Equipment, Fitness, Workouts

How to Exercise on a Treadmill for Beginners

So, you want to start using a treadmill? Or perhaps you’re looking for more tips and tricks to make exercising on a treadmill a breeze? 

Starting your first fitness routine on a treadmill can be daunting, but after using this guide, you’ll be fully prepared to rock your workout! 

The Top 3 Science-Backed Benefits of Treadmill Workouts

Exercising on a treadmill is useful for runners and walkers alike, providing more direct control over your workout.  It also comes with a variety of health benefits[1], including:

Boosting Calorie Burn

Running or walking on a treadmill is a fantastic way to work your lower body muscles, burning hundreds of calories in the process. 

According to a report from the Mayo Clinic, walking for an hour burns around 314 calories, while running can burn as much as 606 calories (based on a person weighing 160 lbs.) While people of different weights may differ in the exact amount of calories burned, running and walking are shown to be excellent ways to lose weight!

Studies have also shown that running on a treadmill with an incline like the Commercial X22i is even better at burning calories, as the energy required to move up a 5% incline burns 52% more metabolic energy, with a 10% incline burning 110% more! 

Challenges Muscles

Your legs are made from an intricate network of muscles that support you while you move. These muscles, alongside your bones and ligaments, help you stand tall and move your body each day of your life. 

Running and walking are possible thanks to these muscles, working in concert to help push your body forward. Like any muscle, they become stronger with consistent training and exercise, helping you run faster and farther the more you exercise. 

Running on an incline challenges your muscles even further, using areas in the hip, knees, and ankles more thoroughly. Thanks to the treadmill’s ability to adapt your workout instantly, it’s easy to adjust the intensity of your workout and incline to promote greater muscle growth.

Reduces Impact

Unlike running along a trail or on the road, you’ll never need to worry about tripping on a hidden rock or uneven ground while on a treadmill. Treadmills also come equipped with handrails that give extra support to people recovering from injuries or surgeries, reducing the impact of each step on your leg muscles.

Treadmills with a slight incline (1% to 3%) also reduce impact, thanks to a more gradual angle. 

With a treadmill, you can also work out in any weather, directly control your speed, and alter the intensity of your workout with only the touch of a button. [2] It’s that easy to personalize your workout and reduce impact!

But before we reach our goals, we need to determine what our goals even are.

Targeting Specific Fitness Goals

One of the primary ways to reach your fitness goals is to set realistic objectives with clear desired outcomes. A great way to determine useful fitness goals is through the use of the SMART acronym, making sure that your goals are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. 

By viewing your objectives through this lens, it’s easy to set boundaries and timelines regarding your chosen target.

Writing down your goals and keeping track of your progress can greatly improve the chances of you reaching your goals, providing a boost with every step of progress.

Different fitness goals will require different approaches to working out. While most running workouts will build upon each other, some are better than others to achieve your particular target.

Some areas you can consider improving upon are fat burning and calorie burn through aerobic intervals at a steady pace, increased stamina through endurance training, or increased speed and agility via speed interval training.[3]

Proper Technique and Safety Measures

Like all forms of exercise, improper form can lead to injuries. 

Thankfully, running on a treadmill is no different than running on the road or the trail. The same proper running form and techniques can be used to help protect you from injury and lead to quicker progress:

  • Maintaining an upright posture while keeping your body relaxed to hold your body in proper alignment
  • Keep your feet facing forward while placing each step midfoot to prevent knee, foot, and hip pain
  • Breathe deeply from your diaphragm with an even rhythm
  • Prioritize warming up and cooling down to prevent muscle stiffness

All treadmills include functions designed for your safety. Safety keys and emergency stop mechanisms are common in treadmills and prevent major injuries. 

More information regarding your treadmill’s safety features can be found in your device’s user manual. 

Heeding the warnings while also using the safety equipment can drastically reduce the risk of injury and long recovery times.

Treadmill Workouts for Beginners to Try Today

Treadmill workouts come in two forms: non-guided, and guided. 

Non-Guided Workouts

Non-guided workouts involve setting your own pace and parameters. 

All treadmills include a variety of settings that allow for a customized workout experience. 

Adjusting your treadmill’s settings to varying speeds, inclines, and lengths can strengthen your running ability over time. Focusing on gradual progression in intensity and length is key, which builds a solid foundation for more advanced workouts.

 Consider the following HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) 10-minute workout:

  • Walk for 2 minutes. Your pace should be comfortable but not too slow.
  • Jog or sprint for 1 minute. This should be near your maximum pace — but since you’re just beginning, don’t push yourself too hard. 
  • Walk for 2 minutes.
  • Jog or sprint for 1 minute.
  • Walk for 2 minutes.
  • Jog or sprint for 1 minute.
  • Walk for 1 more minute to wrap up your workout. 

Later, you can adjust your intervals as you gain more experience and endurance, further developing your running ability. 

Guided Workouts

Guided workouts involve a personal trainer or coach guiding you through your workout. 

iFIT is the global leader in virtual training experiences. You can train on and off your treadmill and with other modalities such as ellipticals, exercise bikes, and rowing machines. It also offers workouts that promote fitness while transporting you to beautiful settings worldwide.

Tommy Rivs Puzey’s Iberian Beginner Running Series on the iFIT app is an excellent way to start your fitness journey, taking you on a 6-week training series through Portugal and Morocco. 

Try Interactive Fitness with iFIT

The iFIT app can be downloaded onto your smartphone and any iFIT-enabled exercise equipment, which includes certain treadmill models, rowers, ellipticals, and exercise bikes.

 NordicTrack treadmills are designed for easy integration with iFIT, automatically changing your treadmill’s speed and incline to match your workout, thanks to SmartAdjust™. The app also works on other devices, albeit requiring manual adjustments to your treadmill’s settings.

Variety in Treadmill Workouts

Variety in your treadmill workouts can prevent boredom and mental fatigue while also providing needed exercise to different muscle groups.

Understanding your specific fitness goals, as mentioned above, can help you determine what this variety can look like. As a general rule of thumb, using intervals between running, walking, and sprinting can be extremely useful. This also allows your body time to rest and recover before increasing the intensity of your workout. 

Using inclines on your treadmill can also mimic hills and mountains, better preparing your body for similar settings while also providing a fresh challenge to your normal routine.

Music and other forms of background entertainment can also help build your motivation and endurance, giving you the needed push to complete your workout. [4] Create a personal music playlist, or use one created by a member of the community to add some excitement to your workout. There’s also a music platform available on NordicTrack treadmills for iFIT members called Feed.FM, which hosts a number of different music stations to listen to during your exercise routine.

 Match your songs with the intensity of your workout, or just run while your favorites play! 

For even greater motivation, consider creating an iFIT account and immerse yourself in one of the many global destinations from Nepal to Costa Rica and Antarctica to New Zealand, all from the comfort of your own home.

Start Exercising on a Treadmill Today!

So what are you waiting for? If you take anything from this article, it should be to start now! The sooner you begin your journey, the sooner you will see results.

Remember, progress takes time. Be patient with your efforts, and continue to build upon the foundation you have created!

If you have everything but the treadmill to start your workout, we’ve got you covered. NordicTrack treadmills are perfect for your first personal treadmill, with some of our favorites being listed below:

Commercial 1750 Treadmill

Exp 10i Incline Treadmill

EXP 7i Treadmill

Have fun, and enjoy the journey!

References