Without a doubt, the treadmill is the most recognizable, ubiquitous piece of fitness equipment in America. Walk into any of the two dozen indoor fitness facilities in Austin and you'll see rows and rows of treadmills being used 24 hours a day by walkers and runners.

All for good reasons. The treadmill is one of the most effective workout tools for burning fat, losing weight and building cardiovascular strength and endurance. And there’s almost always one available in even the busiest gym. The undeniable beauty of using a treadmill is that your cardio workout isn’t subjected to the extremes of weather, traffic and air pollution. All you need is a safe place in town to exercise.

We’re lucky in Austin to have great weather year ‘round, but even so, some dedicated runners and walkers simply prefer using a treadmill rather than the outdoors for a variety of reasons.

First off, it’s convenient. The treadmill is handy to use and many regular treadmillers enjoy being able to watch ESPN or listen to their iPods while getting in some cardio exercise. Others prefer walking or running side-by-side with a friend.

Some regulars like the shock absorption properties of a treadmill and believe that it prevents troublesome injuries that are commonly incurred while running outside. Some enjoy the safety factor of running or walking inside. Even some competitive runners often opt for running inside because the treadmill allows for precise speed and distance, while doing a highly structured workout.

Clearly, the treadmill offers many options to different types of users. Although the treadmill is one of the most sophisticated pieces of exercise equipment, it’s relatively easy to use. Even so, you simply can’t jump on a treadmill and start walking or running. There’s a very real danger of significant injury if you don’t use it properly. It doesn’t take an engineering degree, but using the treadmill safely and effectively is the key to reaping all the health benefits available to regular walkers or runners.

One caveat: Before you even begin walking or running on the treadmill, make sure you are wearing a well-cushioned, supportive pair of running shoes. This is very important. Whether you are walking or running, you must wear running shoes and not cross-trainers, basketball sneakers, aerobic shoes or tennis shoes. Only running shoes. If you don’t know the best shoe for you, go to one of the several specialty running stores in Austin and get fitted by a trained salesperson.

Now, once you’ve started, you’ll soon be faced with the treadmill’s biggest downside: It can be downright boring.

Let’s face it, walking or running for up to 30 to 40 minutes staring either at a mirror, other exercisers or even a TV, can be extremely tedious — if you let it. There are plenty of ways to vary your treadmill workouts to combat boredom and to effectively optimize fitness gains.

One of the major advantages of using a treadmill is the programming options that allow you to choose your running or walking speed and the incline on which you’re moving. Many treadmills have plenty of other options for easily programmable workouts. Utilize these to keep your workouts fun and useful. If weight-loss is a goal, these options will help you burn more fat and calories than just walking or running at the same pace every day.

An extremely effective option available for weight- loss is the incline. Walking or running on an uphill — however slight — forces you to work harder and can double or triple the amount of calories you burn during your workout. There are countless incline options on the treadmill, but you probably don’t want to walk or run uphill for the entire workout or you’ll tire out more quickly.

The key is to vary the inclines. Using a one-percent incline is approximately what it’s like walking or running on a flat road or on Lady Bird Lake Trail. Use that as your baseline. But change it up. For five minutes, walk or run on a fairly steep incline and then level it out. Then go back up. You don’t have to speed up your walking or running, but the effort will obviously be harder the steeper the incline. This will pay dividends in terms of burning fat and calories faster. Plus, after you go back down to a flatter incline, fat and calorie burning continues during the rest of the workout — and long after it’s over.

While on an incline, the natural inclination is to use grip the handrails for balance and support. Resist this temptation. It’s okay on a StairClimber or an Elliptical Trainer, but not on a treadmill. Handrails are fine for getting your balance and becoming comfortable, but once you begin full-scale running or walking, don’t use the rails. While on a treadmill, you want your legs and arms to work naturally as if you were running or walking outdoors. By using the handrails, you lessen the aerobic benefits as well as the fat burning and weight-loss qualities.

