People are always looking for new ways to stay motivated about exercise and to make their cardio workout routines more fun and exciting. They work circuits using body-weight methods, kettle-bell methods and traditional weight lifting with no rest period scheduled in between. I have to admit, I love doing these types of circuits – they really burn fat and get the metabolism going. In my experience however, you never really get the muscle hard enough (toned) and/or dense enough if you don’t split up the weight session and the cardio session.



What type of person will get the most out of using a treadmill for interval training?

Anyone who is really looking to get lean and trim, without creating the bulk of excess muscle, can benefit greatly from interval training with a treadmill. For most of the year, I focus on low volume strength training involving two to four reps per set. Combine this style of training with a calorie deficit and you will find that your muscles are more clearly defined, without increasing their actual size. Fatigue is reduced while the benefits of tension are increased. Then if you add an aggressive interval training routine on the treadmill you will burn calories and body-fat…..since the lifting portion doesn’t necessarily burn many calories.


Why I consider interval training the best

Here is an example of High Intensity Interval Training




Take a moment to observe people the next time you go to the gym. You will notice that most of them are busy on the treadmill doing the traditional walk, jog or run. While this type of cardio training on the treadmill is beneficial to your health and does burn calories, it won't boost your metabolism and can require long hours of work for very little results. Doing interval training releases important hormones that burn fat and help maintain muscle.



Steady State Cardio

Steady-state cardio is when you perform aerobic activity in a steady manner at the same or similar speed for the majority of the workout. Both interval training and steady-state cardio work for burning fat and losing weight but I think a combination of the two is the absolute best.

It is important to note that your steady state cardio should be done on a different exercise machine than the treadmill. For example, I like to do steady state cardio work on an elliptical.

Interval Training + Steady State

The interval training should be done when your stomach is empty. This type of exercise will release non-food energy based fat cells into your bloodstream. Allow five minutes, then move into the steady-state portion so that your body will maximize its use of the fat cells that have been released into your bloodstream.

Fit People See Better Cardio Results

For years I liked to keep my sprinting portions of the intervals no longer than 60 seconds. It worked well in helping me get lean but I wasn’t getting into the type of shape I wanted to be in. Then I read this article in the USA TODAY about increasing your Vo2 max – which is the true indicator of the type of shape you are in. I now set up my treadmill workouts differently since discovering that article and because of it I feel and look so much better.

The Workout

Four days a week following weight training.

Mondays - Do 4 minutes of running that alternates with 3 minutes of walking for approximately 30 minutes, doing the routine 4-5 times in total.

Tuesday: 2 minutes of running followed by 2 minutes of walking (do this 7-8 times…around 30 minutes)

Wednesdays - No workout.

Thursdays - Do 1 minute of running that alternates with 1 minute of walking for approximately 15 minutes, which should be followed by steady state cardio work for another 15 minutes.

Fridays - Do 30 seconds of running that alternates with 30 seconds of walking for approximately 10 minutes, which should be followed by steady state cardio work for another 20 minutes.

Day 6: rest

Day 7: rest

The absolute best cardio workout you can ever do for your health and your body is high intensity interval training on the treadmill.