Next weekend, I will have completed my first two months on a treadmill. Currently, I am doing 3.8 or 3.9 mph with 1% incline.
Is there any recommended strategy how to increase the workouts? Should I start increasing speed first, then incline; or incline first, then speed? Or both at the same time?
Or is this one of those 'it's totally individual; everybody is different' things?

TIA

Yep, that's the answer .... I for one like to play with all of the options, sometimes bringing the incline up, next workout the speed, next workout do some HIIT... I love variety, I get bored very quickly... Just make it fun

I've been working out on a tredmill for a while now and after talking with my Personal Trainer, she gave me some tips for it that have been a GOD SEND! Forget jogging... forget running or even speed walking on the thing. I was doing 5 mph sprints on it and wasn't getting anywhere... Now I do 2.5 - 2.8 on an 6% - 8% incline for a 30 min every other day and i come off that thing DRENCHED in sweat and breathless. I wouldn't have believed going that slow would give one such a KILLER cardio session!

Thanks for the tip, Sugar. I googled some articles last night and they stressed the importance of using incline. So I started playing with it more at my last night's workout.
I had to laugh though - I went as far as 9% (just to test what it feels like) and I thought I may fall off! Hahaha. I did not dare to go to 10% since the treadmill is in my rec room in the basement and the ceiling is now that high (I am 5'9" myself). I think I will try to vary my routine, I still want to improve enough so that I CAN jog (regardless whether I will be or not), but I will be definitely using the incline more.

My trainer devised an incline interval training for me.

Speed 3.5-3.8 (depending on my mood) The first five mins you walk at an incline of 2%. At minute 5 you increase the incline to 5%. Every minute after that you increase the incline by 1% until you hit the 8% mark. Drop it back down to 5% for a minutes recovery than repeat until you hit the 8% mark again. Do that 4 times. On the final "peak" go for an extra minute and push it to 9%. Then cool down. It doesn't sound that hard, but man it's a butt killer. My heart rate is way up there and I'm covered in sweat! I love it.

As you get better, keep the speed the same but increase the incline. Instead of starting at 5% I now do 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%. I definitely notice a difference in my butt....

Hahaha, ask me next year if I am at 11% yet!

Seriously though, thanks for your reply.

When you all are listing the incline %, is that the number on the treadmill?? For example, the first time I push the /\ button it goes to .5......does that mean .5%??? If so, I feel like I'd fall off at anything above 4%!!!

I'd be glad to add more incline, I feel like I need a little butt kickin right now!

lol.. you guys are lucky you got tredmills that have a % and an incline button! Mine I did the math with and came up with a "jimmy-rigged" system. My hubby and I built a little platform that is raised in the front of boards by about 4 inches. Mines a manual incline (you flip a braket on the back of the machine and you can have flat, low, and lowest...about a 3 - 4 inch difference) so I have it on the lowest braket with the front of the machine on boards. lol... so, by my calculations, its about a 6% - 8% incline. haha... More than enough for me though. So I can't varry the incline when I want, but I can varry my speed. I'm hopping to get an elliptical soon (next few months) so i can do the tredmill first to warm up then hit the elliptical to really pump my legs.

But yes, the incline makes ALL the difference in the world!

Hi artsnsmarts,
Do you have a manual for your treadmill? Mine does not increase the incline by half a percent, always by 1%. I guess each machine is different. But I guess it must be the incline since there are buttons only for incline and speed, so if it's not the speed it must be the incline.

I tried today as suggested and it was good. I was doing 3.5 mph at 3% and in one minute intervals, I went to 4, 5, 6, and 7% (that was enough for a start).
I did three reps.

Now I am ready to sit back, relax and watch The Biggest Loser (go, Kelly, go!!!).

Well, it's not my treadmill since I go to a gym, but I suppose it doesn't really matter since I can feel a good workout!!

I upped the incline today -- did 4.0 speed at 3.5 incline for 30 mins...and that felt like SUCH a better workout!! Not that I wasn't working before, but that definitely felt like a more productive 30 mins.

Thanks, ladies!