Mountain Climber Treadmill Workout

I've been trying to mix up my treadmill workouts. I usually only get about 20-30 minutes of kid free time so I try to make the most of it! I've started "mountain climbing" twice a week. This sounds silly because, obviously, it's not a real mountain, but when you look at the incline pyramid it looks mountain-ish and when you are doing it, it feels mountain-ish. So, it'll do.

My treadmill comes with pre-programmed workouts but I rather enjoy having control over how fast I'm going and what the incline setting is at. Usually, I set my own workout.

Here's what my favorite version of a "mountain climber" looks like:
Min.     Incline     Speed
1-2         0               3.5
2-3         0               4.0
3-5         2               4.2
5-7         4               4.2
7-9         6               4.0
9-11       8               4.0
11-13    10              3.8
13-15     8               4.0
15-17     6               4.0
17-19     4               4.2
19-21     2               4.2
21-24     0               3.5

This is a good way to work your glutes and get in some good cardio.  The speed should be adjusted to what you are comfortable with- if you can go faster, go; if you need to slow it down, that's fine too. Just step at a pace that you can keep up with, but is fast enough that you breathe harder and break a sweat. If you aren't sweating by the 13 minute mark you probably aren't at a pace that is intense enough.

On the higher inclines, make sure you hang on to your treadmill so you don't lose your balance :-) Safety first.

If you have more time, stretch out the intervals. Make sure you spend enough time warming up and cooling down though!

Happy "climbing"!