Treadmill Exercises for Beginners

Table of Contents

Running on a treadmill is one of the most popular ways to get started on the road to a fit, healthy and energy-filled lifestyle. Some people stick with treadmills. Others use this as a stepping stone to running outdoors. This can be a jog in the park, or one of the many entertaining running events scheduled in the warmer months.

This page covers the main types of treadmill exercises for beginners. These are covered from the easiest to the more advanced. These treadmill exercises cover a wide range of ages and fitness levels. Key to getting the most from any type of home fitness equipment is to exercise regularly. Build training into your routine – so that it becomes a natural part of your day. Combining a regular workout on a treadmill with healthy eating will lead to noticeable effects fast!

If you have not yet chosen a model, I have a detailed section for Treadmill Reviews and Comparisons here at Fitness Review!

Treadmill Exercises for Beginners: Walking Workouts

Those new to running and treadmills can get started with walking exercises. If you are completely new to running then your body will most likely not be ready for sprints, inclines and interval training. Simply start with a slow walk to warm up your body and increase this to brisk walk when comfortable. These treadmill exercises for beginners are ideal for people who have not done any form of exercise for some time.

Look work your way up to half an hour. Start with a slow walk for 5 minutes and then go up a mile an hour or two to a steady walk for a further five minutes. Then increase to a brisk walk for 10 minutes before going back to down a steady and slow walk for 5 minutes a piece.

Most treadmills work in kilometres / hour. The speeds you choose for slow and brisk walks will depend on your size and fitness levels. Slow can be anything from 3 km / hour to 5 km / hour. Brisker walks go up to around 8 km / hour – after that most people are getting into jogging territory.

Treadmill Exercises for Beginners: Walk Jog Workout

Once the walking workouts become a breeze you can just increase the tempo from steady and brisk walks to a jog and then back down as before. Getting up to a jog will increase the amount of calories you burn whilst also building up some endurance.

Both the walking and walk jog exercise are ideal for beginners and those of you who are a bit older. As we age our joints need to be looked after.

When you first incorporate jogs into your workout, make these part of your regular walking routine. Add in 2 minutes at 8 to 10 km / hour, then return to walking. As you gain fitness, you can increase the jogs to 5 minutes – making them more frequent as you go.

Many treadmill exercises for beginners follow a pyramid format. This name comes from how a graph would look for your speed over the session. Walk / Jog workouts are perfect for this. You can start off with a slower walk (5 minutes), then a brisk walk (5 minutes), then jog for 5 minutes before going back through the brisk and then slower walk. As you improve, this pyramid system can be adapted. You can sandwich a faster run between the jogs to create something like this:

Slow walk (5 mins)
Brisk walk (5 mins)
Jogging Speed (5 mins)
Faster Jog / Run (2 mins)
Jogging Speed (5 mins)
Brisk Walk (5 mins)
Slow Walk (5 mins)

This type of treadmill workout has the added benefit of giving you shorter term targets. Instead of seeing 20 more minutes of work ahead of you – you can use each part as a mini-goal.

Most treadmills (even budget treadmill models) with on-board computers will have this type of workout as one of their pre-set routines.

Endurance Building Treadmill Workouts

As you become more familiar with the workouts you will no doubt look to increase the intensity and boost your endurance. A great way to do this is with a ‘ladder’ workout.

Start with a quick 5 minute walk to warm up and progress to jog before finally moving onto a short sprint. Look to sprint for a minute before going back to a jog for a minute. Then switch back to a sprint but for two minutes and then back down to a jog for a minute.

The aim is to increase the length of your sprints each time before gradually coming back down to finish the workout.This increases your endurance and prepares your body for interval training which is one of the best methods for burning fat.

If your treadmill has incline, this is an excellent way of making your run tougher – and building up your endurance. Cheaper models require you to stop and change the incline manually. Higher end models do this automatically while you run.

Best Home Treadmills to Get You Started

Before I go on to the more advanced treadmill exercises for beginners, this table shows the most popular models in 3 price categories. You’ll find some real bargains when you include the regular discounts at amazon.co.uk!


