Treadmill Walking for Beginners

Getting on and off safely

Treadmills are safe when used carefully, but falls do happen: one analysis estimated more than 450,000 treadmill injuries treated in US emergency departments between 2000 and 2022, most of them at home.² These habits prevent most of them:¹

1. Clip the safety key to your clothing so the belt stops if you slip back.
2. Straddle the belt, feet on the side rails, before you start it.
3. Start at the lowest speed, hold the handrail lightly, and step on once the belt is moving.
4. Build speed gradually over the first few minutes.
5. To finish, slow the belt right down and wait for it to stop before stepping off. Never step off a moving belt.
6. Leave space around the machine: about 2 feet (60 cm) on each side and 6 feet (2 m) behind it, and keep children and pets away.

Choosing your speed

Use effort, not the number on the display. The right speed depends on your height, fitness and even the machine.

Brisk walking for most adults is about 3 miles (5 km) an hour or faster;^5,6 on a 0 to 10 effort scale, that’s about 5 to 6.⁶ Some people find walking on a belt feels faster than the same speed outside. If the pace makes you hold on tightly, it’s too fast for now.

Using incline

Raising the incline makes walking harder without going faster, and works your leg muscles more.³ A few points help:

• Start flat, or at a gentle 1%. You may hear that 1% “matches walking outside”. The study behind that tip measured runners, not walkers,⁴ so use whatever feels comfortable.
• Add 1% at a time, and slow down a little if your breathing rises above talk-but-not-sing.
• Don’t hang on to the handrails. Hold them lightly for balance if you need to,³ but leaning on them takes the work out of the incline. If you need to grip, lower the incline or the speed.

Good form on the belt

• Look ahead, not down at your feet or the display.¹
• Walk in the middle of the belt, close enough to the console to reach the controls without stretching.
• Swing your arms naturally and take normal-length steps.
• Keep your phone or tablet still, on the console rather than in your hand.

Three beginner sessions

Every session starts and ends with a few easy minutes, which lets your heart rate rise and settle gradually.^7,3

1. Find your pace (20 minutes, flat)

Use this session to learn the controls and find a steady speed. Note it down for next time.

2. First brisk walk (30 minutes, flat)

Raise the speed slowly over the first minute of the brisk block. If 20 minutes is too long, do two 8-minute brisk blocks with 4 easy minutes between.

3. First incline walk (25 minutes)

Keep the speed the same while the incline rises, unless your breathing tells you to slow down. Stop at a lower incline if 5% feels too steep.

What to try next

• Intervals: 1 or 2 minutes faster, then the same easier, repeated. See interval walking.
• Japanese walking: change the speed every 3 minutes between brisk and easy. See Japanese walking.
• Longer walks: add 5 minutes at a time toward 30 to 45 minutes. Five 30-minute walks a week add up to the 150 minutes guidelines recommend.⁸

Safety

Keep water within reach, wear proper trainers (not socks or bare feet), and stop the belt before you adjust clothes or reach for things. If you feel unsteady, slow down and hold the handrails.