These are the 5 best treadmill workouts for weight loss

 Written by 

Mauro Castillo

 Last updated on 

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Treadmills are the fitness experts’ favorite machine for losing weight. They are easy to use, practical, and effective!

Most treadmills come with pre-programmed workouts for weight loss that anybody can do.

Two people doing treadmill workouts for weight loss
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Incline workouts, steady-state cardio, walking pace, high-intensity training, and so on.

In this article, we compile the top 5 treadmill workouts for weightloss that you can do at any time of the day, even if you’re a beginner!

Get your favorite playlist, and be ready.

Our Top Pick
Sunny Health & Fitness Electric Treadmill
Based on our testing, this is the best budget treadmill for beginners. For less than 400$, it has most essential features that you've come to expect, it's small and sturdy, frankly it offers great value for money. It's also backed with an 8 years warranty.

Benefits of Treadmill Workout

Training with a treadmill has many benefits, and it’s one of the safest pieces of equipment on the market today.

Mose benefits are related to helping you burn those extra calories and joining you in your weight loss journey.

Improve Cardiovascular Health

Hearth health is one of the main benefits of treadmill workouts. The heart is the muscle responsible for pumping blood to the body and keeping us functional.

Every time we engage in aerobic or anaerobic training with the treadmill, our heart gets stronger, thus making the body more responsive to everyday activities

Whether you do high-intensity interval training or keep a comfortable pace, the cardiovascular system will adapt to meet the current physical demands.

Build Lower-Body Muscle Mass

Almost every treadmill routine will target the lower body muscles in a way that pushes them to adapt and grow stronger.

Consistently training on the treadmill will build lean muscle mass in your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and core.

You can also train your upper body muscles by adding extra weight with wrist and ankle weights, dumbbells, and a weighted vest.

The more muscle mass you build, the more calories your body will burn in resting periods. 

Increase Exercise Adherence

One of the common excuses for people trying to work out is that they never have time. With a treadmill sitting in your living room, this excuse loses credibility.

It doesn’t matter if the weather conditions are disfavorable or you’re short on time; the treadmill is always available to hit a workout quickly.

This is excellent news for people fighting to build consistency and remain committed to their fitness or weight loss journey.

Easy To Use

If treadmills were complicated, they wouldn’t be as marketable as they are. One of the main reasons people look for them is because they are intuitive in their design.

Anyone can use a treadmill, from teenagers to athletes and the elderly. Independent of your fitness goals, you’ll find training options for whatever your goals are.

You step on it, press “start,” and get ready for a calorie-burning workout.

Top-5 Treadmill Workouts

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One of the benefits of the treadmill is the variety of workout routines available for all types of people, from beginners to intermediate and more advanced individuals.

Below we share the top five workouts that anybody can do to steadily lose weight without needing a personal trainer.

Enjoy them!

#1: 20-Minute Speed Interval Workout

This 20-Minute Speed Interval Workout will significantly challenge your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Set the incline at 1-3%, or leave it flat if you don’t have the incline option. Try to use your hands as little as possible.

Without any rest intervals, you’ll find yourself gasping for air in no time.

Time (minutes)Speed (mph)
0:00 – 3:004.0
3:00 – 5:006.5
5:00 – 5:308.5
5:30 – 6:306.5
6:30 – 7:158.5
7:15 – 8:156.5
8:15 – 9:158.5
9:15 – 10:156.5
10:15 – 11:458.5
11:45 – 12:456.5
12:45 – 13:458.5
13:45 – 14:456.5
14:45 – 15:308.5
15:30 – 16:306.5
16:30 – 17:008.5
17:00 – 20:004.0

These quick intervals will keep your heart rate up, helping you quickly burn more calories per session.

#2: 15-Minute Hike Workout

This 15-minute workout is short, but don’t let it fool you. You’ll increase the incline throughout the routine every 2 minutes without recovery periods.

This cardio workout is for intermediate and advanced individuals since the treadmill incline will exceed the 15% gradient.

Time (minutes)Speed (mph)Incline 
0:00 – 2:003.95.0
2:00 – 4:003.88.0
4:00 – 6:003.710.0
6:00 – 8:003.612.0
8:00 – 10:003.514.0
10:00 – 11: 003.716.0
11:00 – 12:003.513.0
12:00 – 13:003.310.0
13:00 – 14:003.18.0
14:00 – 15:003.05.0

As you can tell, this is an ideal workout for people with time constraints who enjoy a high-intensity level.

Our Top Pick
Sunny Health & Fitness Electric Treadmill
Based on our testing, this is the best budget treadmill for beginners. For less than 400$, it has most essential features that you've come to expect, it's small and sturdy, frankly it offers great value for money. It's also backed with an 8 years warranty.

If you have a heart rate monitor, we recommend you use it to tell the activity calories going through the roof.

#3: 20-Minute Side Shuffle Interval Workout

For some people, running in a straight line can be boring after a while; this is where we enter the side shuffle interval workout.