	Cheapest (No-Motor) – Confidence Fitness Magnetic This model is self-powered. For a basic walking machine, without the bells and whistles, it is a very popular choice. Most buyers these days want a motor (and extras). If that is you, read on!	Check Price! Read Review
	Popular Starter Treadmill- PremierFit T100 Buyer feedback this positive is usually reserved for the higher-end models. At a budget price, you get a solid 10km / hour electric treadmill. There is a small incline and computer console for tracking. This model also folds away. See that feedback for yourself and compare it to other budget range treadmills!	Check Price! Read Review
	Mid-Range Pick – JLL S300 Treadmill Top level spec including auto-incline and amazing console setup + shock-absorbing surface . This has proven a hugely popular model and I recommend you check the buyer feedback as well as the price!	Check Price! Read Review
	Full Sized Home Treadmill – Reebok Jet 200 The Unisex Jet 200 from Reebok is a bigger machine with a full spec. With an 18km / hr top speed, 140cm x 46cm running surface and great electronics, this machine is the first ‘gym spec’ on the list – though the price is not in the ‘commerical’ levels!	Check Price! Read Review
	Auto-Incline Treadmill – DKN EZ-Run Serious runners take note! With automatic incline up to 12%, a 20km / hr top speed and app-compatibility, the EZ-Run has taken home running by storm. A lot of fans of this model can be seen via the feedback. Great spec for the price!	Check Price! Read Review
	Commercial Gym Level – The JTX Sprint 9 This is not just ‘gym style’, you’ll find these machines in high-end gyms / health clubs. A big machine, pro-level cushioning, amazing console (with full compatibility) and spec that the budget makers can only aspire to. This investment will last you for years!	Check Price! Read Review

Interval Workouts for Beginners

If you are looking to blast that belly fat then interval training is a must. Start by warming up and then get to a brisk walk / slow jog. From there you are looking to incorporate sprints for one minute before switching back to your brisk walk / jog. You want to be slightly increasing the speed each time you get to a sprint, so you will be pushing yourself harder and harder.

Once you reach the highest speed start slowly decreasing the sprints each time until you finish off with a warm down of a brisk walk. 30 minutes is short for this type of routine. You should be looking at 40 to 45 minutes as a minimum.

If you want the ultimate workout then consider jogging at a slight incline in between sprints. This is not for the faint hearted though – even a slight incline will dramatically increase the difficulty of this workout.

Keeping Your Treadmill Workouts Fresh

Once a little more experienced you can get even more out of your training by varying speeds, distances as well as adding inclines to your runs. Just have a play around and keep pushing yourself.

Just remember to go easy on your joints as you get a little older and do as much interval training is possible if your goal is to shred the fat off.

It can be worth thinking about the entertainment factor before you start longer treadmill routines. Running indoors can be dull after a while. Some models do have integrated speaker systems. For most of us, a set of headphones attached to our phones for music will be plenty enough. If you prefer, you can get an iPad holder attachment for your treadmill, and catch up on your favourite TV series.

Final Thoughts about Treadmill Exercises for Beginners

Finally remember that it is essential to stay well hydrated when doing cardio. Especially during treadmill exercises for beginners. Make sure you are taking on fluids before and after, maybe even during for longer distances. You want a steady stream here, it is no good just drinking gallons of water right before you run. Try and just drink little and often to be best prepared for a hard workout.

The table below is from my (detailed!) comparison of the best home treadmills. The models below are the best-sellers for home use, and include some big discounts (* I need to add ‘at the time of writing’ as these can change!). I recommend you check out the comments from previous buyers at amazon.com – many of these will be from people buying a treadmill for the first time.


	Cheapest (No-Motor) – Confidence Fitness Magnetic This model is self-powered. For a basic walking machine, without the bells and whistles, it is a very popular choice. Most buyers these days want a motor (and extras). If that is you, read on!	Check Price! Read Review
	Popular Starter Treadmill- PremierFit T100 Buyer feedback this positive is usually reserved for the higher-end models. At a budget price, you get a solid 10km / hour electric treadmill. There is a small incline and computer console for tracking. This model also folds away. See that feedback for yourself and compare it to other budget range treadmills!	Check Price! Read Review
	Mid-Range Pick – JLL S300 Treadmill Top level spec including auto-incline and amazing console setup + shock-absorbing surface . This has proven a hugely popular model and I recommend you check the buyer feedback as well as the price!	Check Price! Read Review
	Full Sized Home Treadmill – Reebok Jet 200 The Unisex Jet 200 from Reebok is a bigger machine with a full spec. With an 18km / hr top speed, 140cm x 46cm running surface and great electronics, this machine is the first ‘gym spec’ on the list – though the price is not in the ‘commerical’ levels!	Check Price! Read Review
	Auto-Incline Treadmill – DKN EZ-Run Serious runners take note! With automatic incline up to 12%, a 20km / hr top speed and app-compatibility, the EZ-Run has taken home running by storm. A lot of fans of this model can be seen via the feedback. Great option of treadmill exercises for beginners!	Check Price! Read Review
	Commercial Gym Level – The JTX Sprint 9 This is not just ‘gym style’, you’ll find these machines in high-end gyms / health clubs. A big machine, pro-level cushioning, amazing console (with full compatibility) and spec that the budget makers can only aspire to. This investment will last you for years!	Check Price! Read Review

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