You can do intervals on a treadmill - you can't do HIIT on a treadmill.
The very nature of HIIT as compared to other interval methods is all out effort for brief time - 15 - 45 seconds, beyond that and you are not longer able to overload the muscles the same.
Treadmills will never ramp up faster enough, nor the ability to instantly adjust the speed for the level of ability for that rep is possible.
HIIT is the closest you'll get to lifting for those that only want to do cardio and no lifting. As such, when done right, it causes the same effect on the body.
Overload of the muscle from intensity - not length of time. Picture weight on the bar. Low weight and more reps or little rests between sets just isn't the same response as heavy lifting for strength gains and muscle gains if diet allows.
Now, you can do Short Interval Training (SIT) on the treadmill, or regular intervals too, because those are not all out efforts that overload the muscle the same way, the time is too long.
Oh, on actual HIIT, 15-45 sec all-out hard effort, recover walking 3 x as long.
That allows hitting the next rep as hard as you can. 8-12 reps total.
This is exactly like lifting.
Of course, if you can do the lifting and don't need sport specific muscle strengthening, skip the HIIT and do the real thing - lifting.
But for outside HIIT, beginner.
5 min warm-up walk.
5 min warm-up jog in Active Recovery HR zone.
2 min jog Aerobic zone.
15 sec all out.
45 sec walk.
Repeat total 8 reps.
20 min jog Recovery zone.
1 min balanced max effort (meaning high as you can sustain for whole time, not start higher and wimp out at end).
1 min walking.
Repeat total 5 times.
5 min cool-down jog Recovery zone.
5 min cool-down walk.
60 min.
The first set of intervals is HIIT. And if you have a way of knowing distance done, you'll see why even after 8 reps, your max is no longer hitting the same speed as the first rep. These intervals like lifting will strengthen muscles used, if diet is in surplus, gain muscle too eventually.
The second set of intervals is normal. Same effect by the 5th rep, likely be slower if really judging the speed correctly. These intervals will help increase your lactate / anaerobic threshold higher, allowing for harder efforts by the first set.
This is an intense workout, and needs a rest day following, or walking only. Since you can only go max on fresh legs, you don't want to do lifting with legs, or hard run, the day before.
Only need 1 of these a week since it'll wipe you out.
Another run in the week should work the aerobic fat burning system since this was carb focus burn.
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