What Is A Good Treadmill Speed? (Walking, Jogging & Running)
By Simon Gould
Unlike running outside, on a treadmill you can set your speed and stick to it. You won’t go faster or slower if you don’t
What Is A Good Treadmill Speed? (Walking, Jogging & Running)
By Simon Gould
Unlike running outside, on a treadmill you can set your speed and stick to it. You won’t go faster or slower if you don’t change the speed up or down. This is great if you want to commit yourself to doing a certain average running speed for weight loss or as part of training for a race. By knowing your speed you can see how long it would take you to run a mile for example.
What is a good treadmill speed for some may not be good for others Comparing yourself on a treadmill with others is never a good idea. Whether it’s the speed you read online or the person on the treadmill next to you is going so much faster. Forget them, concentrate on your own goals and you’ll get to those goals more successfully.
Treadmill speed for walking, jogging and running
A question amongst beginners is often what speed is jogging and what is running. Here we’ll investigate. Walking begins at any speed above 0. If the treadmill is moving no matter how fast to begin with then you’re walking. Although jogging will come into it soon.
- Walking speed is 0.1 mph to 4 mph (0.1 km/h to 6.4 km/h)
Jogging is that zone between walking and running, you’re actively lifting your feet above the ground but not going very fast. Jogging is when the exercise gets a lot harder to maintain. That’s why it’s such good exercise and is classed as vigorous physical activity by the CDC. Whereas brisk walking the CDC calls moderate physical activity.
- Jogging speed is 4 mph to 6 mph (6.4 km/h to 9.6 km/h)
Remember jogging and running is different for different people. Someone who is very tall and has a long stride will still be jogging at 6 mph whereas someone shorter with a small stride will be running fast at 6 mph. It’s what works for you and not what the speed is called. However actual running is the goal of many runners and it does look good on the treadmill when someone is running.
- Running speed is 6+ mph (9.6+ km/h)
Treadmill speeds for beginners
If you’re a beginner on a treadmill, make sure you get the ok from a doctor, especially if you’re overweight or older. You’ll want to start off slowly and sometimes that may mean walking. Brisk walking on a treadmill incline can be quite strenuous exercise. But you don’t have to do that in the beginning. Just make sure you feel as though you’re breathing slightly heavier than normal to start off with.
For those who’ve exercised before and you feel you could handle it. You could start off with a gentle jog. As long as you’re lifting your feet off the treadmill. For most that will be around 5 mph. This may seem slow, but do it for 5 or 10 minutes and you’ll soon start feeling it. As the weeks go by, you can extend the length of time.
You can stay walking if you like for the walkers out there. You can try some variety by adding incline and making the exercise harder. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll be doing your health a lot of good as long as you keep doing it consistently. For the joggers out there, once you have developed a level of fitness which is after about 6 weeks, there are all kinds of routines you can do on the treadmill.
For the joggers and runners you could try interval training, speed work. It very much depends on your aims. I just run for 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week at 5.2 mph to maintain my health and because it makes me feel so good. When I was younger, I used to train on my treadmill to prepare for races. It’s totally up to you. You may be aiming for weight loss and for that, a treadmill is a great choice.
Treadmill speed by age
We get slower as we age. There are studies that prove this. There’s a reason you don’t see 40+ year olds in athletic competitions like the Olympics. Football players often retire in their 30’s. They lose their pace in the latter part of their career.
In my 20’s, during a normal run on my treadmill, I would go at treadmill pace of 6.2+ mph. I’m 46 now and I go at 5.2 mph and I feel I’m exerting the same amount of effort. I couldn’t maintain a faster speed anymore and that’s ok. Remember to run or walk at a pace that’s comfortable for you. It’s not a competition. Even athletes will do most of their runs at a comfortable pace to maintain their fitness and get the miles in.