If you can't run on a treadmill
 

For those of you like me...with weight that prevents them from running on a treadmill at an early stage of fitness, I received a good tip that has helped me begin to build endurance without sacrificing my knees as I begin.

I do a 45 minute treadmill workout that begins the speed at 2.5 and with a starting incline of 0%. Every five minutes, I nudge the incline up 1%. So during the first five minutes, it is at 0%...the second five minutes it is at 1%...the third five minutes at 3% and so on. If you are doing it correctly, minutes 40-45 should be done at 8%.

I find it allows a gradual workout that is manageable at the start, and easy to adjust as your cardio begins to improve. Eventually, you can bump the speed up, or begin the workout at a steeper incline.

It has definitely been a good starting point for me. It is particularly good at the end of an exercise routine. I will work out with weights or other exercises, and then use the incline routine to finish. Hope this helps someone!

Great job! The incline is the best kept secret of the treadmill! The other day, I was running on it and my knees started aching, so I decreased the speed and upped the incline. WOW was my heart rate high and the next day, my butt was so sore! Good post - keep up the hard work.

I use this method still, just with different numbers. :D It's great! I love interval methods or intensity variations because I feel like it keeps my mind fresh. In your example, you're only ever thinking about getting the next five minutes and before you know it you've hit 40-45 minutes. I love that!

DroppingPounds -- Inclines are a great idea so keep them up ... I love inclines, my butt gets sore the next day also... Nothin' like a sore butt to make you feel like you've had a good workout :tread:

Interesting post - what does everyone think is better? More incline or faster. Realistically I can only run for 2 minutes at a time - So I walk for 5, run 2, walk for 5, run 2 - for about 40 minutes (walking at 3.0 MPH, running at 4.6 MPH) - would it be better to not run and increase incline?

Cherrypie, this may be subject to opinion, but I don't think either is better...just different. Running faster seems more geared toward working the lungs and heart as cardio. Running on an incline seems more geared toward working the muscles, though it will get your heart rate up too.