Treadmill sprints are a great way to spice up a boring cardio routine. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been known to burn more calories than steady state cardio. Studies have shown it can increase your metabolism, so after you are done exercising, you are still burning calories. I am no fitness guru and don’t have any specialized training but I know what works for my body.
HIIT sprints work pretty simple: sprint, recover, repeat. I start by walking on the treadmill to warm up at a natural pace, usually 2.0-3.5 for about 4 minutes. Next I go into a jogging pace. This pace is what I can “homebase”. It is what I go back to to recover from my sprint. You should be able to jog this pace comfortably with minimal effort and not be breathless. I do full force breathless sprints for 10 minutes and warm down for 5 minutes. This is a 30 minute workout. Everyone has different abilities and their own starting point so where ever your home base is or a fast sprint is, make sure you are doing what is right for your body and not pushing yourself past a point where you could be injured. Keep it safe on the treadmill and don’t have too many distractions.
30 Minute Treadmill Sprints
| Interval | Speed | Time |
| Warm up | 2.0-3.5 | 0-4 min |
| Jog | 5.0-6.5 | 4-11 min |
| Fast Jog | 6.5-7.5 | 11-12 min |
| Recover | 5.0-6.5 | 12-13 min |
| Faster Jog | 7.5-8.0 | 13-14 min |
| Recover | 5.0-6.5 | 14-15 min |
| Sprint/Recover | 8.0-9.5 | 15-25 min (sprint & recover aiming for 30-45 seconds of each) |
| Fast jog | 6.5-7.5 | 26-27 min |
| Slower Jog | 5.0-6.5 | 27-28 min |
| Cool down | 2.0-3.5 | 28-30 min |
I know everyone has different abilities this is just what is working for me now. If you have different starting points, that it totally ok! This can be modified to fit your unique abilities. The most important thing is to have fun and be proud of yourself!
xoxo -j