Training guide
To use a treadmill, clip the safety key to your clothes, stand on the side rails while the belt starts slowly, then step on and walk, holding the rails only until you're steady. Build up to a brisk walk you can talk through, add a little incline or some jogging when that feels easy, and slow right down and stop the belt before you step off.
Walking and running on a treadmill work much like walking and running outside: knee loads were the same in studies, a 1% incline matters mainly at running speeds, and gripping the rails made the same setting 15 to 21% easier in a small study. The real risks are falls and, at home, children's hands caught under the belt.
This guide covers the machine step by step on the 3D figure, speed and incline, the handrails, calories, your knees, safety at home, and a first session built from our walking and running workouts.
Clip the safety key to your clothes every time, stand on the side rails while the belt starts at its slowest speed, then step on. At the end, slow to a walk and stop the belt before you step off. That's the makers' guidance; no study has tested the key itself, but treadmills caused two-thirds of US emergency visits from home exercise machines.
Most serious treadmill injuries are children's hands caught under the moving belt: deep friction burns and lost fingers, often while an adult was on the machine. Take the key out after use and keep it out of reach.
Gripping the rails cut oxygen use by 15 to 21% and heart rate by 12 to 21 beats a minute at the same setting in a small study, so you get an easier workout than the display says. A fingertip touch for balance is fine; if you need to hold on, slow down.
The NHS puts a brisk walk at about 3 mph (4.8 km/h), but people chose a pace about 9% slower on a treadmill than outdoors, so go by the talk test: you can talk but not sing. Start with 10 to 20 minutes and build towards 30 (our editorial starting point), then add incline or jogging.
A 1% incline matched the energy cost of running outdoors in 9 trained men running at 10.5 to 18 km/h, and at easy speeds 0% and 1% gave similar oxygen use. For walking, 0 to 1% is fine: that's our reading of the running studies and the physics of air resistance, as no study has tested walkers.
Knee loads were the same on a treadmill as running outside. Recreational runners had less hip and knee arthritis than people who didn't run (3.5% against 10.2%), and walking for exercise went with less new knee pain in people who already had knee arthritis. New runners get injured more often, so build up slowly.
From one maker's manual (the key, the side rails, the space behind) and our treadmill walking move page ("Start the belt slowly and step on, holding the rails only to get going"). The 3 to 5 minutes at each end is editorial, matching our plans' warm-up. Treadmills from different makers work the same way; the buttons differ, so read the label on yours.
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The movement on the figure: Treadmill walking
Our treadmill jogging move page ("Alternate jogging with walking at first"; "Keep the strides short and light") and our run-walk workout ("On a treadmill, set a 0 to 1% incline and clip on the safety key"). The speed range is editorial. Our how to start running guide covers the walk-run plan.
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The movement on the figure: Treadmill jogging
A motorised belt you walk or run on, a console that sets the speed (in km/h or mph) and the incline (a percentage), side rails and a front handlebar, a stop button, and a safety key on a cord. Clip the cord to your clothes: if you fall back or step off, the key pulls out and the belt stops. One maker says the key "should be attached to user during every workout", the side rails are for "whenever additional stability is required", and the front handlebars are "not for stability, emergency, or continuous use".
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The incline is a grade: how much you rise for every 100 units you travel. So 1% is about 0.6 degrees and 12% is about 6.8 degrees (our arithmetic), as our incline walking guide explains. That guide covers steep walking and the 12-3-30 workout.
Brisk walking is moderate activity and running is vigorous, in the NHS's words, and the NHS's Couch to 5K says you can do its runs "on a treadmill instead" of outside. The three treadmill demos on this page show walking, jogging and running.
The same muscles as walking and running outdoors: the calves, the front and back of the thighs and the glutes, with the hips and calves working much harder uphill (our incline walking guide has the figures). Treadmill running mechanics are "largely comparable" to running outside: across 33 studies the foot landed flatter on the belt, while the peak impact force didn't differ.
