5 Treadmill Workouts in an Hour or Less

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Short on time? These fast, power-packed routines are for you.
By Annabelle Robertson
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Kimball Johnson, MD
You've probably used one at the gym and may even have one sitting in your spare bedroom. The treadmill is the top-selling piece of fitness equipment in the U.S..
Therese Iknoian, author of Fitness Walking, says, "Treadmills are a fantastic alternative to outdoor workouts, particularly for people who feel a little unsure about being outside. They're a safe, secure, controlled environment. The treadmill allows you to stop when you need to. You can control the hills; you can control the speed."
But some people find the treadmill boring or wonder if they're getting the most out of their exercise time.
If that's you, relax. Treadmill workouts can be some of the most efficient, challenging, calorie-burning routines around.
The key is intervals. With intervals, instead of trudging along at a steady pace, you'll mix up your speed and incorporate floor exercises into your routine. Intervals keep boredom at bay, keep the heart pumping, and increase your calorie burn, says Cindy Wasilewski, fitness manager at The Lodge at Wooloch, a destination spa in Hawley, Pa.
Intervals lend intensity to treadmill classes at the Blast900 gym in Atlanta where fitness director Jeff Baird says exercisers burn at least 900 calories in an hour.
Blast900's boot-camp style workouts alternate 10 minutes of walking, jogging, or running with 10 minutes of weight training and floor exercises. While some students are on the treadmills, others are on the floor, sweating it out. Then they switch.
Wasilewski and Baird share five treadmill routines that deliver great workouts in 20, 30, or 60 minutes.*
Besides a treadmill, you'll need hand weights and a stability ball for the floor exercises. As always, check with your doctor before you start a new exercise program.
[h=3]60-Minute Treadmill Workouts[/h] If you've got an hour, here are two different treadmill workouts to try. Wasilewski, who designed both workouts, calls the first one the "No Excuses" routine because it delivers maximum results for the time investment. The second workout is an interval trek, designed to boost cardiovascular endurance.
The perceived exertion rate referenced in these workouts is a scale of 0-10 used to measure the intensity of exercise. For example, 0 (nothing at all) is how you feel when at rest, while 10 (very, very heavy) is how you feel after extremely strenuous exercise.
No-Excuses Routine
Start on the treadmill:

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Time
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Speed/Intensity
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Incline
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Perceived Exertion
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 5 min.
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 3.5 mph - warm-up
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 1%
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 2-3
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 1 min.
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 4.5 - speed walk/run
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 6%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 6
[/TD]

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 2 min.
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 3.5 - walk/slow jog
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[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 4%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 4
[/TD]

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 1 min.
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 4.5 - speed walk/run
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 6%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 6-7
[/TD]

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 2 min.
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 3.5 - walk/slow jog
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 4%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 4
[/TD]

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 1 min.
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 4.5 - speed walk/run
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 6%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 7
[/TD]

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 2 min.
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 3.5 - walk/slow jog
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 4%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 4
[/TD]

[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 1 min.
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] slowly take it down to stop
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] 1%
[/TD]
[TD="class: c3, width: 148"] Level 2-3
[/TD]