Treadmill Walking for Exercise 101 Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Walking Treadmill Walking Treadmill Walking for Exercise 101 By Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. Learn about our editorial process Updated on September 12, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Elaine Hinzey, RD Fact checked by Elaine Hinzey, RD Elaine Hinzey is a registered dietitian, writer, and fact-checker with nearly two decades of experience in educating clients and other healthcare professionals. Learn about our editorial process Print Vincent Starr Photography/Cultura/Getty Images Walking on a treadmill is a great way exercise. Treadmills are the most popular home exercise equipment, with 33% of the sales, according to Sporting Goods Business magazine. Treadmills are also an effective way to exercise indoors. Studies found that treadmills ranked number one among exercise machines in burning calories. While you could use an elliptical trainer, indoor cycle or other exercise machines, more people find it easiest to walk or run on a treadmill for exercise. There is always a debate about whether it's better to use a treadmill or to walk outside. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Pros and Cons of Using a Treadmill vs. Outside Walking Which Treadmill Should You Use for Walking Having a home treadmill can eliminate many excuses for not doing your walking workouts. It can be a big investment, with good quality treadmills selling for over $1000. It is often a good tactic to buy a better quality used treadmill than to buy the least expensive new treadmill. Before You Buy a Treadmill: what to look for when shopping for a home treadmill. You don't want to end up with a flimsy or underpowered treadmill that won't last long. Should You Buy a Folding Treadmill? You may want to maximize your living space by using a folding treadmill. The question is, will it just stay folded up or is it easy to set up and use regularly? Finding Free or Cheap Treadmills to Use: How to find bargains for home treadmills, and tactics for using good treadmills at fitness centers, work or school. Should You Use a Treadmill Desk? Slowly walking while you work or watch video is a good way to reduce the bad health effects of sitting too much. But is it for you? Top Picks for Budget Treadmills Getting Started with Treadmill Walking Once you have located a treadmill or brought one into your home, it's time to get started. It's wise to slowly and steadily build up your exercise time, especially if you have been inactive. How to Start Walking: Use this plan if you have been inactive. Treadmill Weight Loss Walking Plan: Once you have built up your walking time and speed, use this plan to vary your walking workouts to burn calories and build cardio fitness. 10 Treadmill Walking Mistakes to Avoid: Get started right by knowing what not to do. Treadmill Workouts These workouts were developed by fitness trainer Lorra Garrick to help you vary your treadmill workouts and pump up the intensity. Treadmill Hill Workouts: Your treadmill may have a hill workout program. Here's how to vary the incline to build exercise intensity. Treadmill High-Intensity Workouts: Add intervals of higher intensity activity to boost your heart rate and burn more calories. Walking Backward on the Treadmill: It may seem a little silly or even a little dangerous, but this is a way you can vary your workout. Treadmill-Dumbbell Workout: Get in a strength workout along with your treadmill time. Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Moyna NM, Robertson RJ, Meckes CL, Peoples JA, Millich NB, Thompson PD. Intermodal comparison of energy expenditure at exercise intensities corresponding to the perceptual preference range." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2001 Aug;33(8):1404-10. Zeni AI, Hoffman MD, Clifford PS. "Energy expenditure with indoor exercise machines." Journal of the American Medical Association. 1996 May 8;275(18):1424-7. By Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles Get the Most Out of Your Treadmill With These Walking Workouts How to Make Your Home Cardio Workout Worthwhile Your New Treadmill Walking Plan for Weight Loss How Does a Manual Treadmill Compare to a Motorized One? 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