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Pace: people chose a speed about 9% slower on a treadmill than outdoors (older adults 1.31 against 1.45 metres a second), so the right number on the screen may be lower than your outdoor pace suggests. Experience: new treadmill runners needed about 8 minutes to settle into a normal stride, and the odd "still moving" feeling after you step off fades as you get used to treadmills. Weight: heavier people use more energy at the same setting, and treadmills have a maximum user weight (136 kg on one maker's), so check the label. Balance: if yours is poor, holding a rail lightly is sensible; just remember it makes the workout easier than the display says.
The NHS says a brisk walk is about 3 mph (4.8 km/h) and that "You can tell you're walking briskly if you can still talk but cannot sing". Because people choose a slower pace on the belt, start below your outdoor pace and go up 0.2 to 0.5 km/h at a time (our suggestion).
The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities gives the average energy cost of activities in METs (metabolic equivalents: multiples of the energy you use at rest). Multiply by your weight in kg and the time in hours for calories. For 30 minutes on a flat treadmill at 70 kg:
The Compendium's authors say its values are "a starting point" and don't reflect any one person's exact energy use. Heavier people burn more and lighter people less. The running values are general ones: the Compendium has no separate entry for running on a motorised treadmill. Our running pace calculator turns speeds into pace.
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In 9 trained men running 6 minutes at each speed from 10.5 to 18 km/h on a road and on a treadmill, a 1% grade matched the energy cost of road running best; at the two slowest speeds, 0% matched too. Across 34 studies, oxygen use at easy running speeds was the same as outdoors at 0% and at 1%. The 1% stands in for air resistance, which is about 2% of the cost at marathon pace and about 8% at 5,000 m race pace; for a walker it matters only in strong wind. We found no study of the 1% question at walking speeds, so "0 to 1% is fine for walking" is our reading of the running studies and the physics.
Add 1 or 2% at a time and slow the belt as the slope rises so you can still talk, as our incline walking guide does: start at 3 to 5% for 10 to 15 minutes. Walking up an 11% slope at 5.5 km/h cost the same energy as running at 8 km/h in 20 young adults, with about a third less impact force. Steep walking and 12-3-30 are covered in our incline walking guide. On a treadmill you never walk downhill.
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In 10 adults aged 38 to 60 walking at the same settings, gripping the rails cut oxygen use by 15 to 21% and heart rate by 12 to 21 beats a minute; resting the hands on the rails cut oxygen use by about 4 to 8% (our arithmetic from the study's table). Even "continuous light or continuous very light" support lowered the effort on a stepping machine in 15 women. Holding on means a lighter workout than the display says.
In maximal treadmill tests, holding the rails stretched test time by 44.4% in 52 adults and raised predicted fitness in other studies. Limiting support to the tips of two fingers shrank the difference.
In 50 young adults, holding the rails reduced how well they learned a new walking pattern on a treadmill. But the authors of another study note that people new to treadmills, or afraid of falling, "may benefit from handrail support" at first.
Hold the side rails to get on and off and while you find your feet. Then let go and swing your arms, with a fingertip touch if you need it for balance. If you need to grip to keep up, slow the belt or lower the incline. This matches our incline walking guide.
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In 13 adults, energy use at the same felt effort varied by 261 calories an hour across six machines, and the treadmill was highest. Jogging was highest of six exercise types in 10 men. In 30 experienced men working hard, the treadmill used 15.18 calories a minute, against 13.35 on a stair climber, 12.82 on an elliptical and 11.07 to 12.45 on bikes. So at a given effort the treadmill uses a bit more energy; over a session, the machine you work harder on and keep using burns more.
We found no study that tested a treadmill's calorie display. Treadmills commonly estimate from standard walking and running equations. These were close in some studies (within about 20 kJ for running and 14 kJ for walking over 1,600 m in 24 adults) and about 20% too high in others (for women walking up a 6% slope, our arithmetic from a study of 200 students), and the running equation read high at harder efforts. Holding the rails makes any estimate too high. Type in your weight if the console asks, and compare yourself only on the same machine.
