How Fast Should I Walk on a Treadmill to Lose Weight?

With all the bells and whistles a new treadmill brings, also comes the questions. Just how fast is fast enough to work up a sweat? Whether it’s lifting weights in the gym or walking on a treadmill, I’ve found we tend to be numbers-oriented people. But if you’re new to the fitness game, you might be like a lot of folks I’ve met over the years and under the illusion that there is a one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss. The good news is, no, it’s not. Some of my best High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions have featured walking speeds under 4 mph, but they’ve included incline and decline manipulation. I’ve also known people suffering obesity who were able to walk off a hundred pounds at slower rates. Every person is different, and each has different goals. If you’re seeking some advice on what speed you need to hit to lose weight while walking on a treadmill, read below. 

Can Walking on a Treadmill Help You Lose Weight?

Walking on a treadmill is an excellent way to lose weight, but the speed and incline at which you walk are important factors. At a minimum, you should aim for a brisk pace that elevates your heart rate and elicits a sweat. Ultimately your goal is to burn calories and the faster you walk, the more calories you burn. If your treadmill has a heart rate monitor, then your cardio level is easy to track. Whether the heart rate monitor is built into the handlebars, or comes by way of a Bluetooth unit, you’ll have some idea of those numbers as you work out. 

Your fat-burn cardio zone will be 60-80% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). To estimate this, we use the formula:

MHR = 220 – Your Age

If you have pre-existing medical concerns, be sure to consult with a physician about which zone is best for you. A good speed for weight loss may be as low as 2.5 to 3.5 mph depending on the incline of the treadmill. This will keep your heart rate elevated and burn calories in most people. That said, if you’re new to walking, this might be too fast. If that’s the case, change the incline. As I’ve written here, incline and decline training in particular can bring a lot of benefits to your game without adjusting the speed. 

Numerous studies, such as this one in the journal BMC Geriatrics, have affirmed that manipulating the incline on a treadmill can dramatically change the net cardiopulmonary metabolic energy spent during the workout. In this particular study, the net cardiopulmonary metabolic energy cost increased 22.9% between the 0% and 10% incline position, while the 16% incline increased it by 44.2%. This means if you can’t walk faster, just walk harder uphill.

In order to lose weight, you have to burn off more calories than you consume. I find it interesting to note that the term calorie is actually a unit of heat, not mass. A calorie is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. This is approximately 4.2 joules of energy. One pound of bodyweight represents approximately 3,500 calories.

Now, this is where things get interesting. How fast do you have to walk to burn calories? The answer depends largely on your own bodyweight and conditioning. I’ve found out the hard way over the years cutting weight for a bodybuilding contest, that the lighter I get, the harder I have to work to lose more weight. You’re probably familiar with calorie burn calculators such as this one. You’ll see here that a 230-pound man who walks slowly on a treadmill at 2 mph for 45 minutes will burn approximately 161 calories. Meanwhile, a 170-pound man walking right next to him will only burn about 120 calories. However, the 230-pound man can burn 593 calories by changing his gait to 3.5 mph for 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, the 170-pounder will only burn 438 calories doing the same thing.

Another way I’ve found to help myself out over the years is to incorporate a weighted vest into the workout. Remember, the more weight you carry, the more calories you burn during an activity. In my own experience, this approach never fails to work and you’ll notice results even within the first month of use. This way you don’t necessarily have to walk faster to burn more calories.

Running fast on a treadmill is a sure way to break a sweat. Photo by Brian Boyce

How Much Treadmill Walking Do You Need to Do to Lose Weight?

One reason people choose walking on a treadmill as a way to lose weight is it’s a low-impact form of exercise that can be done in the comfort of your own home. The key to successful weight loss while walking on a treadmill is to find the right schedule. 

Remember, to lose one pound you have to burn off 3,500 calories. How many calories you burn per session depends on your own intensity, but this also means successful weight loss must include some consideration for diet. But if you’re walking every day and can work up to at least one 1.5-hour session, you’ll see the difference. If a 230-pound man walking fast on a treadmill for 1.5 hours can burn 593 calories, this will be roughly one pound’s worth after six days. A 1.5-hour walk at 3.5 mph is a little over 5 miles, just for reference.

The lower your intensity, the longer and more frequent your sessions may have to be. But ultimately the question of how much treadmill walking you need to do to lose weight depends on how much weight you want to lose over what period of time. Below are some calculations to consider:

A 230-pound man walking 3.5 mph on a treadmill can burn:

• 593 calories in 90 minutes
• 395 calories in 60 minutes
• 198 calories in 30 minutes

A 230-pound man hiking on a treadmill can burn:

• 940 calories in 90 minutes
• 627 calories in 60 minutes
• 313 calories in 30 minutes

Hiking workouts on treadmills typically involve hill climbing and incline/decline adjustments. You can see by the numbers above that if you’re needing to burn off 3,500 calories, then speed, duration, and incline are all important factors.

How to Step Up the Calorie Burn

1. Add Intensity

Here’s something to try if you’re new to the treadmill game. Start with a brisk walk at 3.0 mph and gradually increase the speed as you become more comfortable. Once you’ve become comfortable walking at 3.0 mph, you can increase the intensity of your walk up to 3.5 to 4.5 mph for a more intense workout. Interval training is also an effective way to boost intensity and maximize weight loss. Alternate between 1-2 minutes of fast walking followed by 1-2 minutes of slow walking. This will help to keep your body guessing and help you burn more calories. Additionally, increasing the incline on the treadmill will also help you to burn more calories and engage more muscles. Challenge yourself to vary your speed and intensity throughout your workout to keep your body guessing and maximize your weight loss results.

2. Add Hills

If you’re looking to lose weight, hill climbing can be an effective way to reach your goals. Start walking at a comfortable pace, say 2 mph, at a 0% incline, then increase the incline 1% every minute on the minute, until you get to 12%. Once you get to 12%, start decreasing the incline 1% every minute until you’re back down to 0%. Give yourself a six-minute cool-down afterwards for a 30-minute routine, or you could decide to repeat that interval and go for a 48-minute drill. 

Consistency is the Key

Everyone has different goals, this is true. But one thing you’ll find with all things exercise is that consistency rules the day. You’re better off walking slowly every day then just getting one or two good workouts in per week. If you’re goal is weight loss, then the speed you need to hit is one which elevates your heart rate sufficient to burn calories. If you’re unable to maintain a fast walking speed, then add some incline into the mix and watch the intensity heighten.