When I was using the treadmill regularly, I was doing an hour a night. The first 5 minutes at about 4kph (2.5mph), then up to about 5.5kph (just under 3.5mph) for the next 20 minutes, then up to 6.5kph (about 4mph) for 10 minutes, then back down to 5.5 for 20 minutes and then the last 5 minutes, I'd work slowly down by 1kph per minute until stopping.

>I have a close friend who is a personal trainer and holds a degree in Kinesiology/Physical Fitness and is convinced that a beginner should start out on a treadmill in the following manner:
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>2 min at 2 mph
>4 min at 4 mph
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>for 20 minutes and then build up to 6mph for the 4min interval and extend the workout to 45 minutes. I told him that even when I was young and active duty military I wouldn't consider such a thing on a regular basis. Active duty training is more about endurance and stamina. I've done a lot of 15 mile road marches carrying 45lbs and 10K runs but his plan seems outrageous to me. I'm comfortable doing 2 minutes at 2 mph, 2 minutes at 3mph, and then rotating 2.5mph for 2 minutes and 4 minutes at 3.5mph cycles for 40 minutes. I sometimes push it to 3.8mph but anything over that is running, and well, I quit running when I left the military :o) It's the time I catch up on the news on all of the channels on tv. Everytime I switch speeds I change channels... :o)
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>>>I've tried to read a book while on a treadmill. It's impossible (unless you're going at about .5km per hour, and then, what's the point).
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>>That's individual. I walk at 3.3 mph and happily read on the treadmill. Listen to my iPod, too.
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>>Tamar