A treadmill helps through the energy it uses, like any cardio. Exercise alone takes weight off slowly: about 2.8 kg at 150 minutes a week across 116 trials. It doesn't take fat off your stomach or thighs in particular.
In 18 runners, the load behind the kneecap didn't differ between treadmill and overground running, and knee moments didn't differ across studies. The Achilles tendon took about 12.5% more force on the treadmill in that study, so build up gradually if your calves or Achilles complain.
Across 17 studies of 114,829 people, 3.5% of recreational runners had hip or knee arthritis, against 10.2% of people who didn't run and 13.3% of competitive runners. In 2,637 people in a US cohort, runners had no more knee arthritis with symptoms. These studies show links, not causes, and another review couldn't settle running's role either way.
In 1,212 people with knee arthritis, walking for exercise went with less new frequent knee pain, and in another study running didn't go with worse pain or faster progression. NICE recommends exercise, including aerobic fitness, for everyone with osteoarthritis.
Across 13 studies, new runners had 17.8 injuries per 1,000 hours of running, against 7.7 in recreational runners. Knee cartilage thins slightly straight after a run and recovers, changes the authors call small and short-lived (very low certainty). Build up slowly, as our running guide explains.
In 3 people with gauges on the shin bone, bone strain was 48 to 285% higher running outside than on a treadmill, while the Achilles took about 12.5% more force on the treadmill in 18 runners. That's why a review suggests treadmill running may suit a return from a shin stress fracture but not from Achilles or calf problems. These are small studies; our pain guides cover returning from injury.
In people with instrumented knee implants, walking put about 2 to 2.6 times body weight through the knee and jogging more than 4 times. A slower walk up a gentle slope or a bike may feel easier on a sore knee, as our incline walking and exercise bike guides explain.
Across 33 studies of 494 people, running mechanics, muscle activity and loads were "largely comparable", and at easy speeds oxygen use was the same. Heart rate and effort ran a little lower at slow speeds and higher at fast ones, and endurance performance was worse on the treadmill, so race times won't transfer exactly.
One review found treadmill walking largely comparable to walking outside, including energy use; a larger one (55 studies, 1,005 adults) found slightly higher oxygen use and shorter, quicker steps on the belt, which its authors put down to people steadying themselves. Two small studies found older adults used more energy on a treadmill. Either way, it isn't easier.
In 32 trials in inactive adults, walking programmes raised aerobic fitness and lowered systolic blood pressure by about 3.6 mmHg. Walking groups raised fitness and lowered blood pressure and resting heart rate across 42 studies.
A year of regular running raised aerobic fitness in inactive adults. Across 14 studies of 232,149 people, runners had a 27% lower risk of dying early, and "Any amount of running, even just once a week, is better than no running"; a later review found 23%. These are links from observational studies, mostly of running outdoors.
We found no training trial that used only a treadmill in healthy beginners. The walking and running evidence applies because a treadmill is walking and running indoors (our reading).
In 16 adults on a treadmill and a bike, the point where talking first got harder matched a breathing threshold measured in the lab, as our zone 2 guide explains.
US emergency departments saw an estimated 70,302 injuries from home exercise machines in 2007 to 2011; 66% were from treadmills, which make up only about a quarter of the machines sold. Most adult injuries were sprains and strains. Treadmill head injuries rose over 18 years, and people over 50 were 14 times as likely to be admitted to hospital.
In those US figures, an estimated 895 finger or hand amputations and avulsions came from home machines, 81.5% in children under 10 and 73.1% from treadmills. Across 22 studies of 842 children with friction injuries of the hand or arm, 95% were from treadmills and 29.6% needed surgery straight away. In Australia, about a third of children's treadmill burns happened while someone else was using the machine, and in two UK burns units most children trapped their hand while an adult was using it.
