If you want to get the most out of your treadmill and lose weight fast, you should consider HIIT, which stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Many people are doing HIIT because it takes less workout time and they lose weight faster. People stick to HIIT because it is a fun way to workout and routines can be varied from workout to workout.

HIIT really became popular for treadmill owners when a study came out about a decade ago. The study involved test subjects who were put on exercise programs for five months. The subjects were put into two groups. The first group did steady pace cardio for 45 minutes. They started out at 60% of their maximum heart rate and by the time the study was over they were working out to 85% of their maximum heart rate.

The second group only did HIIT training for half an hour segments during the entire five months. Their exercise program consisted of warming up to 70% of their maximum heart rate, followed by an interval of ten seconds of exercise which lowered their heart rates. Then, the group did a 90 second intense interval of exercise that elevated their heart rates back up, followed by a less intense interval that brought their heart rates down. The entire 30 minutes of the workout, this was repeated over and over.

Conclusions of the study found that the participants doing the HIIT, group two, spent less time and energy working out, but they lost three times more body fat than group one. Another important finding was the fat that group two lost was primarily subcutaneous fat, or the fat that lies directly beneath the skin.

HIIT is so effective because it makes your body need more oxygen. This is referred to as EPOC, or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. After a HIIT workout your body needs more oxygen to get back to a resting state. This means your body will still be burning calories hours and hours after your workout is over. One study that was completed in 2002 reported that the resting metabolic rate of the individuals they monitored was still increased two days later. HIIT lets you say goodbye to slow metabolism and hello to weight loss!

Doing HIIT with a treadmill makes working out fast and fun. But, keep in mind that HIIT is fairly intense. While HIIT routines should only last between 20 to 30 minutes, you will use every moment of the workout efficiently. After the initial warm up, you will exercise up to your maximum heart rate range. Then you will follow this with intervals of exercise that will lower your heart rate and then raise it back up to your maximum heart rate zone. You can do as many intervals as you would like, or change up the length of the intervals, to give your workout some variance.

While HIIT is a very popular way to lose weight fast with treadmills, keep in mind that it is not recommend that you do HIIT more than two or three days a week. HIIT works and it does put your body under stress. You shouldn't do HIIT day after day. But, don't feel like you are cheating. Your body is still burning fat and calories long after your workout is over!