The treadmill is a beneficial piece of equipment for beginner walkers and runners that provides an excellent way to improve your fitness and reach your exercise goals.
The treadmill is a great tool for beginners looking to improve their fitness and overall health. They provide a safe surface to run on and allow you to adjust the speed and incline of your walk or run. This makes it easy to vary your workouts and challenge yourself as you improve. Not to mention the convenience they provide when walking or running outdoors may not be a good option. Just like it would outside, walking or running on a treadmill will help to improve your cardiovascular health, burn calories, and reduce stress.
Though you may feel intimidated, remember that everyone was a beginner once. The key is to just get started and then stay consistent by adding in a few of these treadmill workouts for beginners at least 3 days per week.
How to Use the Treadmill as a Beginner
Whether you head to the gym or have a personal machine in your own home, incorporating treadmill workouts into your fitness routine can be an effective and convenient way to improve your overall fitness and help you stay healthy.
As a beginner, it’s important to start slow and gradually increase your intensity and duration as you become more comfortable and build up your endurance. Varying your workouts by trying different speeds, inclines, and types of workouts, such as interval training, endurance training, or hill intervals, can help keep your workouts interesting and help you progress and improve.
How long should a beginner workout be on the treadmill?
A general rule of thumb is to start with workouts that are 20-30 minutes in length and gradually increase the duration as you feel comfortable.
However, the length of your treadmill workouts will depend on your individual fitness level, goals, and preferences. If you are just starting to exercise or are returning to exercise after a long break, it may be more realistic to start with shorter workouts and gradually increase the duration as you build up your endurance. On the other hand, if you are already fairly active and have a good base level of fitness, you may be able to start with longer workouts right away.
RELATED: How to Run on a Treadmill: A Beginner’s Guide
10 Treadmill Workout for Beginners
Here are eight effective treadmill workouts for beginners. Varying your workouts will keep it interesting while working different parts of the body to help you progress and improve.
For each of the listed workouts, remember to warm up and cool down, stay hydrated, wear proper shoes, and listen to your body to ensure that you are exercising safely and effectively.
1. Walking on the Treadmill
Walking is great exercise and the perfect place to start your treadmill journey as a beginner. It’s low-impact and is a great way to improve your cardiovascular health, aid in weight maintenance or weight loss and provide stress relief and better overall mental health.
Walking can be a great workout and adjusting the speed and incline will allow the workout to be easier or more challenging.
Specific Walking treadmill Workout:
1.) Begin with a 5-minute easy walking warm-up. Between 2.5 – 3.0 mph will be a comfortable warm-up range for most people.
2.) Gradually increase your speed (up to 4.0) as you feel comfortable. You’ll want to increase speed so that you are in the aerobic zone. In this zone you will notice your breathing quicken and your body warm up or start to sweat, but you are not out of breath and can still have a conversation. You can also add incline for more resistance and to make the walk more challenging. Stay here for 15 – 20 minutes.
3.) Finish with a 5-minute easy walking cool-down to bring your heart rate down.
2. Hill Intervals
Similar to interval training, but instead of changing the speed, you change the incline of the treadmill. This can be a challenging but effective way to work your legs and improve your cardiovascular endurance, helping to improve your strength, endurance, and power. Hill intervals can also help to break up the monotony of a treadmill workout and provide a more varied and effective workout. Try doing hill intervals for a total of 20-30 minutes.
Specific Hill Interval treadmill Workout:
1.) Begin with a 5-minute easy walking or jogging warm-up.
2.) Repeat the following pattern for 3-6 sets:
Minute 1: Incline set to 3%, walk or jog at a moderate pace
Minute 2: Incline set to 0%, walk or jog at an easy pace
Minute 3: Incline set to 6%, walk or jog at a moderate pace
Minute 4: Incline set to 0%, walk or jog at an easy pace
3.) Finish with a 5-minute cool-down of easy walking or jogging.
3. Fartlek Training
This type of workout involves alternating between periods of faster and slower speeds in a more spontaneous or unstructured way, rather than following a specific pattern. You might walk at a moderate pace for a few minutes, then increase the speed to a jog for a minute, and then slow back down to a walk. Try doing fartlek training for a total of 20-30 minutes.
Specific fartlek-Style treadmill workout
If you like a little more structure to your training, here is an example of a specific fartlek workout to try.
1.) Begin with a 5-minute easy walking or jogging warm-up.
2.) Repeat the following pattern for a total of 20-30 minutes.
30 seconds: Increase speed to moderately paced walking or jogging
1 minute: Slow back down to an easy-paced walk or jog
1 minute: Increase speed to moderately paced walking or jogging
2 minutes: Slow back down to an easy-paced walk or jogging
3.) Finish with a 5-minute cool-down of easy walking or jogging.