This effective treadmill workout targets the glutes from a different angle, creating a more rounded muscle tone in the butt area and increasing your calorie-burning rate.

Throughout the workout, the incline will remain at 0 for safety purposes; otherwise, get ready to get your butt kicked!

Time (minutes)Speed (mph)Type
0:00 – 2:002.5Warm-up walk
2:00 – 8:004.0Jog
8:00 – 9:002.5-3.0Walk
9:00 – 10:002.5-3.0Side Shuffle Left
10:00 – 11:002.5-3.0Walk
11:00 – 12:002.5-3.0Side Shuffle Right
12:00 – 13:002.0Recovery
13:00 – 14:002.5-3.0Walk
14:00 – 15:002.5-3.0Side Shuffle Left
15:00 – 16:002.5-3.0Walk
16:00 – 17:002.5-3.0Side Shuffle Right
17:00 – 18:002.0Recovery
18:00 – 20:002.0Cool Down

Stay low during the side shuffles; this will target the glutes even more. Remember, use your hands as little as possible.

Have fun!

#4: 24-Minute Sprint Interval Workout

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Get ready to experience your maximum heart rate with this sprint interval workout. 

You’re welcome to try it even if you’re a beginner, but don’t underestimate it, or you’ll have a hard time trying to keep pace. 

In this workout, you’ll switch between walking, running, and sprinting through the 24-minute duration. 

Tighten up your shoes, take a sip of water, and play your favorite music; you’ll need it! 

Time (minutes)Speed (mph)Type
0:00 – 2:003.5Walk
2:00 – 7:005.5Run
7:00 – 8:006.5Sprint
8:00 – 10:003.5Walk
10:00 – 15:005.5Run
15:00 – 16:006.5Sprint
16:00 – 18:003.5Walk
18:00 – 23:005.5Run
23:00 – 24:006.5Sprint

By the end of this routine, you’ll burn enough calories to earn a well-deserving rest.

We recommend trying this workout with at least 1-2 days of rest in between due to the intensity your body will endure. 

#5: 30-Minute Pyramid Intervals

This 30-min treadmill workout is one of the most effective at burning calories due to its duration and intensity. 

It’s a combination of steady-state cardio and a high-intensity workout. You’ll keep a consistent pace in a fat-burning zone for the most part.

The treadmill speeds will go up and down, starting with a 5-minute warm-up at 4 miles per hour with a 2.5% incline.

Don’t expect any rest periods!

Time (minutes)Speed (mph)Incline 
0:00 – 5:004.02.5
5:00 – 6:005.01.0
6:00 – 7:006.01.0
7:00 – 8:005.01.0
8:00 – 9:006.51.0
9:00 – 10: 004.01.0
10:00 – 11:006.51.0
11:00 – 12:005.01.0
12:00 – 13:007.01.0
13:00 – 14:005.01.0
14:00 – 15:007.51.0
15:00 – 16:004.01.0
16:00 – 17:006.51.0
17:00 – 18:005.51.0
18:00 – 19:007.01.0
19:00 – 20:005.51.0
20:00 – 21:008.01.0
21:00 – 22:005.01.0
22:00 – 23:007.01.0
23:00 – 24:005.51.0
24:00 – 25:006.51.0
25:00 – 30:004.02.0

Do this workout a couple of times per week, and you’ll reach your calorie goals faster.

Keep a challenging pace, listen to music, and enjoy your workout!

Cool Down

Cooling down is one of the most important aspects of training, and it’s often pushed aside. 

After you’re done with your training, invest 5-10 minutes in cooling down. Lower your heart rate a little, and stretch your calves, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. 

You can use the treadmill to walk slowly until your heartbeats reach baseline focusing on nasal breathing. 

Then, you can step down, grab a mat and begin your stretches from the ground up. You can follow this stretch routine to make it easier for you.

image 54
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Hydration also plays a role in the cooling down. Make sure you add salt and electrolytes to your water for a more balanced recovery (1).

Sports and sugary drinks are also options since they contain more carbohydrates, but we prefer a more natural approach like the first.

Doing these steps consistently after every session will improve your performance in the long term and minimize your risks of injury.

Can I Lose Weight By Doing Treadmill Every Day?

You can!
Although nutrition should be your number one priority, working out on the treadmill for at least 30-40 minutes daily will increase your chances of losing weight.

What Is The Best Speed On Treadmill To Lose Weight?

The speed depends on your fitness level, goals, and the training intensity you’re looking for. 
As a rule of thumb, beginners can train at a 3-6 MPH speed, while intermediate and more advanced individuals can go up to 10 MPH.

About

I've been in the world of CrossFit since 2016. Started as a client, later became a coach, and eventually bought an affiliate with two friends from January 2020 to January 2022. In 2018 I won 1st place at a local competition in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. After I sold my shares in January 2022 I moved then to another city to run as the general manager of another affiliate STI CrossFit.

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