steady, or lots of speedy intervals?

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