Treadmill Workouts to Lose Weight for Beginners

Decided to lose weight? Excellent! Now comes the hard part—deciding exactly how to get that stubborn weight off. Fitscope’s discussed a variety of workout machines to help people lose weight when starting an exercise program; however, most people turn to the treadmill when beginning their fitness journey due to the ease of use and readily available access that the machine provides.

Let’s start by saying that the treadmill is an excellent weight loss tool for most people when used correctly, but there’s no magic speed formula that’s going to work for everyone. Far too often, people begin a workout program with the idea that they’re going to follow a specific workout to a T, only to find that they’re injured or burnt out within the first few weeks due to over-exertion.

The key to completing a successful treadmill workout program as a beginner is to make sure one works out at their fitness level. This prevents injury as well as putting less stress on the joints for a fat burning, low impact workout that gets results. With consistent training, most people will find they can build up to the speed/intensity they wanted in the beginning rather quickly—without getting injured.

Listen to Your Body

So, how does one make sure they’re working out at their fitness level? By listening to their body. Whoever said “No Pain, No Gain” couldn’t be more incorrect. If workouts feel painful, a person needs to immediately get off the workout equipment and let their body rest. Continuing a workout while injured can cause irreversible damage to the area if serious enough, which could mean a workout program is completely off the table. Instead of aiming for a specific incline or speed goal, look to keep the heartrate at 60-70% and learn what your body feels like when you’re working out that intensely.

Another thing to remember is the state the body is in before the workout. If one has knee issues, it may not be possible to complete jogging or running sprints, and that’s fine. Power walking is a viable option that facilitates a great workout that burns fat without any of the stress on joints that are associated with running or jogging. To complete one of the below workouts that feature running or jogging sprints, simply substitute with power walking.

Below are five workouts that are perfect for treadmill beginners. Add all of them to a workout regime rotation to keep the body guessing (you should use at least two) so plateaus are a thing of the past and that weight will start to feel like it’s melting off the body. We’ve given some speeds for context of how fast most people will walk, but don’t be afraid to workout at a slower or faster pace, depending on the body’s needs.

Finally, some of the below workouts are HIIT workouts, meaning that the user works out in sprints with a cool down period. Aim to workout at a high intensity pace during the sprint periods while keeping the heart rate up during the slower periods.

Workout One – Absolute Newbies

This workout allows anyone to start their fitness journey by simply walking, There’s no change in incline or complicated time frames here.

Warm Up – 5 Minutes – Stroll (Usually 2–3 mph)

Workout – 20+ Minutes – 3–4 MPH

Cooldown – 5 Minutes – Slow Stroll (Usually 1.5-2mph)

This workout requires the user to workout as long as they feel comfortable; the 20 minutes is just where one should start. This workout is great for those with knee issues because there’s very little pressure placed on the joints. As the workout becomes part of the regime, users will find they can quickly build up their stamina to walk for over 90 minutes at a time.

Workout Two – Beginning Sprints

This beginning sprint workout introduces the body to sprint system with a thorough workout that keeps the heart rate up without overexerting the body.

Warmup – 10 Minutes – Stroll (About 1.5–2mph)

Powerwalk – 1 Minute – 3.5–4mph

Walk – 5 Minutes – 2mph

Powerwalk – 1 Minute – 3.5–4mph

Walk – 5 Minutes – 2mph

Powerwalk – 7 Minutes – 3.5–4mph

Cooldown – 5 Minutes – 2mph

To properly power walk, remember that the full body needs to be engaged. Pump those arms up and take powerful strides when going through the workout to get the most out of the workout. Don’t stress about speeds either; these are just general guidelines. This workout, like the first one, is great for the knees being it’s extremely low impact. As users become more fit, they can easily customize this plan by increasing the speed, adding incline or working out for longer.

Workout Three – 20 Minute Spurts

This workout is an excellent tool to get a quick workout in when one wants to fit in a workout but is pressed on time.

Warmup – 5 minutes – 2mph

Increase speed to 3mph for 1 minute