After a child's death and 72 reports of people, children, pets or objects pulled under one treadmill, the US regulator said the hazard "cannot be avoided simply by locking the device when not in use", and advised storing the safety key away from the machine and out of children's reach. Australia requires home treadmills to carry a warning to keep young children away at all times.
Keep children and pets out of the room while the treadmill is on, unplug it and take the key out afterwards, and keep about 2 m by 1 m clear behind it. Learn where the stop button is: the US regulator has warned about one brand's walking pads after reports of sudden speed changes and abrupt stops.
Hold the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. Call 999 or go to A&E for a large or deep burn, or one on the face, genitals or bottom, and call NHS 111 if you're not sure what to do or for advice for a child under 5, as the NHS advises.
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Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus strength work on 2 days, and treadmill minutes count. Moderate means you can talk but not sing; vigorous means you can't say more than a few words without pausing for breath. The NHS suggests spreading it over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day.
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10 to 20 minutes of walking at a talk-but-not-sing pace, building towards 30 by adding about 5 minutes every session or two (our editorial starting point, matching our easy cardio workout). Change one thing at a time: time first, then speed or incline.
When 30 minutes of brisk walking feels easy, try gentle incline walking or fast-and-easy walking intervals, then walk-jog sessions, as our walking and running workouts do. Run three times a week with a rest day between at first, as Couch to 5K does.
Intervals once or twice a week, with easier days between, as our HIIT guide suggests. The Norwegian 4x4 workout works on a treadmill, walking uphill or jogging.
It makes the workout easier than the display says. Slow down and let go.
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Start from the side rails, use stop, and let the belt stop before you step off.
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Clip it on every time, however short the session.
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Stay near the middle. If you keep drifting back, the speed is too high (our suggestion).
Look ahead, as our walking move page says.
One maker says never to. Backward walking for balance has only preliminary evidence, so leave it out.
Raise speed or incline, one at a time and a little at a time, as our incline walking guide advises.
Keep the strides short and light, as our jogging move page says.
Lower the incline until you can let go.
Walk briskly for 10 to 20 minutes, building towards 30 (our editorial starting point); then 1-minute easy jogs between 1-minute walks, building over three weeks as our run-walk workout does; treadmill running comes once 20 to 30 minutes of jogging feels comfortable.
On 2 days a week: 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 calf raises (our incline walking guide), 2 sets of 15 to 20 tibialis raises and 2 sets of 8 to 10 step-ups each side (our strength workout for runners at home), and 12 glute bridges (our low-impact leg workout). After walking or running, the calf, soleus and quad stretches for 30 seconds each side, for comfort.
3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall
3D demoTibialis raiseBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)Beginner · A wall
3D demoSoleus wall stretchBeginner · A wall
3D demoStanding quad stretchBeginner · A wallStart with the easy cardio workout (a brisk 30-minute walk); then the interval walk or the incline walking workout; then the run-walk intervals, which are weeks 1 to 3 of Couch to 5K. The incline treadmill workout builds to the 12-3-30 settings, and the cardio machines tour tries the treadmill beside the other machines.
A steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 40-minute walk alternating 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy, five times over: the interval walking tested in Japanese trials, built up from three rounds.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 50-minute walk with hills, outdoors or on a treadmill slope: brisk on the flat, slower on the climbs, building from gentle slopes to about 6%.
50 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A stepA 30-minute beginner run-walk session: a brisk walk, then 1-minute jogs with 1-minute walks, building to 3-minute runs over your first three weeks.
30 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A wallA 25-minute walk with short faster bouts: notice your heart and breathing speed up, then settle. A gentle way to get used to the feelings of effort.
25 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A wallA 40-minute easy run at a pace where you can talk in full sentences, with a brisk-walk warm-up and an easy cool-down: the base of every running plan.
40 minBeginner6 movesCardio machine, A wallA steep treadmill walk that builds over weeks to the 12-3-30 settings (12% incline, 3 mph, 30 minutes), with a warm-up, a cool-down and stop rules.
