Running on the treadmill feels exhilarating, but you shouldn’t overdo it. At the same time, you have to run for long enough and often enough to see good progress.
That sounds confusing.
Well, the best way to get things right is to listen to your body and have explicit goals. We’re here to help you decipher the numbers and to see how putting your needs first makes a world of difference.
Keep reading below.
Table of Contents
How Long to Run on a Treadmill to Lose Weight?
The calories you burn on a treadmill depend on numerous variables, such as your weight, age, physical shape, previous endocrine issues, and so forth.
However, studies show that a 155-pound person burns in half an hour of running:
- 288 calories at 5 mph
- 450 calories at 7.5 mph
- 562 calories at 10 mph
Increasing your treadmill’s slope will burn even more calories than that.
Corroborate this data with the fact that one pound of weight equals 3,500 calories burnt. So, you’ll need approximately 7-12 days running for 30 minutes/day to lose one pound.
If you want to see results faster, remember to:
- Adjust your diet by eating only healthy foods.
- Don’t over-train because that ruins your muscles.
- Try HIIT workouts instead of steady-state cardio to give your metabolism a boost.
How Long to Run on a Treadmill to Lose Belly Fat?
You need about 30-60 minutes of running on a treadmill every other day to lose belly fat.
Warning: Don’t spread these workouts in intervals throughout the day, for example, 5 minutes when you wake up, 5 minutes after breakfast, and so forth.
If you want to burn belly fat, you need to get your heart rate in that fat-burning zone. However, you need a proper warm-up period to get there, so stopping your workout after five minutes defeats the purpose.
Pro tip: Purchase a treadmill that allows heart-rate-based training or specifically customized workouts for burning belly fat.
Other excellent tips to burn abdominal fat are to:
- Focus on HIIT workouts to accelerate your metabolism and get your body in that fat-burning zone.
- Keep your core tight throughout your run.
- Drink plenty of water and eat soluble fiber-rich foods.
How Long to Run on a Treadmill for Beginners
If you’re a beginner, anything counts. Depending on your fitness level, you can start with a workout that looks like this:
- 5-minute warm-up walk
- 5-minute light jog
- 5-minute intense run
- 5-minute cool-down walk
If that’s too much for you, start with 2-minute or 3-minute intervals or try running more times per day. After one or two weeks, you’ll gain more stamina to increase your workout intensity.
Alternatively, you can try this fat-burning HIIT running workout:
- 5-minute warm-up walk
- 1-minute power-walk followed by 1-minute intense run; repeat five times
- 5-minute cool down-walk
How Long to Run on a Treadmill to Gain Stamina
Gaining stamina depends on your current level and what that concept of stamina means for you. For example, if you’re a beginner who hasn’t worked out ever or in a very long time, try running 2-5 minutes per session, 3-5 times per day.
Alternatively, if you’re already cycling or doing other bodyweight exercises, 20 minutes of treadmill is enough for cardio purposes.
Remember that the NHS advises us to exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, but that time also includes your warm-up, cool-down, and other daily activities.
What Is a Good Distance to Run on a Treadmill?
A reasonable distance to run on a treadmill is about:
- 1-2.5 miles for beginners (or even less if you’re not there yet)
- 3-5 miles for intermediates
- Above 7.5 miles for advanced
Remember, though, that this distance depends on your current shape, health problems, goals, and so forth. At the same time, you’ll want to reach a healthy number of steps each day, which is around 8,000 steps or 3.7 miles.
Is It Ok to Run on a Treadmill Every Day?
Yes, it’s ok to run on a treadmill every day if you’re not overdoing it.
For example, 30 minutes of intense daily runs may not be a good idea if you’re a beginner because you’re not giving your body enough time to recover. However, 30 minutes of daily walks are excellent.
So, when you’re asking yourself how often to run on a treadmill, consider how much you can handle comfortably without becoming too sore and without risking injuries.
Here’s the good news:
Your body will tell you if you overdid it. Feeling achy is the first sign you have to stop, but if you continue, you can reach a weight loss plateau or even increase the chances of getting injured.
That leads us to the following question:
How Many Times a Week Can I Run on a Treadmill?
Most physical trainers advise you to run 3-4 times/ week on your treadmill if that run is a standalone workout. Alternatively, you can have a daily 5-minute run if you’re using it as a way to boost energy, decrease stress, or warm-up before another workout.
In Conclusion
The rule of thumb is to run for about 20-60 minutes on the treadmill, 3-4 times per week. However, adjust that workout frequency and length depending on your goals, schedule, workout preferences, and medical issues.
The truth is there’s no perfect workout, just the proper workout for your needs.
And, if running is your favorite exercise, choose a treadmill that allows you to meet those needs to a T.
For instance, beginners may need a running band with multiple built-in programs. People who want to lose fat weight quickly will need HIIT workouts and heart-based programs. Those who wish to lose or gain weight may require excellent progress tracking features.
The list can go on, but you get the point. Get a treadmill that does what you want, and the rest will follow.
Mary advocates for one powerful idea: fitness is about challenging yourself, but it’s not a race against the clock. She wants people to understand that the best fitness equipment doesn’t have to be expensive or very popular. The best workouts and machines should always fit your style and needs, not the other way around. So, Mary’s dedication and hard work are the engines that keep this website going.
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