4. Endurance Training on a Treadmill
For this type of workout, you’ll aim to maintain a steady pace at an easy to moderate intensity for an extended period of time.
This type of workout helps to strengthen your heart, lungs, and muscles, making it easier for you to run for longer distances or periods of time. Endurance training can also help to improve your running efficiency and speed, as well as your mental toughness and ability to push through challenges. By incorporating endurance training into your routine as a beginner runner, you can become more efficient and able to run longer distances with less fatigue.
Try doing endurance training for a total of at least 30 minutes.
For endurance training, start where you’re at! If jogging is not yet accessible to you, start by walking for 30 minutes straight, getting your heart rate into the aerobic zone. The following week you can running for 1 minute and then walking for 9 minutes until you reach 30 minutes. Each week add a little bit more running and a little less walking. Eventually you’ll be able to run straight for 30 minutes and then you can extend that time each week.
5. Interval Training Treadmill Workout
This type of workout involves alternating between periods of high intensity and lower intensity and is perfect for a more advanced beginner. For example, you might walk at a moderate pace for one minute, then increase the speed for a 30-second sprint, and repeat this pattern for the duration of your workout. Try doing this for a total of 20-30 minutes.
6. Active Recovery Runs or Walks
This type of workout involves running at a very easy pace, with the goal of helping your body recover from harder workouts. If you are walking or running 5 or more times per week, it’s a good idea to incorporate recovery walks/runs into your routine for one or two of those runs. Try doing a recovery run for a total of 15-20 minutes, and as you get used to doing these, you can increase the duration.
7. “Strength Training” on a Treadmill
If you enjoy hiking, you’ll love this particular workout (though you may miss the beautiful scenery part…)
You can use the treadmill to incorporate strength training into your routine by adding intervals of walking or running at a steep incline (on a treadmill this is typically measured in percent). Walking at a steep incline on a treadmill works a variety of muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. It also helps to engage the core muscles and improve overall stability and balance. Though challenging, it’s an effective way to work these improve your leg strength and power.
How steep of an incline should you use for a “strength training” treadmill workout?
The steepness of an incline on a treadmill is typically measured in percent. Most treadmills have a maximum incline of around 12-20% (but the NordicTrack Incline Trainers go up to a whopping 40%!) A steep incline on a treadmill would generally be considered to be 10% or higher.
However, it’s important to note that what constitutes a steep incline can vary depending on your personal fitness level and experience. If you are new to using a treadmill, you may find that an incline of 5-7% feels steep at first. As you become more comfortable and build up your leg strength and endurance, you’ll be able to handle steeper inclines.
It’s always a good idea to start with a lower incline and gradually increase the steepness as you feel comfortable, rather than jumping straight to a steep incline. This can help prevent injury and ensure that you are exercising at a level that is appropriate for your fitness level.
8. HIIT-Style Treadmill Workout
High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves alternating between short bursts of intense activity and periods of rest. You can use the treadmill to do HIIT by running at a high intensity for a minute or two, then resting for a minute or two, and repeating this pattern for the duration of your workout. Try doing HIIT intervals for a total of 20-30 minutes.
Specific HIIT-Style treadmill workout
1.) Begin with a 5-minute easy walking or jogging warm-up.
2.) Repeat the following pattern for a total of 15 – 20 minutes.
1-minute: Walk or Jog at a moderate pace
1-minute: Run at a high intensity (about 75-85% of your max…this is not a sprint)
2 minutes: Walk at an easy pace
3.) Finish with a 5-minute cool-down of easy walking or jogging.
Final Reminders for Starting Your Treadmill Workout Journey
Safety Features: Be sure to familiarize yourself with the safety features of the treadmill, such as the handrails or emergency stop button and don’t ever be afraid to use them to keep yourself safe.
You do You: Remember that it’s totally OK to start slow. When you keep showing up, you’ll notice the fitness changes within your body and you can gradually increase your intensity and duration as you become more comfortable and build up your endurance.
Always Have Water: Stay hydrated by bringing a water bottle with you and taking frequent sips during your workout. There is no award for the person who drinks the least, so don’t be this person.
Shoes and Gear: You don’t need any fancy gear to feel comfortable while working out on the treadmill. But it is important to wear proper shoes that are specifically designed for running or walking to help support your feet and prevent injury. Visiting your local running store is the best place to get started with this, but if online is your only option, I recommend you read: How to Buy the Perfect Pair of Running Shoes Online. Additionally, it’s best to wear sweat-wicking tops, bottoms and socks instead of cotton clothing which can chafe.
Listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel during and after your workouts. If you feel tired or experience any discomfort or pain, it’s important to slow down or stop the workout. Ignoring these signs can lead to an injury which may sideline you from continuing your treadmill workouts; stunting your progress in your walking/running treadmill journey.
