7 Secrets of Doing a Treadmill Sprint Workout to Burn Fat Fast

If you want to burn fat and keep it off while not having to work harder doing so, then you’ll want to soak up today’s article on the secrets of the treadmill sprint workout. While there are numerous methods of losing that unwanted fat the #1 method is actually sprinting! As with most things though there’s a right and wrong way of doing sprints. So we’ll discuss that as follows and guide you through.

What is a Treadmill Sprint Workout?

A treadmill sprint workout is a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout that burns fat very efficiently by maximizing your body’s metabolism. Instead of jogging at a moderate pace for thirty or more minutes, in a sprint workout you will run for less time and split the running time up in different intervals.

Sprint workouts are harder to do, but they have many benefits. Studies have shown that HIIT  workouts burn more calories, and suppress appetites more than a lower intensity workout, and by doing Treadmill Sprints you can build muscle, boost metabolism, burn fat (even after the workout is done,) and increase HGH (human growth hormone,) and so much more.

Treadmill Sprint workouts are also more effective. You are burning more calories in a shorter amount of time than you would be keeping the same pace for longer.

Check out Dr Berg talk about this here:

How do you do a Treadmill Sprint Workout?

There are many different ways to do a treadmill sprint workout. Just by googling “best treadmill sprint workouts,” over 6 million results come up with different opinions on which treadmill sprint you should do. It really is up to you, and whatever will be the best workout for your body.

Options for treadmill sprint workouts include sprinting in thirty-second intervals for ten minutes with 3 to 4 minute breaks, or sprinting in fifteen-second intervals for five minutes. It could be a good idea to try a few different types of workouts and see which one you like the best, or start small and work your way up to a longer sprint.

Typically a good treadmill sprint workout follows the rule of 1:4, meaning for every one minute of sprinting you give four minutes of a recovery walk or jog. That may seem like a lot for recovery, but your body needs time to get ready for the next minute of running. As you get more comfortable and used to treadmill sprints you may want to try decreasing the recovery time, but generally, 1:4 is the way to go.

If you are a newbie to treadmill sprints, or you’ve done them for a while and are looking for some extra tips, here are seven secrets to melt fat and get the most out of your treadmill sprint workout.

Seven Secrets to Treadmill Sprints:

1. It’s all about the incline. Using the hills setting, or raising the incline can help increase your energy, strength, and speed. Running on an incline can reduce the risk of injury and increase your explosiveness. Steadily raising the incline can be a good way to increase the intensity of the workout. If you are just starting out try starting at a 0% incline and during running intervals, go up to a 2- 4% incline. Don’t make it too steep of course, but alternating with inclines can be very beneficial and give you more power.
2. Only change one aspect at a time. If you want to try a different workout or make the workout more intense, try changing one aspect of it at a time. You could decrease the recovery time in-between running rounds, or you could increase the number of sets you do, or increase your speed or incline, but make sure you don’t try to change up too many things at once.
3. Rest is important. Especially with High-Intensity workouts rest is important. Switching between sprinting intervals and recovery intervals is also important. You will burn out and you may be at a higher risk of injury or harm if you don’t give your body breaks and time to recover and get ready for the next sprinting round. Making sure you are getting adequate rest is essential. Also, remember to stay hydrated.
4. Warm-ups and Cool-downs are also essential. You don’t want to  just hop on the treadmill and start sprinting. It is important to warm up and get ready for the workout, and include a cool down period until your heart rate is less than 100 beats per minute. Not cooling down can cause dizziness and lightheadedness.
5. Watch your form. Good form is vital to having a good sprint. Try not to look down at your feet or console, because it will make you slightly hunched over. Swing your arms closely at your side and keep your shoulders relaxed. Improving your posture and form will help the workout become more efficient.
6. Don’t forget strength training. As important as sprinting is, arm workouts and upper body strength training workouts are also vitally important. Keep those up as well as working on your legs, and doing treadmill sprints. You should do 1-3 HIIT Treadmill Sprints per week for optimal fat burning. Rotate days to give your body adequate resting time and on the alternate days do lower intensity exercises.
7. Less is more with HIIT workouts. Having shorter interval times and higher intensity during intervals is a great way to reap the benefits of a HIIT workout.

Two types of Treadmill Sprint Workouts to try

There are a lot of different ways you can do a treadmill sprint, or modify one by changing the speed, intervals, or time, but here are two common treadmill sprint workouts to get you started.

Fartlek:

This type of workout focuses on endurance training and speed training. The word “Fartlek” means “Speed play” in Swedish. It is a type of workout that is a continuous running, but varied speed. Click here to learn more about it.

Tabata:

This type of workout is a very high-intensity workout with 8 rounds of 20 seconds sprints and ten seconds of resting. You can learn more about it here.

Or you can create your own Treadmill Sprint workout or check out others online.

Remember safety first

Remember to be safe. If needed have a spotter, take adequate amounts of breaks and recovery rounds, and stay hydrated. Consult a physician if you have medical conditions that could result in bodily harm or injury from HIIT before starting high-intensity workouts.