We know lots of HCG readers are working hard on fitness resolutions this month. To help you reach these goals, HCG is sharing a treadmill workout that has helped us burn fat and spice things up in the gym.
Let’s be honest: running on a treadmill isn’t an exciting workout. But for many women, it’s a necessary evil – especially in the cold weather months. In order to get the most of your time on the treadmill and not waste your life logging hour-long cardio sessions, give interval workouts a shot. Interval workouts are known to burn calories more effectively than ordinary workouts, and the workout we’ve provided below is intense yet manageable. If you can walk and jog, you can do this workout.
Full disclosure: we found this workout on E! personality Giuliana Rancic’s blog after MR happened upon her Twitter feed a few months ago. We know it’s a pretty random discovery, but girlfriend is crazy skinny so we thought she might know what she’s doing in the workout department.
The Workout (modify speeds and inclines as necessary)
- Begin with a 5 minute warm up by walking briskly at 4.0 or 4.5 on a 2 or 3 incline.
- Increase the speed to 6.5 and increase the incline to 2. Run for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to 4.0 or 4.5 and increase the incline to 4 or 5. Walk for 2 minutes.
- Repeat these run/walk intervals for 30-45 minutes.
Believe me, you will be amazed at how satisfying this treadmill workout is. When I’m crunched for time and really want to get a good cardio session in, I’ll do 30 minutes of this workout (plus warm up) and walk away feeling great. Don’t be intimidated if you’re not a runner – you run for only 2 minutes at a time and can start at an easy speed. For the gym rats in the house, this is a lot more challenging than it sounds. I actually look forward to the running portions because walking at a high incline on a quick speed is not at all easy.
Finally, a word of encouragement to the HCG readers at Bywood Elementary School who are killing it in the school-wide Biggest Loser competition: stay focused and keep up the hard work!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the shout out. We need all the help we can get!! I used to do that Rancic workout you have listed above, and then I started upping the running time and my endurance really picked up.
Jenn: YOU CAN DO IT! I’m glad to hear that you found the Rancic workout to be of some benefit. Good luck with tomorrow’s weigh in! Get a good last chance workout in tonight. HCG Trainer Tip: Wear a trash bag under a sweatshirt while doing cardio to burn as many calories as possible.
A question for HCG: For someone who is training for a half marathon, but gets easily bored with the daily repetitive long runs, would this workout be a good in-between day change up?
A: As long as you think you can get sufficient mileage with this workout to keep on track with your half marathon training program, I definitely think this is a good way to switch it up. As Jenn said above, this plan really helps build endurance which is key for a half. I hear your pain about the daily runs – they can get pretty boring pretty quickly (especially in the winter). On a side note – although it won’t help solve the issue of the daily runs, maintaining a consistent strength training workout has always been really helpful for me when training for any run. It makes my runs easier and gives me something to look forward to while at the gym (I also love strength training more than most people). Congrats on your decision to do a half marathon and GOOD LUCK! Team HCG is doing a 10-miler in the beginning of May, so we’ll have to chat about training (ours is a half-marathon training program).
HCG: Kerry May recommended your blog to a group of DSL ladies and I’ve really been enjoying it. I tried this treadmill workout today and loved it!! I get bored on a treadmill very easily and have never been much of a distance runner, so the 2-minute intervals are the perfect solution!
On a side note – I saw the tag and read about your Barbados vacation. I studied abroad there and remember all the places you wrote about. It brought back great memories!
Sara: Welcome to HCG! Kerry May was very sweet to forward the blog along to the DSL ladies, and I’m glad to hear you are enjoying it. I’m also happy to hear you liked this treadmill workout – it really helps to minimize my hatred of the treadmill, too. You studied abroad in Barbados?! That must’ve been amazing! We really loved it there :) Hope all is well!