treadmill!!!

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purplespeckle
purplespeckle Posts: 652
in Fitness and Exercise
so my husband got me a treadmill for christmas and i'm so excited b/c i've been wanting one especially with the new year coming up today will be my first day on it i decided i'll do 30 minutes on it to begin with what speed do you all put your treadmills at? what is a good spead for a beginner? i haven't figured mine out completely yet but it has like 10 speed 20 speed 30 speed etc it also has incline and stuff do you all jog on yours?

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  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
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    I'd say go with what feels good to YOU. Everyone is different. I can walk at a good pace at 3.7, if I jog (which is only for a minute or two) I put it at around 5- 5.5
  • billylindsay
    billylindsay Posts: 102 Member
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    Trial and error get on it and have a play see whats comfortable and doable. Keep at it and u will notice yr getting fitter and faster. Best of luck.
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
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    I am doing the C25k and I set the slow pace to 3.5 and the running pace to 7.5.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    checkout walking.about.com. Search around a little and you can find some treadmill intervals. In fact you could probably find things all over the Internet.

    http://walking.about.com/lr/treadmill_workouts/51659/1/

    Just a few to get started.
  • sbwildman
    sbwildman Posts: 15
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    I always put the incline to 1.5. I've found that it's more realistic to running outside. 0% incline almost feels "downhill" to me. As far as speed goes, 5-5.5mph is a good starting point for a light jog. If you get bored with the same speed/incline, try intervals.

    Hope this helps!
  • edebock
    edebock Posts: 4
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    At first it's a matter of trial & error; figuring out what works best for you. I usually walk at 3.7 but have started experimenting with some short intervals of faster walking & jogging.
  • Yarnpiggie
    Yarnpiggie Posts: 181
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    I always put the incline to 1.5. I've found that it's more realistic to running outside. 0% incline almost feels "downhill" to me. As far as speed goes, 5-5.5mph is a good starting point for a light jog. If you get bored with the same speed/incline, try intervals.

    Hope this helps!

    My trainer actually told me that all treadmills are at a downhill slant and you have to put them at about 1.5 to be at regular street walking.

    I always start at about 3.0 mph and then work up. If i start too fast i feel like i am going to fall down...lol
  • NotAllWhoWanderAreLost
    NotAllWhoWanderAreLost Posts: 615 Member
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    are you a walker or a runner? I usually start my session off at 3 mph regardless of how fast i will be going and inch up from there as i loosen up. About 5 minutes in and i go to 4 mph.... I can walk that speed just fine, but i couldnt do it last year. I was at 3.6 max then. When i break into a run, i go from 5 - 6 mph depending on how i am feeling that day and how long i want to run. I would say an average day would have me at 5.4 mph for 2 miles, then a cool-down at 4 mph then 3.5 for the last few minutes.... Just go with what seems good to you. Do NOT push yourself too hard to gain speed or duration or you risk injury. I recommend the Couch to 5K program for both walkers and aspiring runners. If you are a walker, just do intervals of slower walking and faster walking. If you are a runner, do moderate/fast walking and slow/moderate jogs and build up from there :)

    Wishing you and your treadmill many happy miles ahead! :)
  • purplespeckle
    purplespeckle Posts: 652
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    thanks for the responses everyone. i realized the 10 speed means 1.0 and 20 speed is 2.0 etc. and i figured out how to changed the settings to 2.5, 2.6, etc.
    i done 30 minutes at 3.0 with a 2% (sometimes 3%) incline and then done another 30 minutes = 1 hr :)
    it was a good workout but it says (and mfp says) that i only burned 200+ calories! wow...totally not worth it.
    i put 'running' into the exercise diary just to see what it says and it says at 5.2 running speed you can burn 600+ calories. that's much better but i couldn't run for 1 hr. maybe i can work up to that.
    and i don't know if it's my weight or height or what but 4.0 has me jogging not walking. and even at 3.5 i'm *almost* jogging. i can walk fast at 3.0 which is what i kept it at and then the last 10 minutes i just kept decreasing speed.
  • NotAllWhoWanderAreLost
    NotAllWhoWanderAreLost Posts: 615 Member
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    but 4.0 has me jogging not walking. and even at 3.5 i'm *almost* jogging. i can walk fast at 3.0 which is what i kept it at and then the last 10 minutes i just kept decreasing speed.

    when you first get started 3.0 - 3.3 is a good speed, in my opinion. You will find that you are able to nudge it up a bit after a while. I am not sure how long it took me to be able to get to 4.0, but it IS attainable and sustainable at that pace. I only started walking a year ago and was able to walk a half-marathon this september averaging a 4.0 pace. If you haven't already, i suggest looking into C25K
  • borichfan
    borichfan Posts: 208 Member
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    I start at 3 mph and work up

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