40 minIntermediate3 movesCardio machine, A wallThe Norwegian 4x4, a well-studied interval session for raising VO2 max: four 4-minute hard efforts with 3 easy minutes between, on a bike, rower or treadmill.
40 minIntermediate3 movesCardio machine, A wallA first tour of the gym's cardio machines: a few minutes each on the bike, treadmill, cross-trainer and rower, set up safely, at a talk-but-not-sing pace.
40 minBeginner7 movesCardio machine, A wallThe walking plan and 30-day walking challenge build brisk walking; Couch to 5K takes you from walking to 30 minutes of running; the gym plan for beginners tries the treadmill on its cardio day.
A free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginner5 days a weekA free 30-day walking challenge for beginners: five walks a week, from 10 to 25 brisk minutes, with rest days and a step target built on your own average.
5 training days25 minBeginner3 days a weekA 9-week beginner plan with the same walk-to-run shape as Couch to 5K: three run-walk sessions a week, from 1-minute jogs to 30 minutes of running.
3 training days35 minBeginner3 days a weekA first gym plan for beginners: 3 days a week, starting on the machines, adding free weights and cardio, with what changes by week 12 and what comes next.
3 training days50 minBeginner5 days a weekA 12-week workout plan for weight loss: three strength days, two cardio days and daily steps, building to 200 minutes a week, with honest results.
3 training days45 minBeginnerBrisk walking needs no check for most people, but running and steep walking are vigorous. Check with your GP first if you have a heart, kidney or metabolic condition, or get chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active. If your blood pressure is high and not yet controlled, keep to moderate effort until it is. On a beta blocker, go by the talk test rather than your heart rate.
With epilepsy, clip on the treadmill's safety key, as our move pages say. If your balance is poor, you've fallen, or your seizures aren't controlled, hold a rail lightly and keep the speed where your feet stay sure, or choose a bike or recumbent bike (our suggestion).
Walk rather than run while it settles, keep the incline low, and keep pain to about 5 out of 10, settled by the next morning, as our pain guides advise. The treadmill loads the Achilles slightly more than running outside.
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Walking is recommended. If you already run on a treadmill you can usually carry on at a comfortable effort, but the NHS says it's not recommended to start a new vigorous activity such as running in pregnancy. As your bump grows, your balance changes, so hold the rails lightly and keep the speed comfortable.
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Treadmills suit older adults well, and older adults were more likely to be admitted to hospital after a treadmill fall. Start slowly from the side rails, clip on the key, and hold a rail lightly if you need it.
If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that feels tight, heavy or squeezing, or spreads to your arms, neck, jaw or back; a sudden, extremely painful headache, especially while straining; someone who faints while exercising; or palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Also call 999 for pain and swelling in one leg with breathlessness or chest pain: it can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
Severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get your words out) is a 999 call; being more short of breath than usual is a call to NHS 111, as the NHS advises.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising.
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Slow down for the last few minutes and hold the rails to step off. See a GP after any faint, and if you keep feeling light-headed after slowing down gradually, or dizziness keeps coming back.
Call 999 if someone has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake, has a fit, has new numbness or weakness, or has problems with their vision, speech, walking or balance. Get help from NHS 111 after a head injury if they're being sick, feel dizzy, or take medicine that thins the blood, as the NHS advises.
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Get advice from NHS 111 now: you cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape; or the knee locks, gives way or clicks painfully. Painless clicking is normal.
See a GP if knee pain hasn't improved within a few weeks.
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Same day (NHS 111): throbbing pain and swelling in one calf or thigh, with warm, red or darker skin around it, which can be a blood clot in a leg vein; or a snap or pop at the back of the heel, then trouble walking or standing on tiptoe.
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The NHS says not to run if you're in pain. Pain in one spot on a bone that gets worse with each step can be a stress fracture: stop running and get it checked, as our running guide explains.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
Aim for discomfort you'd call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning, as our back pain guides say. Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading down a leg are the exception: stop, and see our sciatica guide.
