There are a few things that challenge us when we start a weight loss journey.
First, we know there are many options for exercise, but we’re overwhelmed by our choices. What exercises will best help us lose weight fast?
Then, there are our own bodily limitations. We want to start losing weight today, but if we rush to strenuous exercises, we’ll injure ourselves. Injury will only hold us back from our weight loss journey.
A great weight loss strategy begins with a simple starter routine and progresses over time to increase workout intensity while preventing injuries. The best option for this is a treadmill walking program. Here’s how to get started on a treadmill.
Benefits of Treadmill Walking for Weight Loss
Walking is an excellent entry point for getting into shape. And with a treadmill, you’ll have an easy time getting started:
- You won’t have to worry about weather or commutes
- Treadmills provide great motivation by helping you measure your fitness progress
- Different treadmills come with different features to suit your unique needs
Although weight loss will take time, you’ll find the process enjoyable with a treadmill. Burn those calories while enjoying music or other entertainment, and then finish strong with that feeling of accomplishment — knowing you’ve exercised and committed to improving your health.
Tips for How to Get Started on a Treadmill
As with any fitness routine, you’ll need the proper equipment to do things right:
- Be sure to wear comfortable walking or running shoes
- Bring a water bottle to your treadmill workout
- Feel free to prepare a playlist of jams or audiobooks to help you stick with the work out
You’ll also want to adjust your treadmill’s settings to your fitness level and individual needs. Everyone has a different starting point; the goal is to start where you feel comfortable and then to increase the challenge over time. Keep these “starting points” in mind:
- Starting Speed: Adjust the pace at which you walk on the treadmill. Common starting speeds range from 2.5 mph to 3.5 mph, but yours might be a little slower or faster. Focus on finding the speed at which you can walk fairly comfortably for an extended period of time without running out of breath.
- Starting Duration: This number will be affected by how much time you have to work out and how much you can walk at a stretch. A good starting point is to walk for five minutes at a time and then increase your walking duration from there.
- Starting Incline: You can change the angle of your treadmill to simulate walking up or down a hill. It’s fine if you don’t want to start with an incline! But when you feel ready to up the intensity of your workout, increase the incline to give yourself more of a challenge and to push your heart, lungs, and legs to get stronger.
Remember to warm up before and cool down after each workout. This will help to prevent injuries.
Sample Treadmill Workout Plan
Here is a sample plan for someone with a:
- Starting speed of 2.5 mph
- Starting duration of 10 minute walking sessions, six days per week
- Starting incline of zero
The goal is to exercise for three months and work up to a(n):
- Speed of 4 mph
- Walking duration of 30 minutes per workout
- Incline of 4%
The warm up and cool down sessions should involve stretches and walking at a slow pace with zero incline.
You don’t have to work out six days a week to lose weight fast. This sample plan can be extended over multiple weeks with two or three rest days per week. You might also find that some progressions aren’t challenging enough, so you can move to more difficult speeds, durations, or inclines earlier on. Trust your body and focus on finding an appropriate level of challenge for you.
Week 1: Beginning and Gradually Increasing Speed and Time
Day 1: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 4 minutes, zero incline, 2.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 2: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 5 minutes, zero incline, 2.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 3: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 5 minutes, zero incline, 2.7 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 4: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 6 minutes, zero incline, 2.7 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 5: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 6 minutes, zero incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 6: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 7 minutes, zero incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 7: Rest day
Week 2: Increasing Time and Incline
Day 8: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 7 minutes, 1% incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 9: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 8 minutes, 1% incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 10: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 9 minutes 1% incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 11: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 9 minutes, 2% incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 12: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 10 minutes, 2% incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 13: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 11 minutes, 2% incline, 2.9 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 14: Rest day
Week 3: Increasing Speed with Time
Day 15: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 11 minutes, 2% incline, 3.1 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 16: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 12 minutes, 2% incline, 3.1 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 17: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 12 minutes, 2% incline, 3.3 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 18: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 13 minutes, 2% incline, 3.3 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 19: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 13 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 20: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 14 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 21: Rest Day
Week 4: Reaching High Time Workouts
Day 22: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 15 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 23: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 16 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 24: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 17 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 25: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 18 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 26: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 19 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 27: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 20 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 28: Rest Day
Day 29: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 21 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Day 30: Warm up 3 minutes. Walk 22 minutes, 2% incline, 3.5 mph. Cool down 3 minutes.
Months 2 and 3: Creating Flexible Goals
Week 5: Focus on getting to 30-minute workouts every day — if you need more rest days, consider trying to reach 35 minutes of walking 3 or 4 days a week.
Week 6: Work to up 3% incline for half the workout.
Week 7: Increase incline to 3% for the whole workout (except for warm up and cool down).
Week 8: Increase speed over your workouts to 3.8 mph for half the time.
Week 9: Maintain a walking speed of 3.8 mph for the whole workout.
Week 10: Increase incline to 4% for half the workout.
Week 11: Increase incline to 4% for the whole workout.
Week 12: Increase speed to 4 mph for half the workout, then for the whole workout on your last Week 12 workout!
Slow progressions let you gauge your progress and improve at a rate that is manageable for you. Any time you feel that a change is too much, scale back to the previous day and repeat that workout for at least one day. Any time you feel a change is not challenging enough, feel free to try the next progression.
Ready to get started and lose weight fast? Explore LiveFit.com to find the right equipment for you to start losing weight today.
Looking for more ways to improve your fitness routine? Talk with experts at G&G Fitness Equipment today for more inspiration.
For more tips, we recommend these articles: From Fad to Fact: HIIT Training Just Plain Works, Cheap Ways to Workout at Home, Get Fit in the Gym, Lose Weight in the Kitchen.
Have questions? Ask them in the comments below!
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If you’re ready to take the next steps in your fitness journey, contact the experts at G&G Fitness Equipment today, use the chat feature on the bottom right of this window to connect live with a G&G expert, or stop into a G&G Fitness Equipment showroom and let us show you why we are the best specialty fitness equipment retailer in the northeast.
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