On any treadmill workout, speed is going to be an issue. You don’t want to go too fast or you’ll burn out. Go too slowly and you’ll minimize your fitness gains.

It’s impossible to say what’s the right speed for everybody, but try this to find the optimal one: Experiment with the different speeds and find one that allows you to run or walk so comfortably, you can easily carry on a conversation with your neighbor. If you’re moving too quickly, you won’t be able to talk without getting out of breath after a couple minutes. If that’s the case, slow down. If the pace is so easy and you don’t feel like your muscles are working hard enough, speed it up incrementally. Just a mile or two per hour will make a huge difference.

The best advice is to vary the speeds you are running or walking during the course of your workout. Start slowly and then gradually increase your speed to a comfortable pace and keep it there for a few minutes. Then, speed it up again for several minutes of fast-paced running or walking that may leave you out of breath. After that, slow it back down as you recover.

Using the training programs built in to the treadmill can also make your workout effective and fun. These are a great tool to simulate the ups and downs of a regular outdoor run or walk and keep you attuned to the workout. Most pre-set programs take you through a warmup, the guts of the workout and finally, a cooldown phase. Some of these programmable workouts are quite complex — particularly for competitive runners — but vary the workout by having clearly defined intervals when you are motoring along at a faster pace and/or up “hills”. Some runners even program workouts that mimic the topography of race courses on which they’ll compete.


Once you have the right shoes, here’s how beginners can start walking or running on a treadmill:

1. Ask for help. If you have never used a treadmill before, ask for instruction from one of the trainers on how to operate it. Make certain you know how to use the safety buttons.

2. Go slowly. Stand on the treadmill in the center of the belt. Set a very slow speed on the panel and begin walking — even if you plan to run. You can use the handrails at first if they help you feel secure. Once you feel comfortable walking, slowly begin to run.

3. Stay in the center of the belt. Don’t slide forward or move near the back of the belt.

4. Gradually increase your speed. Once you feel at ease, inch your speed up.

5. Use short strides rather than long strides.

6. Swing your arms naturally back and forth. Don’t exaggerate your arm swing or swing your arms outward.

7. Wear comfortable running clothes. Don’t wear heavy cotton shorts or a jacket and tights to sweat more.


Using a treadmill properly is not difficult. But it is a big, powerful piece of equipment that takes some understanding.

1. Familiarize yourself with the control panel before turning the treadmill on. Make absolutely certain you know how to turn it off immediately by using the stop button. Repeat: Don’t get on any treadmill without knowing how to stop it.

2. Test it. Place both feet on the treadmill, select a manual program and increase the speed to two to three miles per hour and begin walking or slow jogging.

3. Don’t use the handrails. After climbing on and getting comfortable, walk or run naturally. Using the handrails, compromises your workout.
4. Straddle the belt. Place your feet on either side of the belt as you turn the treadmill on. Then, step on the belt as it begins to move slowly.

5. Gradually increase the pace to your comfort zone. Once there, maintain it as you become comfortable on the treadmill.

6. Stay in the center of the belt. Don’t allow yourself to go backward or too far forward. If you’re too far back, you can get shot off the belt. Too far near the front, and your foot can catch on something.

7. Keep your eyes straight ahead. Don’t look down. Focus on the control panel or directly in front of you. It will be easier to walk a straight line as long as you’re looking ahead.

8. Drink. Bring a water bottle and place it on the control panel. Drink water or a sports drink every 10 to 15 minutes of running or walking to stay properly hydrated.

9. Turn it off. Once you have completed your workout, there are three basic ways to stop the treadmill. The most common is to gradually decrease the speed until the belt stops completely. Or you can hit the stop button which quickly stops the belt. The least safe way is to hold onto the rails, step on the side and turn off the treadmill.

10. Expect to feel some dizziness. Once you step off the treadmill, you may feel slightly dizzy. This is normal. Grab onto something for balance after stepping off, take a drink of water and relax for a moment or two.