Treadmill and weight loss: HIIT, walking, climbing, or what?

AlyssaPetsDogs
AlyssaPetsDogs Posts: 421 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi experienced people:

I've got about 45pounds left to lose from my initial 75 pound weight loss goal. I started out just doing strictly cardio (walking/jogging outside and spinning, which I loved). I started to add in some body weight training through the 30 day shred.

I got quickly bored of the shred because it was the same thing and Jillian annoyed me so I'm going to kind of do my own body weight training and maybe light lifting a few days a week and then incorporate cardio in a few days a week.

I'm home for the summer and it's really hot and our neighborhood is just a circle so I am not inclined to run outside. However, my parents have a fancy new ifit treadmill. I have been doing 45 minutes of jogging a lap and then walking one.

I found a ton of different treadmill workouts on Pinterest and some focus on incline and some focus on the HIIT.

Any recommendations on what is best or what works for you?

I'm also inclined to just set the treadmill to a specific speed and incline and then put on some Netflix. Not sure if that would be too easy, but it sounds quite appealing.

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    I just kinda do what I feel like doing! Sometimes I aim to run steadily. Sometimes I run the whole time but switch up the pace. Sometimes I walk and do sprints. Sometimes I do a mix of walking and running, sorta like your walk a lap / run a lap routine. Sometimes I walk steadily. Sometimes I walk at different paces and on different inclines. I think it depends on your goals. Food is gonna be more crucial for weight loss than your treadmill workouts though - and lifting can do wonders for your body composition, which really changes one's appearance.
  • Breezyy32
    Breezyy32 Posts: 39 Member
    I've switched up to HIIT on the treadmill recently and prefer it a lot more. In a week I normally do 3 HIIT workouts on the treadmill and then a longer jog around 45 minutes. The HIIT session are good because it goes a lot quicker and burns around as many calories as a longer jog. http://www.mensfitness.com/training/cardio/4-great-treadmill-workouts-anyone/slide/4 I use this as a sort of guide and work it around my needs
  • AlyssaPetsDogs
    AlyssaPetsDogs Posts: 421 Member
    distinctlybeautiful wrote: »
    I just kinda do what I feel like doing! Sometimes I aim to run steadily. Sometimes I run the whole time but switch up the pace. Sometimes I walk and do sprints. Sometimes I do a mix of walking and running, sorta like your walk a lap / run a lap routine. Sometimes I walk steadily. Sometimes I walk at different paces and on different inclines. I think it depends on your goals. Food is gonna be more crucial for weight loss than your treadmill workouts though - and lifting can do wonders for your body composition, which really changes one's appearance.

    Thanks! I may just keep switching it up as I see fit. Strangely enough, eating has been the easier part for me and, even though it's a little harder to stick with eating healthy living at home, I am still losing when I count out my calories!

    I want to lift more too because I know it helps with your body looking better and I don't want globe of loose skin or skinny fat (which I honestly don't totally understand yet, but I hear it's bad). I guess I'm a little confused with how to continue losing weight and lifting consistently and if that is possible. Maybe I won't build more muscle but it will keep the muscle I have? Do you have any recommendations?
  • AlyssaPetsDogs
    AlyssaPetsDogs Posts: 421 Member
    Breezyy32 wrote: »
    I've switched up to HIIT on the treadmill recently and prefer it a lot more. In a week I normally do 3 HIIT workouts on the treadmill and then a longer jog around 45 minutes. The HIIT session are good because it goes a lot quicker and burns around as many calories as a longer jog. http://www.mensfitness.com/training/cardio/4-great-treadmill-workouts-anyone/slide/4 I use this as a sort of guide and work it around my needs

    Thank you for this! I may try to work with one of these! I wish there was a way I could program the treadmill to switch speeds automatically. It has a built in weight loss program that switches, but it yells "inspirational" things at me like "KEEP IT UP! YOUR FAT IS MELTING OFF" and it is a little much because it's like every two minutes!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    I do use the outdoors for my cardio. In the winter it is still outdoors unless it is below a degree that I cannot tolerate the cold.. The treadmill is a friend of mine in the winter months though but does have its limitations to me on what I can do. I will add if you just want large calorie burns and it does not matter where or how you achieve it, the treadmill or other cardio machine can do that for you.

    I have never used cardio as a method to loose weight. I have always used it for cardio health benefits as I am an ex smoker and it is important to me from this aspect. Weight lifting is king! Total body recomposition can be derived from weight lifting or some sort of lifting program.

    Maybe look into the following lifting programs in the link..

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    They all have benefit, but I wouldn't say anyone is inherently better than any other. Find one or two that you like and go with them, or use a different one each time, it's really your call.

    Keep your eating/intake in check and the weight will come off regardless of the workout.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    HIIT is complimentary to steady state cardio in that HIIT increases the fitness of your respiratory and circulatory systems, which will give you more energy and a greater ability to run longer and faster... be aware that running on a treadmill is a bit different than running on the street because there is NO wind resistance. so if you can cover a mile in say 10 minutes on the treadmill it will be a bit tougher to do that on the street. to compensate for the lack of wind resistance set the treadmill at an incline. As some suggested you will burn more calories in a shorter time by incorporating HIIT, BUT the physical results of HIIT v. steady state ARE different... I like what one poster suggested ... incorporate HIIT 3x/week... and keep the steady state the rest of the week... YOU should be quite pleased with the outcome in a month or so...

    Skinny fat...is simply the result of dieting without making an effort to maintain your existing muscle mass. I am sure by now you have heard that you cannot spot reduce fat... if you got a pudge that won't just disappear over night... or within a month if you start in with crunches and planks...SO reducing the calories does NOT just reduce fat.. it also reduces muscle mass... IF all you do is deprive your body of nutrients, then your body will consume the stored fat, BUT it will also consume the lean muscle mass so as your weight loss is NOT just fat loss it is a combination of fat and muscle, and even some of the mass of your internal organs... also bear in mind that the "fat" you see in the mirror.. and that you can grab with your hands is NOT the only place your body accumulates fat...internally it begins to accumulate around your organs as well... SO... YOU are definitely on the right track... by beginning an overall fitness plan that involves strength training you are well on your way to that Healthy lifestyle.

    on a final note.. spin class IS HIIT training.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »
    distinctlybeautiful wrote: »
    I just kinda do what I feel like doing! Sometimes I aim to run steadily. Sometimes I run the whole time but switch up the pace. Sometimes I walk and do sprints. Sometimes I do a mix of walking and running, sorta like your walk a lap / run a lap routine. Sometimes I walk steadily. Sometimes I walk at different paces and on different inclines. I think it depends on your goals. Food is gonna be more crucial for weight loss than your treadmill workouts though - and lifting can do wonders for your body composition, which really changes one's appearance.

    Thanks! I may just keep switching it up as I see fit. Strangely enough, eating has been the easier part for me and, even though it's a little harder to stick with eating healthy living at home, I am still losing when I count out my calories!

    I want to lift more too because I know it helps with your body looking better and I don't want globe of loose skin or skinny fat (which I honestly don't totally understand yet, but I hear it's bad). I guess I'm a little confused with how to continue losing weight and lifting consistently and if that is possible. Maybe I won't build more muscle but it will keep the muscle I have? Do you have any recommendations?

    It's possible you'll build a little muscle while losing fat, but as long as your in a caloric deficit you won't gain weight. I don't know the mechanics of it, but I do know you can't gain weight if you're burning more than you eat.

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