How Fast Can a Treadmill Go? [Highest Speeds]

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a man running fast on a treadmill

Treadmills are an excellent way to stay fit and shed some weight. We’re accustomed to running at a fast speed for an extended amount of time to increase our fitness levels. The treadmill speed for beginners is usually recommended at 6.6 mph (11 kph). So is 12 kph on a treadmill fast? Probably not. But, how fast can a regular treadmill go, and how fast should you go on a treadmill?

A normal treadmill may go up to 10 mph; if you’re practicing for a triathlon, you’ll want to go for one that will go up to 18 mph. A treadmill uses miles per hour or kilometers per hour to measure speed. In the United States, miles per hour is the most common unit of measurement. For speed measurements, kilometers per hour are used by many other nations, including Canada.

How Fast Can a Regular Treadmill Go?

The max speed of treadmills depends on their design and purpose. The high-end running treadmills used to train professional athletes can max at 25 mph (which is the fastest treadmill speed), while the running treadmills in the gym hit speeds of 12-14 mph. Lower-end treadmills can achieve speeds of 8 mph (13 kph) or 10 mph (16 kph). 1 mph corresponds to 1.6 kph. A treadmill that is bought for home use is usually 10 to 12 mph at top speed. An under bed treadmill has speed range of 4 to 9 mph. An average person jogs at 4-6 miles per hour and completes a mile at 7.5 miles per hour. For most people, a 10 mph treadmill is sufficient.

How Fast Can You Go on Different Types of Treadmills?

To begin, we must differentiate between various treadmill types. The majority of treadmills are motorized; more detail for these forms can be found further down.

Motorized Electric Treadmills

Treadmills with motors have a motor that drives the belt. Treadmills vary in terms of max speeds and are always dependent upon the power of the motor. We could classify them into three main categories;

  • Commercial treadmills
  • Home treadmills
  • Curved treadmills

The home models are usually smaller, easier, and cheaper. The commercial versions are made for continual use. They’re bigger, stronger built, and more intense. There are examples that do not work into the boundaries of these definitions.

There are treadmills available for home use that are faster, bigger, and have much more options than those used in a typical gym. They’re expensive, but you’re getting what you’re paying for.

The treadmills in gyms and fitness clubs are larger and more substantial than those in the house. They are often more expensive, but they are intended to be used on a regular basis by a variety of individuals with varying health requirements.

Commercial Treadmills

In recent years, an exercise called high-intensity interval training has become popular and can be performed on a treadmill. Commercial treadmills typically have a peak speed of about 14 mph and are perfect for this type of activity.

Home Treadmills

The majority of people won’t sprint on the treadmill, and neither home nor commercial treadmills are designed for that purpose. So how fast does the average home treadmill go? Good Home treadmills normally fall price range from $600 to $2,000, and with the 3.0 and 4.0 CHP motors they have, these average treadmills are able to go for a max speed of 8 mph to 12 mph. For most amateurs, that is plenty. They’re designed to help you stay in shape and shed some pounds.

Curved Treadmills

These are a modern kind of manual treadmill. The rider, rather than motor, drives the belt. This is different from the old manual treadmills, which are made for walking, and come in at $250. Curved treadmills can move at around every level a runner can do and cost more than $4,000. Speeds of up to 25 mph have been known. Curved treadmills need little power and maintenance, but they are expensive due to the fact that they are a modern and complex machine.

Manual Treadmills

Treadmills that are operated manually are a little different. Like the curved treadmill, the belt is not moved by a motor. That means the belt’s speed is entirely dependent on you and your skills. It’s about beating the resistance on a manual treadmill. The faster you continue to push the belt, the greater the resistance. So how fast can a manual treadmill go? A manual treadmill’s maximum speed is the speed where resistance is the same as your legs can build.

How Fast Should You Go on A Treadmill?

How fast a treadmill needs to go to get a decent workout? A successful treadmill exercise demands more than just the top speed. Belt size, your training level, and other features are also important factors.

Obviously, if you’ve been exercising for a while, you’ll be able to sprint faster than if you’re running for the first time in years. According to the NCSF, for brief periods of time, the average person can run at 15 mph. A 100M sub-10 sec sprinter has a top speed of 27 mph. A 4-hour marathon runner reaches an average of 6.5 Miles per hour.

Most treadmills are not ideal for trained sprinters. Treadmills are usually used for steady-state cardio. If you run greater distances, your pace would be much lower than sprinting. And over shorter distances, the running speeds would be nowhere near those of professionally trained sprinters. An average person can run a mile in 10-12 minutes. Most people would be happy with a top speed of 12 mph. If you’re a decent runner and you want to be able to get good exercise on your treadmill, it might be worth looking for a 15 MPH top-speed treadmill.

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