hiit cardio treadmill workout

rebecca7488

hey all,
i weight about 247lb and im 5ft 7 im trying to loose weight for health benefits also it is hard to find nice clothes that fit me in my favorite stores,
i have been exercising for about 2 weeks now mainly doing fast pace walking on the treadmill i have been reading up a bit on hiit training and have been trying to do a bit of it i have been doing 10 minutes of walking at 3.5mph then i speed up to 4mph for another 5minutes then i do 15 minutes of 30 seconds of 5mph then slow down to 3.5mph for a minute then speed back up to 5mph for 30 seconds,
would this work for burning fat as the internet says i should be running at 10-12 mph and slowing down to 3mph to be burning fat i just cant do that speed, 5mph is rather fast for me,
i am hoping as i get fitter i can improve the speeds,
any help on hiit training would be helpfull?

many thanks,xxx

rachface1234

Hey friend,

The concept of HIIT usually means that you do intervals. The speed is not about the actual number but how hard it is for you. You can download interval timers to use on your smart phone or just do it by watching a clock, but generally the high intensity part of the workout needs to be so intense you do it for less than a minute. Sometimes I put my interval timer on for my run and jog for 30 seconds, spring for 10-15, walk for 10-15. Repeat over and over. The idea is that the intense levels leave you gasping and you recover a bit on the low or moderate intensity levels.

So maybe try: 30 seconds at 4mph, 15 seconds at 5.5, 15 seconds at 3.5. Repeat for about 15-25 minutes depending on your time and energy level.

Google HIIT, there are lots of resources, a lot of free online workouts are based on the concept, you can youtube "HIIT" workout and pick some that are not just cardio but include body weight/strength training as part of it. Best of luck!

MeanderingMammal

would this work for burning fat as the internet says i should be running at 10-12 mph and slowing down to 3mph to be burning fat i

There is a clue in the name, High Intensity Interval Training. While you're talking about intervals you're not yet in a fitness condition where you can really put the high intensity bit into it.

I would suggest that you'll get far more benefit from increasing your aerobic base, then building in interval training. Essentially you'll put yourself in a position to benefit from it, rather than wasting your time.

I'd recommend that you use a programme to get you to running at a steady pace for at least 30 minutes, then think about HIIT sessions. Couch to 5K is a solid programme that uses a similar interval based process to build you up to that level.

To put it in context, I started C25K about 13 months ago, once I could run for 60 minutes continuously I started building HIIT into my programme, as a means of improving my speed. For me a fast interval is in the order of 10-12 mph with the rest periods down to 6mph. Using a programme based almost exclusively on running I'f reduced my bodyfat percentage by about a third, and lost two stone all in, so far.