Let’s face it, you haven’t got all the time in the world to get your cardio workout in. Being a freelance writer and certified personal trainer (CPT), I don’t have time for long, boring, steady-state cardio workouts either.
But a 30-minute treadmill workout? That’s something most of us can do.
The best treadmills offer a convenient way to enjoy a challenging workout from the comfort of your home, and you only need 30 minutes to get a great workout.
Adjusting the speed, incline, and duration while listening to your favorite Spotify playlist means you’ll sweat and burn a ton of calories during your HIIT workout. Not to mention, you’ll reap the cardiovascular and fat-burning benefits, while having enough time and energy for the rest of your day.
In this guide, we’ll cover what you can achieve in a 30-minute treadmill workout and give sample workouts for both walking and running.
Ready to break a sweat and burn some calories? Let’s get started.
What Can You Accomplish in a 30-Minute Treadmill Workout?
Before we get into the workouts, here are three significant mental and physical health benefits of performing regular cardiovascular training.
Boost Your Energy and Mood
Studies show that the mental benefits almost outweigh the calorie-burning benefits of cardio, and regularly performing activities like walking and running on a treadmill can help relieve anxiety and depression. This is thought to be the result of an exercise-induced increase in blood circulation to the brain.
If you’re looking to add a workhorse of a treadmill to your home gym, we recommend the NordicTrack Commercial 1750. It’s one of the few treadmills that has decline training capabilities and is compatible with iFIT, one of the best training programs.
What our tester says:
“Overall this feels like a sturdy machine while remaining somewhat stylish – the update to the machine in terms of aesthetic is much appreciated.”
Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Walking and running on a treadmill, along with most other forms of exercise, can raise your good cholesterol (HDL). This improves your overall cardiovascular health and may reduce the risk of developing heart disease. This meta-analysis study2 found that people who walked for 30 minutes, five days a week, reduced their chances of developing heart disease by 19%.
Strengthen Your Immunity
Research also shows3 that exercises like walking or running on a treadmill can increase your blood and lymph flow, which increases the circulation of your immune cells, causing them to roam your body at a higher rate. Exercise can also recruit specialized immune cells4 to find antigens and kill them.
Regular exercise doesn’t guarantee you’ll avoid getting sick, but it can certainly boost your immune system and reduce your chances of picking up things like the common cold.
Burn Calories
When time, distance, and intensity are the same, a heavier person will burn more calories than a lighter person, as they require more energy to move their body. That’s where treadmills come in, as you can easily adjust the intensity of your workout to expend more energy.
According to Harvard Health5, a 125-pound person walking on a treadmill at 3.5 MPH for 30 minutes would burn 107 calories, a 155-pound person on the same treadmill would 133 calories, and a 185-pound person would burn 159 calories.
When you take this up to a jog, a 125-pound person will burn 180 calories, a 155-pound person 216 calories, and a 185-pound person will burn 252 calories.
In other words, if you want to burn more calories in the same amount of time, you’ll want to increase the intensity of your workout, which is where the following 30-minute treadmill workouts come in.
The Best 30-Minute Treadmill Workouts
You may have heard of the 12-3-30 treadmill workout, which blew up on social media. If you’ve tried that already and you’re ready for something new, here are two 30-minute interval training treadmill workouts for you to try.
30-Minute Walking Workout
The goal of this workout is to get an effective warm-up and cool-down, while pushing the intensity in the middle. By increasing the incline, you’ll deliver a blow to all your lower-body muscles, including your hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
Depending on your fitness level, you’ll be moving between 2.5 and 3.5 MPH, and using an incline to add intensity. The speed and incline for this interval workout are suggestions; you can modify them as you see fit based on your current fitness level.
RELATED: Best Incline Treadmill
| Time | Speed | Incline | Effort |
| 0-3 minutes | 2.5 MPH | 1% | Warm-up |
| 3-6 minutes | 3.0 MPH | 6% | Moderate |
| 6-9 minutes | 3.0 MPH | 2% | Recovery |
| 9-12 minutes | 3.0-3.5 MPH | 8% | Moderate |
| 12-15 minutes | 2.5 MPH | 3% | Recovery |
| 15-18 minutes | 3.0-3.5 MPH | 10% | Intense |
| 18-21 minutes | 2.5 MPH | 3% | Recovery |
| 21-24 minutes | 3.0-3.5 MPH | 12% | Intense |
| 24-27 minutes | 3.5 MPH | 6% | Moderate |
| 27-30 minutes | 2.0-3.0 MPH | 1% | Recovery |
30-Minute Jogging or Running Treadmill Workout
If you’re looking for more of a high-intensity treadmill workout for 30 minutes, give this one a try. Your heart rate will increase in just the first few minutes, so be sure to take advantage of your recovery intervals.
You’ll use a mix of speed and incline with the running workout. If the intensity intervals are too much during your treadmill run, decrease the speed or incline.
| Time | Speed | Incline | Pace |
| 0-3 minutes | 3.5-5.0 MPH | 1% | Warm-up |
| 3-6 minutes | 5.0-7.0 MPH | 6% | Moderate |
| 6-9 minutes | 4.5 MPH | 2% | Recovery |
| 9-12 minutes | 5.5-7.5 MPH | 8% | Intense |
| 12-15 minutes | 4.5 MPH | 3% | Recovery |
| 15-18 minutes | 5.5-7.5 MPH | 10% | Intense |
| 18-21 minutes | 4.0 MPH | 3% | Recovery |
| 21-24 minutes | 6.0-7.5 | 12% | Intense |
| 24-27 minutes | 5.0-6.0 MPH | 6% | Moderate |
| 27-30 minutes | 3.5 MPH | 1% | Recovery |
The Sole F63 Treadmill is an affordable option for people who want a powerful, reliable machine that folds without breaking their budget.
What our tester says:
“I feel like any new and beginner athlete that wants to get into a more cardiovascular based training would love this treadmill, especially if they had a little bit more money to spend on one.”
30 Minute Treadmill Workout FAQs
Are 30 minutes on the treadmill good?
Yes, a 30-minute cardio session is good. Even as little as 10 minutes of treadmill walking or running has health benefits. Mixing up your intensity with speed and incline will help prevent boredom.
How many calories do you burn on a treadmill in 30 minutes?
According to a report from Harvard Health, when jogging around 6 MPH on a treadmill, a 125-pound person will burn 180 calories, a 155-pound person 216 calories, and a 185-pound person will burn 252 calories.
Is walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day good?
Yes, up to a certain extent. It’s great for your health and wellness, but doing something daily can become dull and may result in overuse injuries. Better to mix things up and include some strength training, too.
What is the 30-minute treadmill workout?
The 30-minute treadmill workout that went viral on TikTok involves setting a treadmill to a 12 percent incline at 3 miles per hour and walking on it for 30 minutes.
References
- Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for mental health. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 8(2), 106. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a
- Zheng, H., Orsini, N., Amin, J., Wolk, A., Nguyen, V. T., & Ehrlich, F. (2009). Quantifying the dose-response of walking in reducing coronary heart disease risk: meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 24(4), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-009-9328-9
- Nieman, D. C., Henson, D. A., Austin, M. D., & Sha, W. (2010). Upper respiratory tract infection is reduced in physically fit and active adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45(12), 987–992. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2010.077875
- Nieman, D. C., & Wentz, L. M. (2019). The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system. Journal of sport and health science, 8(3), 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.009
- Harvard Health Publishing. (2021, March 8). Calories burned in 30 minutes of leisure and routine activities. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights
