The first time you step onto a treadmill, the hardest part is often getting the belt to move at all.
Then you have to pick a speed in miles per hour that doesn’t match any pace you know.
After that comes the incline, and working out how to step off without getting thrown into the wall.
None of this is hard once someone walks you through it.
In fact, a treadmill is one of the easiest places to start running because you control the speed and the incline.
So, in this article you’re going to learn how to use a treadmill from the moment you walk up to it:
- The exact steps to start a treadmill, and the one part that stops most belts from moving
- How to pick a beginner speed with a simple talk test, plus a table that converts treadmill mph into pace per mile and per kilometer
- Why a 1% incline makes treadmill running closer to running outside
- How many sessions it takes before the treadmill stops feeling strange
How Do You Start a Treadmill?
Starting a treadmill is quick once you know the order, and you should never be standing on the belt when it starts.
- Stand on the side rails. Put one foot on each of the flat rails on either side of the belt, holding the handrails.
- Clip on the safety key. Attach the clip at the end of the cord to your waistband, and check that the magnet or key is seated in the console.
- Press Quick Start. Most treadmills label it “Quick Start,” “Start” or “Go,” and many give you a 3, 2, 1 countdown before the belt moves.
- Step onto the moving belt. The belt starts at a slow walking speed, so step on and walk while lightly holding the rails.
- Raise the speed with the arrows. Press the speed up arrow a few times at a time and let go of the rails once your walk feels steady.
If the screen stays dark, check the power switch, which on most treadmills is on the front of the base near the cord.
A lit screen with a belt that won’t move usually means the safety key is missing or loose, because the motor won’t run without it.
Your treadmill might ask you to enter your weight and age.
This is optional, and most calorie counters on treadmills are not very accurate, but adding these in will give you a better indication if you want to track your workout.
Make sure the display is set to the units you train in, miles or kilometers, and ask a gym employee rather than guessing with the buttons.
To stop, press the speed down arrow until you’re walking, then press Stop and wait for the belt to stop completely before you step off.
What Speed Should a Beginner Run on a Treadmill?
The right beginner speed is the fastest one where you can still talk in full sentences.
A common starting range for new runners is 4.5 to 6 mph (7.2 to 9.7 km/h), but your breathing decides the number.
Researchers have tested whether that talk test works on its own.
A 2015 study found that all 16 active adults finished a 30-minute run at a pace where they could talk comfortably, but only 2 of 16 finished at a pace where they couldn’t.
That means you can set your treadmill speed by your breathing and skip the guesswork about which number to pick.
Treadmills show speed in miles or kilometers per hour, while most running advice is written in pace per mile or per kilometer.
These are the most common beginner speeds, converted to pace.
| Treadmill speed | Pace per mile | Pace per kilometer | What it usually feels like for a beginner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h) | 20:00/mi | 12:26/km | Easy walk for a warm-up |
| 4.0 mph (6.4 km/h) | 15:00/mi | 9:19/km | Brisk walk |
| 4.5 mph (7.2 km/h) | 13:20/mi | 8:17/km | Slow jog or fast walk |
| 5.0 mph (8.0 km/h) | 12:00/mi | 7:27/km | Easy jog |
| 5.5 mph (8.9 km/h) | 10:55/mi | 6:47/km | Comfortable run |
| 6.0 mph (9.7 km/h) | 10:00/mi | 6:13/km | Steady run |
| 6.5 mph (10.5 km/h) | 9:14/mi | 5:44/km | Moderate to hard |
| 7.0 mph (11.3 km/h) | 8:34/mi | 5:20/km | Hard for most new runners |
If you can’t jog for more than a minute or two yet, use the treadmill for the run-walk method and switch between a jogging speed and a walking speed.
A simple first session is a 5-minute walk at 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h), then 6 rounds of 1 minute jogging and 2 minutes walking, then a 5-minute walk to finish.
Change the speed during each walk break with the arrows instead of stopping the belt, so you never have to step off.
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What Incline Should You Use on a Treadmill?
A 1% incline is the standard setting for making treadmill running feel closer to a flat road outside.
On a treadmill you aren’t pushing through the air, so the same speed uses less energy than it would outdoors.
A 1996 study measured how much oxygen 9 trained runners used at 6 speeds on a treadmill set to 0%, 1%, 2% and 3%, and again on a level road.
A 1% grade matched the energy cost of road running across speeds from 9:11/mi (5:42/km) to 5:22/mi (3:20/km).
At the 2 slowest speeds tested, 9:11/mi (5:42/km) and 8:03/mi (5:00/km), road running matched both the 0% and the 1% grade.
That means 1% is the setting to use once you run faster than about 8:00/mi (5:00/km).
No speeds slower than 9:11/mi (5:42/km) were tested, but since 0% already matched at the slowest ones, either setting is reasonable at an easy jog.
Most treadmills also let you raise the incline further to simulate outdoor hills and wind, and many have preset hill programs that change the grade for you.
Feel free to play with this throughout the run on easy days, as long as the effort still passes the talk test.
Why Does Running on a Treadmill Feel Strange at First?
Running on a moving belt feels awkward at first because your body is adjusting its stride, and that adjustment happens quickly.
In a 2005 study, 17 young adults new to treadmill running ran for 11 minutes at a speed they chose.
Their hip, knee and ankle movements stopped changing by the 6-minute mark.
That means the first 5 to 6 minutes of your walking warm-up also cover the time your stride needs to settle on the belt.
Your stride keeps settling across your first few sessions too.
A 2020 study of 14 male recreational runners new to treadmills found they needed 3 separate 15-minute sessions before their step length and step rate stopped changing.
That means it’s normal for your first 2 or 3 treadmill runs to feel clumsy, and you shouldn’t judge the treadmill until you’re past them.
A few habits help your stride settle sooner.
- Look straight ahead. Watching your feet or the console pulls your head down and makes it tough to stay centered.
- Stay in the middle of the belt. Drifting toward the back or kicking the motor cover at the front are both common in the first few runs.
- Let go of the handrails. Holding on changes how you move and takes some of your body weight off your legs, so use them only to get on and off.
Should Your Treadmill Pace Match Your Outdoor Pace?
Your treadmill pace and your outdoor pace won’t feel the same, so run by effort on the treadmill rather than trying to copy your outdoor numbers.
The way you move on a belt is close to how you move on the road.
A 2020 review of 33 studies found that most measures of running form did not differ between treadmill and overground running, although runners landed with a flatter foot on the treadmill.
How hard that running feels is a different story.
A 2019 review of 34 studies found that heart rate and perceived effort on a treadmill were higher than outdoors at faster speeds and lower than outdoors at slower speeds.
The same review found that runners did worse in endurance tests on a treadmill than overground.
That means a pace that feels easy outside can feel harder on the treadmill, or the other way around, depending on how fast you’re going.
Use the talk test for easy treadmill runs and save exact pace targets for when you’re back outside.
How Do You Run Intervals on a Treadmill?
Most interval workouts translate to the treadmill, but you need a plan for the rest periods.
The belt takes far longer to speed up and slow down than you do.
A tempo run is the easiest workout to move inside, because you hold one hard pace for 20 to 40 minutes with no rest.
You set the speed once and run until the workout is over.
Shorter repeats with standing or walking rest, like 400 meter repeats, need more planning.
The best option at the end of each repeat is to press the speed down arrow and slow the belt to a walk, then walk through your rest.
If the workout calls for standing rest, place your hands on the handrails and lift your body weight onto your arms.
Then step your feet onto the side rails while the belt slows.
Step back on only when the belt has slowed to a walking pace.
When ramping back up, start walking on the belt and press the speed up arrow, then give yourself 20 to 30 seconds before you start your watch for the next repeat.
The belt needs that time to reach your interval speed, so a 400 meter repeat timed from the button press will read slow.
It might seem awkward and uncomfortable at first, but you will get the hang of it pretty quick.
The treadmill is a great option for tempo runs where pace control is crucial.
Still, run your tempo runs outside when you can, so you learn to hold race pace without the belt doing it for you.
How Do You Stay Safe on a Treadmill?
Treadmills send more people to the emergency room than other home exercise machines, so use the safety key and the side rails on every run.
Research has shown that treadmills were linked to 66% of the roughly 70,300 home exercise machine injuries treated in US emergency rooms from 2007 to 2011.
Adults 25 and older often had sprains and strains, while children 4 and under mostly had cuts and soft tissue injuries.
That means a home treadmill needs the same care as any machine with a motor and a moving belt.
Keep young kids away from it while it runs.
Head injuries are the most serious risk.
A 2018 study of US emergency room data estimated that 4,929 adults went to the emergency room with a treadmill head injury between 1997 and 2014.
Patients over 50 were 14 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital than younger patients.
Use these habits every time you run on a treadmill.
- Clip the safety key to your clothing every run. If you fall or drift too far back, the cord pulls the key and the belt stops.
- Start and stop with your feet on the side rails. Never step on or off a belt that’s moving faster than a walk.
- Slow down before you reach for anything. Reaching for a water bottle or towel at running speed pulls you off-center on a belt that keeps moving.
- Leave room behind the treadmill. Check your manual for the clearance it needs behind the belt, and keep that space empty so a fall doesn’t pin you against a wall.
- Pull the safety key at home. Store it out of reach so children can’t start the belt.
Bring a full water bottle and dress in layers you can take off, because an indoor treadmill run gets warm fast with no air moving past you.
How Do You Make Treadmill Runs Less Boring?
The treadmill gets called the “dreadmill” because staring at the same wall for 30 minutes is a serious mental challenge, and music or a podcast is the simplest fix.
A 2020 analysis of 139 studies found that listening to music made exercise feel easier and improved mood during exercise.
Music also improved performance on the exercise tasks being tested, and fast-tempo music helped performance more than slow or medium-tempo music.
That means a playlist is a legitimate training tool for long treadmill runs.
If you prefer listening to running stories, we of course recommend the Run to the Top podcast.
Many gym treadmills also have a TV screen or virtual routes that let you run through a city or along a trail.
Breaking the run into pieces helps too, like raising the incline 1% for 2 minutes every 10 minutes or picking up the speed for the last 5 minutes.
What Should You Remember Before Your First Treadmill Run?
Here’s a quick reference for your first few runs.
| Question | What the research found | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| How do I start it? | The belt won’t run without the safety key in place | Stand on the side rails, clip the key, press Quick Start, step on |
| What speed should I use? | All 16 active adults finished 30 minutes at a comfortable talking pace, only 2 of 16 at a pace where they couldn’t talk | Pick the fastest speed where you can still talk in full sentences |
| What incline? | A 1% grade matched road running from 9:11/mi (5:42/km) to 5:22/mi (3:20/km) | Use 1% once you run faster than 8:00/mi (5:00/km), 0% or 1% when jogging slower |
| Why does it feel strange? | Stride settled by 6 minutes and fully by the 3rd 15-minute session | Walk 5 minutes first and give it 3 runs |
| Should I match my outdoor pace? | Effort was higher than outdoors at faster speeds and lower at slower speeds | Run easy days by the talk test |
| How do I stay safe? | Treadmills were linked to 66% of home exercise machine injuries in US emergency rooms | Clip the key, use the side rails, keep space behind you |
