Get Fit With HIIT

GET FIT WITH HIIT TRAINING

Too hot to take your run or sprint session outdoors? Like it or not, the ‘dreadmill’ could be your BFF (best fitness friend). Here’s three effective treadmill high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts that bust boredom and get you noticeable results.

Turn for more Flip the page for three sweaty treadmill HIIT workouts developed by our expert.

Hating on cardio is so passé,

especially when there’s no shortage of ways to make it fun and challenging – yes, even on a treadmill.

“I encourage people to view it as a tool and to train with purpose when you’re on the treadmill,” says Jacob Puzey, an ultra marathon athlete who broke the world record time for an 80 kilometre run on the tready in 2016. “It’s an incredibly effective way to train.”

Mindful, focused treadmill sessions not only help you to increase your fitness levels for high-intensity work, but they can also bring you closer to completing endurance goals, as they develop your aerobic capacity and muscular endurance. A light jog on a treadmill is also a great way to prime the body for an endurance strength session or to cool down after you lift. It’s a HIIT If a no-fuss, fat-scorching sweat sesh is your jam, you’re in luck. Fortunately for you (and your short attention span) HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, lends itself perfectly to treadmill workouts. HIIT also happened to make the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) top three fitness trends three years running, with its combined effectiveness and efficiency being likely factors, according to a study published in August 2019 in PLOS ONE. Keep in mind, though, that interval intensity often peaks at an eight out of 10 on a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, so less is usually more. “When it comes to HIIT, adding volume doesn’t deliver better results, it actually hinders,” according to researchers in a Les Mills study published in May 2019. They advise capping HIIT workouts that are above a 90 per cent maximum heart rate at no more than 30 to 40 minutes per week to net maximum benefits. Cardio cut down Puzey recommends making one of your weekly treadmill runs a progression workout. Start at a comfortable pace and gradually increase the effort as you go. You can do this organically and increase the speed as you adjust to the effort, or incrementally, increasing the speed a little at a time every 400 metres. “I went from couch potato to marathon runner in four months doing progression runs for an hour per day. I got fit really quickly,” says Puzey. He also lost over 11kg in the process.

Do this as a standalone workout or a warm-up before your strength session. Exception: if you’re training purely for strength using explosive movements that require a large power output, this treadmill warm-up isn’t for you, cautions Puzey.

TO BUST TREADMILL BOREDOM, we enlisted Puzey to put together three HIIT routines. Whether you’re into plyometrics, speed drills or muscle burning hill climbs, there’s something for everyone. Just limit your all-out efforts to no more than 40 minutes per week to avoid overtraining.

WORKOUT #1: PLYO TREADMILL HIIT WORKOUT #2: HILL DRILLS WORKOUT #3: SPEED DRILLS

Prep your muscles with this routine prior to an intense lifting session, says Puzey. “You’ll warm up the body and lungs for a good session just by performing [a few bodyweight] exercises really quickly.”

WARM-UP:

WORK INTERVALS:

RECOVERY INTERVALS:

COOLDOWN: 10 to 15 minute jog, four to five RPE*

One minute run, six to eight RPE

Choose five to 10 full-body plyometric moves and perform 20 reps of one at each interval (e.g. squat jumps, push-ups, burpees, lunges, box jumps, etc.)

10 to 15 minute jog, four to five RPE

Hill climbs should be a staple in every repertoire – you’ll know booty and leg burn like never before. “Running uphill also reduces the impact on your joints,” explains Puzey, thereby reducing your risk of injury.

This classic workout, known as Fartlek training (Swedish for ‘speed play’) alternates all-out bursts of speed with recovery jogs, preparing your body and mind for the demands of longer and harder efforts. S

WARM-UP:

WORK INTERVALS: 10 to 15 minute run, four to five RPE*

60 to 90 second run, three to five per cent incline, seven to eight RPE. Shoot for six to eight intervals, depending on your fitness level

RECOVERY INTERVALS:

COOLDOWN: One minute jog, four to five RPE. You can choose to lower your incline or your speed

10 to 15 minute jog, four to five RPE

WARM-UP:

WORK INTERVALS: 10 to 15 minute jog, four to five RPE*

60 to 90 second run, six to eight RPE. Six to 10 intervals, depending on your fitness level

RECOVERY INTERVALS:

COOLDOWN: One minute jog, four to five RPE

10 to 15 minute jog, four to five RPE S

*Know your RPE: The rate of perceived exertion is a numerical scale to measure how difficult or intense an exercise feels. The scale begins at 0, which represents no difficulty, and goes to 10, which represents very, very difficult.

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