This interval training treadmill workout below I did with my buddy David Aaron (check out our 30 minute interview: White Collar Job, Professional Athlete Body) who was a wide receiver for the University of Texas AND on the track team. Even with an office job now, he’s still in ridiculous shape. If you’re a newbie to interval training, check out this article where I give you a primer: High Intensity Interval Training: Best Cardio to Burn Fat.

I’m sure you’re probably catching the drift that this workout is ONLY for advanced trainees, but I included some modifications at the end of this article in case you are at a more beginner level.

What I love about this treadmill workout is that it only took about 20-25 minutes, with the most intense part taking 12 minutes. As you can see, it progresses so there is a gradual warm up before the intense interval training on the treadmill kicks into high gear. We also set the incline on the treadmill at 0.5 to lessen the pressure on our knees. Here’s a quick summary with more detail below:

Workout Summary

5 minute stretching

5 minutes jogging (6.5mph)

1 minute rest + stretching on treadmill

1 minute jogging (7.5mph)

1 minute rest + stretching on treadmill

30 seconds jogging (8.5 mph)

1 minute rest + stretching on treadmill

30 seconds jogging (10.5 mph)

1 minute rest + stretching on treadmill

4 cycles:

2 minutes at 11.5mph

1 minute rest and stretch

Workout Detail

5 Mins Stretching

Usually David does about 5 minutes of dynamic and static stretching. We were pressed for time, so we didn’t stretch beforehand.

5 minutes (6.5mph)

This was a nice warm up just to get the blood flowing and start prepping our bodies for the intense interval training treadmill workout to come. Sometimes Dave will put it on 7.5mph and run for 30 minutes before doing his interval training workout. Again, he’s in seriously good shape.

Half way into our warm up, Dave started smiling and laughing as he was watching me run. I pressed him as to why he was laughing and he diplomatically shared a quick note about his track workouts in college that you should also know.

When he was an upper classman, he and his older teammates used to tell the freshman to run “off” of them, not “with” them. In other words, the upper classman were accustomed to the intensity of the workouts, but the freshman would never be able to keep up with them. The point is that he wanted me to try my best and run at my own pace, which I think is good advice for you.

1 Minute Rest + Stretching on Treadmill

After the warm up, we hopped off the treadmill and straddled the sides as the treadmill continued to run for the minute we were resting. There are a handful of stretches that Dave does on the treadmill that are quick, easy, and effective. I’ll put them in another article, but he stretches out his hamstrings, hips, quads, and calves right on the treadmill.

1 Minute at 7.5mph

This was another warm up, but a bit faster to help our bodies acclimate to the faster speed.

1 Minute Rest + Stretching on Treadmill

Yet again, we kept on stretching, which is very important for increasing stride length and preventing muscle strains.

30 seconds jogging at 8.5 mph

We continued to warm up our bodies to get ready for the sprinting about to come. We’re still less than 10 minutes into our workout.

1 Minute Rest + Stretching on Treadmill

Your probably getting the drill by now, but you want to stretch as you are resting.

30 seconds fast jog at 10.5 mph

So now we’re starting to increase the pace a bit and hit a running stride. By this point, we’ve gradually increased the intensity so the pace feels pretty good, not too fast. I started to get worried when I looked over at Dave as he was running and it looked like he was barely trying. I guess it helps being 6’4” and having really long legs. Many treadmills don’t go beyond 10mph, so you’ll have to find one that can.

1 Minute Rest + Stretching on Treadmill

Same old.

– The PAIN begins –

4 cycles

2 minutes at 11.5mph

1 minute rest and stretch

This is a 2 to 1 work to rest ratio, which is just brutal when you’re sprinting. I admit I wasn’t in top cardio shape when I did this workout, so after the first cycle, I could feel my leg and shoulder muscles start to tighten. After the second cycle, I was gasping for air and felt like every muscle in my body was about to cramp up. After the third cycle, the intensity of the lung burn I was experiencing brought me back to my college days when I was an athlete. And after the fourth, I didn’t know where I was. In fact, I had to decrease the speed a tad as the cycles wore on. It was just too fast for too long.

After this interval training workout, we did 9 sets of abs exercises to cap off a solid workout.

Interval Training Modifications

So how do you modify this interval training treadmill workout to make it easier? Well for starters, as David said, run “off” of him, not “with” him. I would subtract 1, or 2 mph from all the cycles above, or whatever amount is necessary. Then, you can decrease the work to rest ratio from 2 to 1, to 1 to 1, or even 1 to 2, again, whatever is necessary for your fitness level. But if you do make the pace easier and rest periods longer, you should probably add a cycle or two. The point is that after this workout, you should not be able to complete any more cycles.

I hope this is helpful for you. If you give it a try, be careful!