See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new or harder session is common and fades. Sharp pain, or pain that builds during a set or lingers into the next day, isn't: swap to an easier version, and see a clinician if it persists, as our plans advise. The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get help from 111 if symptoms worry you or don't go away.
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Knee loads were the same on a treadmill as outdoors, and recreational runners had less knee and hip arthritis than people who didn't run. New runners do get injured more, so build up slowly.
Peak impact force and knee loads didn't differ from running outside in studies, and the Achilles worked slightly harder on the treadmill.
1% matched road running at 10.5 to 18 km/h in trained men. At easy speeds 0% and 1% were alike, and for walking it makes little difference (our reading of the physics; no study tested walkers).
Gripping them cut oxygen use by 15 to 21% at the same setting and inflated test results. A light touch for balance is fine.
At easy speeds the oxygen cost was the same. Heart rate and effort were a little lower at slow speeds and higher at fast ones, and people performed worse in endurance tests on the treadmill.
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No study has tested a treadmill display. The equations machines use were close in some studies and about 20% high in others, and holding the rails makes any estimate too high.
About a third of children's treadmill burns in one series happened while someone else was using the machine, and the US regulator says locking it isn't enough. Keep children out of the room while it's on.
Clip the safety key to your clothes, stand on the side rails and press start so the belt moves slowly, then step on and walk, holding the rails only until you're steady. Raise the speed a little at a time to a brisk walk you can talk through. Slow down for the last few minutes and stop the belt before you step off.
Start at an easy pace and build to a brisk walk where you can talk but not sing. The NHS puts a brisk walk at about 3 mph (4.8 km/h), but people pick a slower pace on a treadmill than outdoors, so go by your breathing rather than the number.
For walking and easy jogging, 0 to 1% is fine. A 1% incline matched the effort of running outdoors in trained men running at 10.5 to 18 km/h, where air resistance matters; at easy speeds 0% and 1% were alike. For a harder walk, add 1 or 2% at a time, as our incline walking guide explains.
It's a key on a cord: clip it to your clothes, and if you stumble back or fall, it pulls out and the belt stops. Makers say to use it every workout, and to take it out and keep it away from children when you finish.
Lightly, to get on and off or for balance. Gripping them cut oxygen use by 15 to 21% at the same setting in a small study, so you get an easier workout than the display says. If you need to hold on to keep up, slow down or lower the incline.
At easy speeds the oxygen cost is about the same. Heart rate and effort run a little lower at slow speeds and higher at fast ones, and people did worse in endurance tests on a treadmill. Running form is much the same, though new treadmill runners need a few minutes to settle.
Not for most people. Knee loads were the same on a treadmill as running outdoors, and recreational runners had less knee and hip arthritis than people who didn't run. New runners get injured more often, so build up slowly, and see our knee pain when running guide if it hurts.
For a 70 kg person, 30 minutes is about 170 calories walking briskly on the flat and about 265 jogging (our arithmetic from the Compendium of Physical Activities). Heavier people burn more. No study has checked a treadmill's display, and holding the rails makes any estimate too high.
Start with 10 to 20 minutes and build towards 30, adding about 5 minutes every session or two. Brisk walking counts towards the 150 minutes a week the NHS recommends. A brisk 30-minute walk is about 3,000 steps, as our steps guide explains.
Walking on a belt gives your brain little sense of moving forwards, and the mismatch carries on for a moment after you stop; it fades as you get used to treadmills. Slow down for the last few minutes and hold the rails to step off. See a GP if you keep feeling light-headed.
Only with care. Children's hands caught under the belt cause deep friction burns and lost fingers, often while an adult is using it. Keep children and pets out of the room when it's on, unplug it, and store the safety key out of reach.
A walking pad is a flat, slow treadmill without rails, made for walking at a desk; a gym treadmill goes faster, inclines and has rails and a stop button. The same rules apply to both: clip on any safety key, start slowly and keep children and pets away. The US regulator has warned about sudden speed changes on one brand's walking pads, so learn where the stop is.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
