I don’t have time (and wouldn’t want to if I did) to do an hour of cardio a day and I guessing you would rather not either. But I believe you can accomplish more in 20 minutes than an hour if you push yourself. Here is a fun short treadmill workout that makes my legs feel like they’ve turned into jellyfish.
Minutes 1- No incline Speed 2.5-4.5 mph
Minutes 2-5 – Full Incline at 15% Speed 2.5 – 4.5 mph (Med-Fast Walk)
Minute 6 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 7 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 8 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 9 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 10 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 11 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 12 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 13 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 14 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 15 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minutes 16-20 – Bring incline back up to 15%, Speed 2.5-4.5 mph (med-fast walk)
Minutes 21-22 – Okay I lied it’s 22 minutes. No incline super slow walk.
This treadmill workout is great for the bum and hamstrings. Make sure you adjust your speed accordingly. If you can’t sprint or run, walk fast enough where your legs start BURNING. Then slow down and recover for the next minute. Then speed up again. Think of a scale from 1-10. One being minimal effort and 10 being maximum effort. For the run/sprints you should try to reach an 9 or 10. That may still be a walk for you and that is OKAY!!! You’ll improve if you keep working out. That’s the great thing about these sort of workouts you can keep improving without having to workout longer. For the recoveries stay around a 4 or 5. And the last five minutes should be uncomfortable, a 7-8. You should be screaming “Hallelujah” when 20 minutes are over. In other words, you should feel like you WORKED HARD. These sort of cardio sessions will get results. I’ll post more in the coming weeks. Have fun! 
xoxo
-j
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Oh, I remember my sister having me do something very similar to this. Just re-reading the instructions made my legs ache.
I’m gonna try it tuesday….that’s my normal day to run on the treadmill …but it’s been feeling pretty blah.
Man-Ive been lookinf for something liek this..I cant run on the tredmill yet so this would be good where i can still walk and burn calories. thanks
Lovebeam – Glad you liked it. Have fun!!!
THanks for the tip Jenn, I am having such a hard time with the cardio so maybe this will help get me motivated!
[...] Killer Treadmill Workout Stretch [...]
i clicked on your blog from tracker (i’m pharmstudent) and found this work out. I tried it this morning, and it’s KILLER! I was wobbly at the end. Thanks, and I’ll be trying more of your work outs
[...] Killer Treadmill Workout or 20 minute HIIT cardio on any machine [...]
I do something very similar to this on the cross-trainer. I warm up at a 4 or 5 for two minutes, then 2 minutes at max, recover for a minute, 2 min at max…etc until i cant push for two minutes at max. It ends up being around 20 minutes. Interval training is def the way to go.
[...] If you have time follow with my favorite Treadmill Workout. [...]