HIIT training - walking on the treadmill

UrbanLotus

Hi, I think I'm going to try HIIT on the treadmill, can someone show me/figure out a plan for one? Or if I use one of the "workout" courses on the treadmill, will that be good enough?

Right now I do 25-30 min at about 3.2mph, on an incline of 4-4.5 (out of 10). I have bad knees so I can't run, and I'm short/have short legs so 3.2 is pretty fast for me. This gets my HR up to about 135 (using a HRM).

I've looked at a lot of workouts online and haven't been able to find good walking ones, is it just not possible to do HIIT if you aren't including running? Is there a general guideline of what to do for how long - what duration should each interval be, do I switch up incline as well as speed, what should my HR be, etc? Thanks for any input!

RGv2

Hi, I think I'm going to try HIIT on the treadmill, can someone show me/figure out a plan for one? Or if I use one of the "workout" courses on the treadmill, will that be good enough?

Right now I do 25-30 min at about 3.2mph, on an incline of 4-4.5 (out of 10). I have bad knees so I can't run, and I'm short/have short legs so 3.2 is pretty fast for me. This gets my HR up to about 135 (using a HRM).

I've looked at a lot of workouts online and haven't been able to find good walking ones, is it just not possible to do HIIT if you aren't including running? Is there a general guideline of what to do for how long - what duration should each interval be, do I switch up incline as well as speed, what should my HR be, etc? Thanks for any input!

I may be proven wrong, but...HIIT needs to be running if you're on a treadmill (that is why it also called Sprint Intensity Training). I don't think you'll reach the "high intensity" that is intended.

UrbanLotus

Hi, I think I'm going to try HIIT on the treadmill, can someone show me/figure out a plan for one? Or if I use one of the "workout" courses on the treadmill, will that be good enough?

Right now I do 25-30 min at about 3.2mph, on an incline of 4-4.5 (out of 10). I have bad knees so I can't run, and I'm short/have short legs so 3.2 is pretty fast for me. This gets my HR up to about 135 (using a HRM).

I've looked at a lot of workouts online and haven't been able to find good walking ones, is it just not possible to do HIIT if you aren't including running? Is there a general guideline of what to do for how long - what duration should each interval be, do I switch up incline as well as speed, what should my HR be, etc? Thanks for any input!

I may be proven wrong, but...HIIT needs to be running if you're on a treadmill (that is why it also called Sprint Intensity Training). I don't think you'll reach the "high intensity" that is intended.

Aww boo . Thanks for your input!

shrinkingbrian

Try putting the treadmill on a high incline and amp up the speed to 4-4.5 mph. I can only do that for a few minutes before I have to lower the incline.

I'm still new to HIIT but I think the key is to get your heart rate up and focus on different intervals. You can also do swimming HIIT exercises if you have bad knees/joints.

HereWeGoAgain7

Try putting the treadmill on a high incline and amp up the speed to 4-4.5 mph. I can only do that for a few minutes before I have to lower the incline.

I'm still new to HIIT but I think the key is to get your heart rate up and focus on different intervals. You can also do swimming HIIT exercises if you have bad knees/joints.

^^^This! High intensity varies by individual. The goal is to get your heart rate up as high as possible for a short bout of time and then recover before doing it again. I use the C25K week one program for all of my HIIT training regardless of the machine. Pretty much its 5 minutes of warming up at your "recovery" pace (what you are doing now for steady state cardio) followed by 60 seconds of "high intensity" (either up your speed, your incline, or both!) and 90 seconds of "recovery" for eight rounds with another 5 minutes at "recovery" pace to cooldown.

Editted to add: This was my doctor's recommendation when my asthma took away my ability to run. I have been doing it for several months and can finally add some running back into my program without using my rescue inhaler (but still panting)

Hybris13

Maybe you should try switching to a bike. I also have bad knees and bicycling is great for them (at least for my kind of knee problem). I do my HIIT routine on a stationary bike and it is working great. Do a search for tabata bicycle sprints.

sbarella

Maybe you should try switching to a bike. I also have bad knees and bicycling is great for them (at least for my kind of knee problem). I do my HIIT routine on a stationary bike and it is working great. Do a search for tabata bicycle sprints.

This. Ideally, an high intensity interval shouldn't last for more than one minute. If you can stand the intensity for more than 1 min, it's not intense enough. I think it's impossible to reach that kind of intensity by walking, unless you are very overweight and out of shape.
It's still exercise and it is definitely good for you, but it's not HIIT. If you want to do HIIT and you can't run you need a bike/elliptical.

MeanderingMammal

Right now I do 25-30 min at about 3.2mph, on an incline of 4-4.5 (out of 10). I have bad knees so I can't run, and I'm short/have short legs so 3.2 is pretty fast for me. This gets my HR up to about 135 (using a HRM).

The key point about intensity, whether moderate, high or highest, is that it's about intensity, hence effort, rather than speed per se. The other key point that most HIIT advocates on here seem to miss commenting on is that intensity relates to any exercise.

If you struggle with running then use a bike, or a rowing machine, or if you're really desperate an elliptical.

There are two approaches, either work at an intensity that you can maintain for all of your intervals, which means in the earliest intervals you're not actually at maximum effort, or put maximum effort into each intervals, recognising that your later intervals will be at a lower level of intensity than the earlier ones, as you tire.

From a practical perspective I'm also not a fan of treadmills for intervals, as they take time to change speeds, so you lose some of the effect.

I do three types of interval, with each having a 15 minute warm up at a moderate intensity, for me that's a 10 minute mile:

10 times 20 seconds by 20 seconds with max effort and then recovery at a 10 minute mile again
5 times 400 metres by 400 metres, max effort and recovery at 10 minute mile
3 times 1km max effort with 3 minute recovery

The latter is verging on a tempo session rather than an interval session, given that it's about 4-5 minutes of higher intensity it's not to the same level that the 20 second intervals are.

There's lots of religion about HIIT around on these forums, but it's merely one mode of training amongst several. It has its place, but it's up to you to make it work for you.

soldiergrl_101

Hi, I think I'm going to try HIIT on the treadmill, can someone show me/figure out a plan for one? Or if I use one of the "workout" courses on the treadmill, will that be good enough?

Right now I do 25-30 min at about 3.2mph, on an incline of 4-4.5 (out of 10). I have bad knees so I can't run, and I'm short/have short legs so 3.2 is pretty fast for me. This gets my HR up to about 135 (using a HRM).

I've looked at a lot of workouts online and haven't been able to find good walking ones, is it just not possible to do HIIT if you aren't including running? Is there a general guideline of what to do for how long - what duration should each interval be, do I switch up incline as well as speed, what should my HR be, etc? Thanks for any input!

I may be proven wrong, but...HIIT needs to be running if you're on a treadmill (that is why it also called Sprint Intensity Training). I don't think you'll reach the "high intensity" that is intended.

I dont believe this is accurate, HIIT is exactly what it says high intensity training, not High Sprint training, you dont need to run to accomplish this. You just need to get your heart rate up higher than your normal workout. So if you typically walk fast at an incline wal faster. kepp pushing your self. I do HIIT on a tredmill 4x a week and i started out just walking and eventually i was able to run. Just my opinion