Treadmill weight loss workout: quick and effective ways to lose weight

Treadmill weight loss workouts are a great way to burn a lot of calories in a short space of time, helping you to get into a calorie deficit and supporting your efforts to lose weight. 

Using a treadmill for your run makes it easier to change up the speed and incline quickly during interval workouts, which can get your heart pumping and increase your energy expenditure. 

There are certainly a lot of speed and interval changes in the treadmill weight loss workout below, which comes recommended by Barry’s trainer Lucy Usher. 

Treadmill weight loss workouts: speed and incline run

This 12-minute workout starts slow but quickly ramps up the intensity. You’ll be increasing the speed or incline on the treadmill every 30-60 seconds, with two short breaks where you lower them back down. 

The total time is marked at the start of each instruction, followed by what to do with the speed and/or incline for that stage. You can repeat the whole workout twice more for a longer 30-minute session.

The workout can be adapted for your fitness level by starting each stage at a different speed. There are suggestions for beginner, intermediate and advanced runners below, but you can also adjust them to suit your level if needed. Once you’ve locked in that starting speed, follow the instructions for a challenging workout that burns a lot of calories.

The workout

Beginners should start at speed level 5, intermediates at speed level 6, and advanced runners at speed level 7. Start with your incline at 0%.

00:00 Jog for 30 seconds
00:30: Increase speed by 0.5 and jog for 30 seconds
01:00 Increase speed by 0.5 and run for 30 seconds
01:30 Increase speed by 0.5 and run for 30 seconds
02:00 Increase speed by 0.5 and run for 1 minute
03:00 Decrease speed by 2 levels and jog for 1 minute
04:00 Increase speed by 2 levels and run for 30 seconds
04:30 Increase incline to 2% and run for 30 seconds
05:00 Increase incline to 3% and run for 30 seconds
05:30 Increase incline to 4% and run for 30 seconds
06:00 Reduce speed by 2 levels but leave the incline, run for 45 seconds
06:45 Increase speed by 3 levels and run for 30 seconds
07:15 Decrease incline to 0% and speed by 5 levels, jog for 1 minute and 15 seconds

For the next step beginners should start at 7.2, intermediates at 8.2, and advanced runners at 9.2. Set the incline at 0% to start. Increase the speed just before starting the next step at 8min 30sec. 

08:30 Run for 30 seconds
09:00 Increase incline to 2% and run for 30 seconds
09:30 Increase incline to 3% and run for 30 seconds
10:00 Increase incline to 4% and run for 30 seconds
10:30 Reduce speed by 2 levels and run for 30 seconds
11:00 Increase speed by 3 levels and run for 30 seconds
11:30 Reduce speed by 5 levels and incline to 0%, at this point you can jog for 30 seconds and stop, or start the workout again.

Is the treadmill effective for helping you lose weight?

When it comes to losing weight, there are multiple factors that play a part in how many pounds you do (and don’t) lose. Treadmill workouts will help you burn a lot of calories, but if you want to lose weight you will need to be in a calorie deficit, which occurs when you are burning more calories than you are consuming. That means you need to back up your efforts on the treadmill by making smart choices in the kitchen so you don’t consume more calories than you burn.

High-intensity treadmill workouts like the one above are good for burning a lot of calories in a short space of time because of how hard you have to work. If you prefer a steadier approach, you can do longer workouts at lower intensities to burn lots of calories. Any time you spend running on the treadmill will help you lose weight, as long as you are working in a calorie deficit.

As Usher explains: “There isn’t one specific style of tread workout that is personal to weight loss as ultimately it’s a calorie deficit that is required for weight loss. I would recommend at least 30 mins of activity a day.”