Walking may seem like a modest workout, but the treadmill can become a powerful tool in your weight loss exercise arsenal. It is accessible, low impact and adaptable to all fitness levels. Whether you’re a seasoned gym-goer or just dusting off your sneakers, walking on a treadmill can help burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, and build muscle—the secret is in how you walk, your pace, and your chosen intensity. I’ve put together five of my best treadmill workouts for weight loss to speed up your efforts.
If you are tired of monotonous treadmill walks, don’t worry; walking on a treadmill is far from boring. There are countless ways to shake things up and make every session a fat burning adventure. You can turn your treadmill into a weight loss machine by adjusting the incline, playing with speed intervals, and even trying some unconventional moves like reverse walking or weighted walking. These variations keep your body guessing, which is critical to avoiding plateaus and ensuring consistent progress.
Are you ready to walk your way to a slimmer body? These five running workouts will challenge your endurance, boost your metabolism and help you shed those extra pounds. Each workout offers its own twist, so get ready to sweat and step out.
What does a vigorous treadmill session do?
A vigorous treadmill workout is about more than just clocking in the miles. It’s all about strategy. The best treadmill walking workouts combine speed, incline and duration to keep your heart rate elevated and your body in fat-burning mode. Unlike a regular walk, these workouts should push you into different intensity zones, ensuring that you’re not only burning calories during the workout, but long after you’ve stepped off the treadmill.
Variety is the spice of life, and it’s essential to an effective walking routine. By incorporating elements such as short, intense bursts of speed, extended intervals at a challenging pace, and incline variations, you can create a workout that targets multiple muscle groups and increases calorie burn. Plus, the mental commitment from varying your routine can keep you motivated and consistent, which is half the battle for weight loss.
Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of form and posture. Proper walking technique—shoulders back, core, and a steady stride—ensures you get the most out of every step. Combine that with a mix of high- and low-intensity segments, and you have a recipe for a treadmill workout that delivers powerful weight loss results.
5 treadmill sessions to lose weight
These five running workouts maximize fat burning, build strength, and challenge your body. Whether you’re short on time or looking for a unique twist, these workouts offer variety and intensity to help you reach your weight loss goals. Get ready to mix things up with intervals, inclines, reverse and even some extra weight.
Workout #1: Brisk Walking Short Intervals
What you need: Just your body and a treadmill. This high-intensity workout involves short bursts of speed followed by slower recovery walks. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and is designed to maximize calorie burn quickly.
The routine:
- Warm-up: Walk at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes.
- Speed range: Walk as fast as you can for 1 minute.
- Recovery Walk: Slow down to a moderate pace for 2 minutes.
- Repeat the speed and recovery interval 6 times.
- Cooldown: Walk at a leisurely pace for 5 minutes.
Directions: Focus on keeping a steady pace during your speed intervals. Keep your arms pumping to help with the momentum. As you become more advanced, try to shorten your recovery time or increase the speed during your intervals.
Workout #2: Go for long intervals
What you need: A treadmill for about 30 minutes. This workout uses longer intervals to build endurance and increase calorie burn. The focus is on maintaining a steady, high pace with longer periods of effort.
The routine:
- Warm-up: Walk at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes.
- Long Interval: Walk briskly for 3 minutes.
- Recovery Walk: Slow down to a moderate pace for 2 minutes.
- Repeat the long and recovery interval 5 times.
- Cooldown: Walk at a leisurely pace for 5 minutes.
Directions: During your brisk walking intervals, aim to stay just short of a jog. Keep your core engaged and stay upright to maximize efficiency. As you progress, increase the length of your long intervals or decrease your recovery time to keep your body challenged.
Workout #3: Incline Workout
What you need: A treadmill with incline settings. This workout harnesses the power of incline walking to engage your lower body muscles, especially the glutes, hamstrings and calves. It takes about 25 minutes to complete.
The routine:
- Warm-up: Walk at 0% incline for 5 minutes at a comfortable pace.
- Incline Walk: Increase the incline to 6-8% and walk briskly for 3 minutes.
- Recovery Walk: Reduce the incline to 2-3% and walk at a moderate pace for 2 minutes.
- Repeat the incline and recovery interval 5 times.
- Cooldown: Walk at 0% incline for 5 minutes.
Directions: When walking on an incline, focus on leaning slightly forward, but don’t bend over. Use the incline to your advantage by driving through your heels to activate your glutes. To progress, gradually increase the incline or add more intervals.
Workout #4: Reverse Walking Incline Workout
What you need: A treadmill and the will to change things! This workout involves walking backwards on an incline, which challenges your coordination and engages your quads and core in a unique way. It takes about 20 minutes to complete.
The routine:
- Warm-up: Walk forward at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes.
- Reverse Incline Walk: Turn around (carefully!) and walk backwards on a 4-6% incline for 1 minute.
- Forward Incline Walk: Turn back and walk forward at the same incline for 3 minutes.
- Repeat the backward and forward incline interval 5 times.
- Cooldown: Walk forward at 0% incline for 5 minutes.
Directions: When walking in reverse, be extra careful with your footing. Hold onto the handrails lightly if needed, but try to keep your core engaged to maintain balance. As you progress, increase the incline or duration of the reverse walking intervals to challenge yourself further.
Workout #5: Treadmill Rucking Workout
What you need: A treadmill and a weighted backpack (ruck). This workout combines walking with added resistance, making it a great way to build strength and burn calories. The session takes about 30 minutes.
The routine:
- Warm-up: Walk at a comfortable pace without weight for 5 minutes.
- Jog Walk: Strap on your weighted backpack and walk at a moderate pace for 3 minutes.
- Incline Jerking: Increase the incline to 4-6% and continue walking with the backpack for 2 minutes.
- Recovery Walk: Lower the incline to 0% and walk without a backpack for 2 minutes.
- Repeat jerk, incline and recovery intervals 4 times.
- Cooldown: Walk without backpack for 5 minutes.
Directions: Choose a challenging but manageable weight for your ruck. Start light and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger. Focus on maintaining good posture throughout the workout to avoid straining your back or shoulders.
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