What is a good speed to run on when working on a treadmill?

1. 79

   barbergirl28posted 13 years ago

   What is a good speed to run on when working on a treadmill?
   
   I have been trying to use the treadmill lately to work on my pacing problems. However, I am only running at a 4.5 which is (I don't remember exactly) but about a 14 minute or 13 minute mile. That seems so slow? Is that really accurate? And what is a good speed when you are just looking to use it for cardio?

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2. 61

   Matt in Jaxposted 13 years ago

   That's accurate. What average time per mile are you looking for? I tend to run at about 6 or 6.5 mi/hr for a nice pacing jog.

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3. 62

   Daffy Duckposted 13 years ago

   Everyone is different in this area.  Your speed will depend on what kind of shape you're in.  I have a treadmill as well.  I'm not in real good shape, but I can run at 6.5 for 10 minutes.  Look for a speed that you can run at for at least 10 minutes without really straining yourself too much.  You're right though.  4.5 is more like speed walking.  You could do 5.5 and observe the results.  Gradually increasing speed is better than dramatically increasing it.

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4. 61

   Tagesposted 13 years ago

   Yes, your math is right.  6 mph is a great speed and ideal for both weight bearing and endurance.  7mph is a good jogging pace for a 5'11'' man and actually the formation running standard for 82nd Airborne. 
   
   For cardio, I recommend intervals of 5 minutes going between various speeds.  It is similar to fat burning intervals, but the stress it puts on the body is healthier.

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5. 91

   crankaliciousposted 13 years ago

   Getting the cardio benefit has more to do with how long you are running. You can get the same results running slower for a longer time versus running fast for a shorter time. Any exercise should be for more than 20 minutes. The answer ultimately depends on your goals.

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6. 60

   Gregoryyposted 12 years ago

   Run at a pace that is difficult, but not too difficult. Run at a pace that makes your lungs work hard, and brings out a ton of sweat, yet not so fast that you have no control of how you are running. Put the treadmill on the highest incline possible while running. This burns even more calories, and may provide resistance.

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7. 64

   jacobspageposted 12 years ago

   Try running in intervals, your body starts to get used to one speed and does not burn calories at the best possible rate you could be getting. I like to jog at a 1-2-3 interval plan, one minute high intensity, two minutes medium intensity and 3 low intensity, then repeat.

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8. 67

   Pinkchic18posted 12 years ago

   It depends on a lot of different things I think. My husband is 6 foot tall and runs about 7.0-7.5 mph speed. I'm 5'5" and run about 5.5-6.0 mph. When I first started though, i was running at about 5.0 mph until I got better at it. I do agree with @Tages though - interval training is very effective. I like to jog average speed to warm up, then for about 5-10 min (depending on how i feel that day) I sprint for 10 seconds, walk for 20 seconds, sprint for 10 seconds, walk for 20 seconds. Then after the 5-10 minutes, I resume my normal jog speed.

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