5 Treadmill Workouts For Beginners

The treadmill doesn’t have to be scary. It can be a great way for beginners to introduce cardio into their exercise routine.

The benefits of working out on a treadmill include burning calories to get you into that glorious calorie deficit, toning muscles and helping you increase your cardiovascular strength. 

At FitKit, we have created a range of treadmill workouts for beginners to help you get to grips with the treadmill. 

Treadmill workout for beginners

1. Incline treadmill workout
2. Interval Hill Treadmill Workout 
3. Treadmill sprint workouts
4. HIIT treadmill workout
5.  Pyramid treadmill workout 

Incline treadmill workout

Most treadmills have an incline feature that helps to mirror hills and steeper inclines. Using this feature during your workouts is a great way to activate key muscle groups and keep your heart rate at a raised level. 

For beginners, if the thought of running on a treadmill terrifies you – you can use the incline to your advantage. 

• Warm-up with a 5-minute walk – This will allow you to get a feel of the treadmill and allow you enough time to determine your pace and what feels comfortable. 
• Once you feel ready to get into the workout, stay at your walking pace, then increase the incline. 
• Choose an incline and pace that takes your heart rate to around 80% to 90%. 
• Stay at this incline and pace for around 8-10 minutes. 
• Slow the pace down to a steady walk and regain your breath for 2 minutes. During this time, you can grab a drink. 
• Repeat for 2 to 3 repetitions. 

Benefits of incline treadmill workouts include the ability to increase the difficulty progressively. As you become more seasoned in the workout, you will find that you can increase the pace. 

Interval Hill Treadmill Workout 

Adding interval hills into your treadmill workout can be a good way to challenge yourself – especially as a beginner. 

• Warm-up with a 5-minute walk. Do this on a flat level. 
• Jog on an incline for 1 minute 30 seconds. 
• Walk on a flat level for 2 minutes. 
• Jog on a higher (around 2 notches depending on how comfortable you feel) level for another 1 minute 30 seconds. 
• Walk on a flat level for 2 minutes. 
• Repeat once more. 
• Cool-down with a 5-minute walk on a flat level. 

With an interval hill treadmill workout, you can adapt the pace and level of difficulty. Also, as you are not sprinting, you will find that this feels challenging but manageable. You should be out of breath by the end of your workout but not gasping for air. 

Treadmill sprint workouts

If you’re looking for a challenge, this is the workout for you. It’s guaranteed to get your heart rate up, and you’ll be reaching for that sweat towel at the end. 

For this one, you will need to be warmed up. Failure to warm up correctly could result in you pulling a muscle, causing injury. 

For treadmill sprints, make sure that the incline is flat. 

• Walk steadily for 3 minutes. 
• Jog for 2 minutes. You should feel loose and ready to give it your best effort. 
• Walk for 2 minutes and gain your composure. If you can sip water, take a small drink. 
• Increase the speed of your treadmill to a level where you feel like you are sprinting. Once you get to maximum speed, continue sprinting for 30 seconds. 
• Then reduce your speed back to a walking pace. 
• Continue to walk for 1 minute 30 seconds. 
• Repeat x7. 
• Slow down to a walk and cool down with a 3-minute brisk walk.

This one is designed to be a challenge. You will feel out of breath, and you should be sweating. 

HIIT Treadmill Workouts

HIIT stands for High-intensity Interval Training and involves sets of exercises that alternate between rest and intense exercise.

Studies have shown that HIIT workouts effectively burn calories quickly and reduce body fat in a shorter duration. 

They may be shorter, but don’t be fooled – they’re intense. 

• Walk steadily for 3 minutes.
• Run for 45 seconds (at around 70/80% capacity)
• Walk for 1 minute. 
• Repeat 5 – 10 times. 
• Cool down with jog at around 60% capacity for 3 minutes. 

This may feel similar to the sprinting workout; the main difference is the speed you run. With HIIT workouts, you should be pushing yourself hard, but not to the maximum capacity of a sprint. Reducing this will allow you to get a few more rounds in.  

Pyramid Treadmill Workout

A pyramid treadmill workout activates your speed in a pyramid formation. 

Starting at a low speed, working to a top point and descending back to the original speed. 

Sounds simple, right? 

• Start the treadmill at a walking pace. This will be the warm-up you need to get started with the workout. 
• From here, every minute, you will increase your speed by one. 
• Repeat this until you feel you are at 65-70% speed. 
• Then reduce the increments of speed by one every minute. 
• Continue this until you reach your original walking speed. 

Top Tip: With this exercise, make sure you take your speed to a fast jog/medium pace run without over exerting yourself.

Treadmill workouts for beginners

It is important to remember that treadmill workouts are just as intense as you make them. If you are new to running or the gym lifestyle, remember to ease yourself into the process. Building a steady pace and learning the basics is a good foundation to build from. 

At FitKit, we offer a range of treadmills for you to get started on your cardio journey. You will also find a range of home gym equipment that you can add to your workout space if you are building your own fitness room.