This 20-Minute Treadmill Cardio Interval Workout Will Burn Fat Fast
This 20-minute routine takes exercise indoors with a treadmill cardio interval workout that will maximize your precious time.
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The best part? You’ll reap similar or even better results while spending less time in the gym. Yes, we admit that this workout has you sprinting at a rather intense pace, but the good news is that you don’t have to run for more than 20 minutes (including the warmup and cooldown) to get the results you want.
This treadmill workout routine will improve your cardiovascular capacity while burning serious calories. (And as an added bonus, the short burst of energy will give you an influx of endorphins and put you in an instantly better mood!)
Remember that the speeds listed below in this workouts are just a recommendation for a relatively fit person. You can change the speeds up or down a notch to your desired intensity level.
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If you’re feeling brave, add a higher incline for a “hill sprint” workout. The bottom line is this is just a template, so feel free to tweak it however you like.
For this workout, we recommend keeping your incline at 1.0 to simulate the outdoor terrain.
Ready? Here we go!
0-5 Minutes
Warm up with a light jog or speed 6.0 on the treadmill. You should be able to hold a conversation at this pace, as it’s more for warming your muscles up and getting ready for the sprints to come.
5-6 Minutes
Bring your running pace up to 8.0. You should be running quite a bit harder than you were at your warm up pace.
6-7 Minutes
Move your pace down to 7.0. This is a slightly easier pace to let up a bit, but you are still working hard. Hang in there!
7-9 Minutes
Decrease your pace to 6.5 to rest up. Don’t drop all the way down to your warm up pace, but you can be close.
9-10 Minutes
It’s time to really kick it up a notch! Bring your speed up to 9.0. Focus on your breathing and keep pushing forward. You can do it!
10-11 Minutes
Decrease your speed to 7.0 for a bit of a breather before you hit the sprinting interval again.
11-12 Minutes
Back up to 9.0. Sprint it out!
12-13 Minutes
Take your speed to a happy medium at 8.0. You’re still running fast, but the hard part is almost over.
13-14 Minutes
Take your speed down another notch to 7.0. Use this time to prepare for your last, and hardest, sprint.
14-15 Minutes
Give it all you’ve got since this is the last interval. Aim for 10.0 speed on the treadmill, but use your best judgement and do what feels right for your body.
15-20 Minutes
Time for the cool down. Decrease back down to your 6.0 warmup pace to bring your heart rate back down after that intense workout.
Try incorporating two to three sprint high intensity interval (HIIT) workouts such as this one to your routine each week. You’ll burn more fat, while spending less gym time.
Start slow and build up your aerobic capacity, power, and sprinting speed over time. Pair this cardio routine with a strength routine and voila; you’ve got yourself a hell of a workout.