We have been talking about many different types of equipment and treadmill is certainly an important one. The following question is asked quite frequently on websites. How long should one run on a treadmill?
Today we want to break it down into several questions. In this approach, you can go straight to the point that is relevant for you without losing any time.
So let’s start with the first one.
Since smart treadmills are becoming a thing, we already went ahead and reviewed some of the best ones available in the market. If you are interested, you can check out our list of smart treadmills here.
1. Running on a Treadmill for Beginner
Running is not something that you can just hop on and do it right. It takes a lot of practice and patience. You have to make your body build some endurance for running.
As a beginner, it is advisable to start slow. A good starting point would be 15 minutes of walking on the treadmill a day. It takes some getting used to since running on a treadmill is not the same as running outside.
When you are comfortable walking, it is time to give your body a push and start running. You might have different goals in mind but as a beginner, those would not matter much unless you master the form.
So here is what you can do to build up a good form. Try running on the treadmill for 10 minutes at 8-10 kph or 5-6 mph speed every day and maintain a proper running form. Do this 4-5 times a week and you will get comfortable in just a couple of weeks.
2. Running on a Treadmill to Lose Belly Fat and Weight
People have this misconception that they can target one specific part of a body and shred some fat from there. This will never happen and let me tell you why.
The human body only responds to calorie in and calorie out. If your body suffers from calorie loss, it will burn some fat. But there is no exact way to tell where it will be burned from. So doing lots of core exercises does not mean you are losing fat from your core area.
So what can you do? You can just expedite the process of burning fat and you will at one point start losing belly fat, so is the weight.
Since you are here in this post, I am guessing that you are trying to use a treadmill to lose fat. To make the best out of it, you have to identify your maximum heart rate and run at the intensity of 70%-85% of your maximum heart rate. You can find a chart of that by age here.
Let’s give you an example. My age is 22 and after subtracting the age from 220, my maximum heart rate would be 198. Then, 70% of that would equal 138.6. So the ideal fat burning zone for me is 138+ beats per minute.
To lose belly fat or weight faster, I have to run at 138 bpm or more. You have to adjust the treadmill speed accordingly to make sure you hit that zone. Concerning the duration, have a 10 minutes warm-up on the treadmill and then run for 20 minutes in your fat-burning zone.
Once you feel like you can easily do that, add 10 minutes to your main running course. And then add 10 more. So your total run time should be 30-60 minutes including warmup time.
3. How Fast Should You Run on a Treadmill?
How fast you should run is completely relative to what you want to achieve. There are two possible ways you can reap benefits from running.
The first option is losing weight. I have explained this part in the previous point very much in detail. Scroll up and have a look. To summarize what I wrote there, you have to run at your fat-burning heart rate (70% of your maximum heart rate) for about 30-60 minutes a day, 3 to 4 four times a week.
The second option could be maintaining weight and staying healthy. According to this study, to stay healthy you need 75 minutes to high-intensity or 150 minutes of low-intensity workout a week. High-intensity means that you run fast enough to hit 70% of your maximum heart rate.
4. Is It Necessary to Run on a Treadmill Every Day?
The next popular question is whether it is necessary to run on a treadmill every day. This again depends on your goal.
If your ultimate goal is to lose weight faster, sure. Running every day will make sure you are shredding enough calories to start burning fat. But do not overstress your body by running since this could lead to some injuries.
To lose 1 pound or 0.45 kg of weight, you have to make a calorie deficit of 3500 calories. If a person (weight 60 kg or 132 pounds) runs for 30 minutes at a 10 min/mile speed, he could lose 315 calories. Here is a nice calculator to find out how many calories are burned by running.
If your goal is to stay healthy using a treadmill, you may not need to run every day. Just make sure you are doing 75 minutes of rigorous exercise or 150 minutes of low-intensity exercise every week.
5. How Long Should You Be on a Treadmill If You Walk?
If you want to lose weight by walking on the treadmill, you will have to go on for a longer period of time. A brisk walk burns half the amount of calories of a moderate-speed run.
Generally, by running for 30 minutes you can burn 300-350 calories. To do the same by walking, you need 60 minutes of walking at a speed of 3 miles per hour.
Walking on a treadmill has a few advantages and disadvantages. You can avoid critical injuries such as Runner’s Knee, Achilles Tendinitis, etc. While walking also means that your fat-burning rate would be lower.
For those who just want to maintain a healthy fitness, you can get away with walking pretty easily. Target reaching the 150 minutes of recommended exercise benchmark at the end of the week and you are good to go.
