Treadmill speeds

[Davo123]

Can anyone advise on the speeds on a treadmill please? Mine is a Nordic treadmill and the speeds go from 2 up to 22 but I’m not sure how this equates to km or m per hour. I’ve just completed W6 R1; walking at speed 6.2 and jogging at 8.3. Completed just over 4K including the warm up/down walks. Just wondered if I’m hitting the right speed.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Hi, there’s no set pace for the treadmill... so long as you’re running. If you can’t talk in complete sentences comfortably when running slow it down a little.

[2718281 Graduate]

HI Davo123, to me it sounds like the speed is in km/h. A maximum speed of 12-14 mph is reasonable for a treadmill, and that's about 22km/h, so if yours goes from 2 to 22, I think it will be km/h.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Yep, looks very much like those are km/h.

Your speeds are very sensible - but please bear in mind that there is no "right" speed with respect to km/h or mph.

The correct speed (or pace) is one where you are

(1) walking - briskly

(2) jogging - breathing comfortably and you can talk quite easily.

That's it. It doesn't matter if (2) is 5, 8, 12 km/h etc - as long as it's an easy effort and at the end of the session you (1) feel as if you could carry on easily and (2) are not out of breath.

Good luck!

[backintime Graduate]

Put it on 6 or 7, are you walking or running? my guess is that at 6-7 km/h you could walk it albeit fast (depending of course how tall you are) but at 6-7 mph you would be running.

Does that sound right?

[MarkyD Graduate]

Ignore all the numbers and trying to do anything scientific.

Get on the treadmill and nudge up the speed until you are walking briskly (but sustainably). Take a photo of the display with your camera.

Then nudge up the speed until you break into a run, then take another photo.

Every time you use that treadmill, you know what number to set.

Every time you use a different treadmill / different make / different model, forget all about the numbers, and use the 'nudge-up-the-speed' technique to find out what is right for you on that treadmill. The speed setting on a treadmill is notoriously inaccurate. Doesn't matter if the display reads 3 or 23, as long as you are running at a sustainable, conversational pace, then you are running at the right speed.