How to Find the Best Treadmill Speed for Your Age

Finding the right treadmill speed is key for a safe and effective workout. The ideal pace can vary quite a lot based on your age, fitness level, health conditions, and personal goals.

A brisk walk is generally recommended for heart and blood vessel health, according to Mayo Clinic. But it’s crucial to start slowly and gradually increase your speed. This lowers your chances of injury and maximizes benefits like improved balance and endurance.

Find Your Comfort Zone First

When it comes to moderate intensity exercise, the average walking speed on a treadmill for adults hovers around 3 miles per hour (mph), according to a study. But not everyone starts at this speed. And your ideal speed may differ, especially as you age.

If you’re new to using a treadmill, it’s important to get comfortable on the machine and understand how it works before you push toward a particular pace.

• Start with your feet straddling the treadmill belt.
• Press “Start.” The belt will begin moving slowly.
• Hold the side railing and step onto the treadmill belt.

As you get comfortable, you can let go of the side rails to let your arms move naturally. Increase your speed by increments of 0.1 mph to find your ideal pace. Aim for a speed at which you can still carry on a conversation and feel confident you won’t fall off. The treadmill’s motor will continue to move unless you stop it, so never stop walking until the belt comes to a complete stop.

Now you can figure out how hard or fast you should walk to reach a moderate intensity. You can base this on your target heart rate or on how hard you feel like you're exercising (also called the rate of perceived exertion).

Determine Your Target Heart Rate

Target heart rate is one way to determine your ideal treadmill speed, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. This range of numbers can help you find a challenging level of exertion without overdoing it.

The American Heart Association recommends raising your heart rate to 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate during exercise to achieve health benefits. Fifty to 70 percent aligns with moderate intensity activity, and 70 to 85 percent aligns with vigorous intensity activity. If your target heart rate is 115 beats per minute, and you reach it while walking at 3 mph, then that speed is perfect for you.

According to MedlinePlus, you can the following steps to figure out your target heart rate: First, find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Then multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.5 and 0.85 to determine your target heart-rate range. For example, the target heart rate range of a 65-year-old person is 78 to 132 beats per minute. A heart rate on the lower end of that range reflects a moderate intensity while a heart rate on the higher end reflects a more vigorous intensity.

Once you determine your target heart-rate range, you can use a heart rate monitor, such as a fitness watch or chest strap, to measure your heart rate while on the treadmill, according to Cleveland Clinic. Simply adjust your speed to reach your desired heart rate.

Consider Your Rate of Perceived Exertion

The Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is another way to determine whether you’re challenging yourself on the treadmill or during any physical activity, according to Cleveland Clinic. The scale works well if you’re trying a new type of exercise, rehabilitating an injury, taking a medication that lowers your heart rate, or you’re not able to keep track of your heart rate for whatever reason.

Use of this scale relies on your understanding of how your body feels at different levels of activity intensity. Ranging from 6 to 20, the scale indicates levels of exertion from nothing at all (6) to maximal exertion (20).

So, if you’re walking at 3 mph and feel like you’re at an RPE around 4, you need to walk faster to achieve what feels like moderate intensity. On the other hand, if you feel like you’re at an RPE of 19, you need to slow down and find a more moderate, sustainable pace for you.

Try Walking With an Incline

If you’re unable to walk faster but you still want to up the intensity of your treadmill workout, you can use the machine's incline feature. It’s another great way to increase your heart rate, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Since walking up a hill is harder than walking on a flat surface, adding degrees of incline to the same walking pace makes your heart beat faster and increases your heart rate.