Treadmill Speeds

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Ariantha
Ariantha Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I work in metric and my treadmill works in metric. Reading Miles per Hour means nothing to me and I've had to convert my KM/H speeds to mph to enter my exercise into my diary. I currently walk at 4.8 km/h and jog at 6 km/h (I'm working towards being able to jog continuously for 30 minutes) but watching all the weight loss shows on TV people far less fit than me seem to work out at double those speeds if I'm converting my numbers correctly. What speed should I be aiming to work towards on my treadmill?

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  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    My goal has changed a lot - I had both knees replaced Jan 2012 and when I first started using the treadmill I worked up to 2.4mh/3.86kph I remember saying I didn't know if I'd go any faster because it was going to be too much pounding on my new knees, but that I'd be raising the incline instead of going faster. But now I'm doing 3mph/4.8kph at 1% incline and bumping up to 3.2mph/5.1kph at 4% incline in my own version of interval training.

    I think it's all about what's giving you a good workout and feels comfortable for you - it's going to be different for everyone
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
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    I spend most of my workout around 3.5 or 3.6 mph. I vary the incline. I also run for a minute or two at a time to increase my heart rate. I am only 5' tall and honestly don't know how I could walk much faster than I do. When I watch what others have their treadmills set at (at the gym) my legs are often moving faster than theirs even though they have their treadmill set faster. Not sure if it is the height difference or what. Mostly I just walk as fast as is comfortable but I also try to keep my heart rate up, which is why the running and incline makes a difference.
  • Shenanagins85
    Shenanagins85 Posts: 116 Member
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    Do what is comfortable for you. I started off at a walk of 3.3 and run of 5.4, walking for 5 mins warmup and cool down then 1 min intervals in between for 30 mins. Completing about 2 miles in that time. Now I walk at 3.5 run at 6.8 for the same amount of time and get about 3mi in. If I can go longer I do. One if my friends on here suggested I try running faster first for a hickey turn over,which I have been doing and have seen improvements right away. Now I want to run faster longer all the time. Increasing my run time this week. Hope this helps! Good luck!
  • Ariantha
    Ariantha Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your replies.

    I have short legs too and know exactly what your talking about kristinL16 :)

    I will stop comparing myself to other people and the TV and will continue to push myself where I'm at.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    Heart rate > arbitrary speed number
  • kitjos
    kitjos Posts: 158 Member
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    I walk at 5mph (8.0km/h) and jog at about 7.5mph (12km/h). Any less than that and its just to slow for me,. Always known I walk fast as others can barely keep up with me, lol.

    Keep doing what you are, dont worry about other people's speeds ;).

    (think my conversions are correct, I only work in mph)

    X
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,669 Member
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    You don't need to tell me about the metric/imperial conversion dilemma. I can't think in miles.
    Don't worry about too much your speed, focus on your endurance. Just aim to be able to run for half an hour non-stop then work on increasing your speed. What you can do to improve your speed, is, once or twice during your run, to switch the treadmill speed up to 9 or 10kph and sprint for a minute (or 30 seconds) then drop it back down again. This will help increase your pace. Incidentally, this is what you're seeing those people on TV doing - short bursts of running as fast as they possibly can. I can guarantee you they won't be running at that speed for more than a minute.
  • mariah_papaya
    mariah_papaya Posts: 39 Member
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    Are you absolutely 100 percent sure your treadmill is in km? Because it sounds to me like it is in miles.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    Has to be in miles.. we don't have km machines here and we use km!!!

    I walk at 4.5, jog at 5.5 and run at 7.0 mph... I'm 5' 6".

    I would worry less about what others are doing and focus on working on your best. If you want to increase endurance, strengthen your heart and lungs at the same time, go for HIIT. Sprint for 30 secs, walk fast or slow for 1 min and repeat this 15 times. You will see that in no time, you will work your way up to a min sprint then 2 minutes, etc,. That is the best way to train your body and learn how to run for longer periods of time.
  • jkprof
    jkprof Posts: 20 Member
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    Sometimes when i look at the calorie burn in relation to my output i am incredibly disappointed...maybe it is because i am short and not able to do more than 35-45 minutes each time i go to the gym. it feels like i am doing something incorrectly. On the other hand, i look at the Heart Rate and set my target between 130-150 BPM and when i approach 150 i drop down either speed or pace or both. i walk and jog at intervals on the treadmill. After injury i am about up to 45 minutes each time i'm at the gym. Time is limited for me so i try to do more with diet and supplements and weightlifting. I still haven't gotten back to 3x per week however, frustrating. Scale is pretty solid--core work still needed.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Heart rate > arbitrary speed number

    This

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