Best Fitness Today

Treadmill users seem to always be looking for a way to get the most out of their machines so they can lose weight faster. Many people find their search is over when they discover that doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on their treadmills is the most efficient way to lose weight. The reason so many treadmill users stick to the HIIT program is not only does it work, but workouts are fast, efficient and interesting.

Treadmill owners started showing an interest in HIIT after a study came out reporting that it showed better results than other forms of cardio for fat loss. The study involved participants being divided into two exercise groups for five months. Group one did a steady pace cardio workout for 45 minutes. At the beginning of the five months, group one started working out at 60% of their maximum heart rate. By the end of the study they were up to 85% of their maximum heart rate. Group two worked out the entire five months doing HIIT for 30 minutes.

The second group did HIIT for 30 minutes. Their workouts consisted of bringing their heart rates up to 70% of their maximum heart rates. Then for ten seconds they would back down on their workout intensity so their heart rates would fall. The group then did a 90 second period of working out that brought their heart rates back up again. Afterwards, they went back down into a lower intense workout so their heart rates would slow down, again. This was repeated throughout their 30 minute workout.

The study found that the second group who had done the HIIT worked out for less time overall, expended less energy and shed three times more fat than the first group. They also noted that the fat group two lost was mainly the fat beneath the skin, or subcutaneous fat.

So what makes HIIT so powerful for weight loss? After doing HIIT a person’s body goes into what is known as EPOC, or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. EPOC is what your body does when it needs more oxygen to return to a resting state. This means after doing HIIT your body is using more oxygen and burning more calories even hours after your workout is completed. One study that was done in 2002 reported that there was an elevated resting metabolic rate in participants even 48 hours later.

Doing HIIT with a treadmill makes working out fast and fun. But, keep in mind that HIIT is fairly intense. While HIIT routines should only last between 20 to 30 minutes, you will use every moment of the workout efficiently. After the initial warm up, you will exercise up to your maximum heart rate range. Then you will follow this with intervals of exercise that will lower your heart rate and then raise it back up to your maximum heart rate zone. You can do as many intervals as you would like, or change up the length of the intervals, to give your workout some variance.

Experts recommend that HIIT be done two or three days a week. They don’t recommend doing it back to back because it is so intense. To relieve the stress on your body, put a day or two in between your HIIT routines. Don’t feel guilty on the days you aren’t doing HIIT, relax and know you are still burning calories and losing weight!