Treadmill incline for beginners

Hi! I am currently trying to lose 100 lbs of my 245+ weight. I have started working on the treadmill and am currently setting the speed at 2.5 for the most part, but am not sure what to set the incline at. My sister said to set it at a minimum of 1.0 anything less is like walking downhill. If I set it there, the 2.5 seems too hard. What should I do to get the right setting?

The right setting depends on you and your fitness level. If you are seriously exerting yourself, whatever setting you have it at is fine. You can make it more difficult as you get more fit.

People who run on treadmills as well as outside (as in a race) are advised to set it at an incline of 1, because it is easier to run on a treadmill than outside. Increasing the incline makes it about as difficult as running on even ground outside. If you aren’t up to running races yet, don’t worry about it.

I would agree with dianbel, it depends on you and your fitness level. You do want to make sure you are challenging yourself, however. If you are just starting out i would recommend buying a heart rate monitor to help you determine your intensity. An easy way to estimate your age adjusted Max heart rate is to take 220-your age. Multiply that number by .60 and .70. Example for me at 34 my max is 186. Multiplied by 60% and 70%, my range would be 112 (11.6) and 130 (130.2). Not knowing your exercise history, I would recommned you staying at the lower end of that range if you are a beginner. As your fitness level increases, you can work at higher HR and intensity levels.
Pamela

www.ThrivePersonalFitness.com

I always tell people, that they need to let your body tell you exactly how hard you can and cant work. With that being said, everything that Dianebl and PamelaH have told you is spot on. I use a lot of cardio equipment in my gym, and most of them have heart monitors, as well as heart rate scales on them. Keep in mind that most of these monitors on these pieces of equipment are not necessarely accurate, however, they are still a useful tool in determining how hard you can and cant push yourself on them. They may not tell you exactly what your heart rate is, but they for the most part, will tell you something that you can go by while using it. Just use it to your advantage.

Just to add to what PamelaH said this was my first HRM I got it for about $30 and it served me well for 130 pounds of weightloss up until last week when I bought a triathalon training watch that offers more bells and whistles to track my training workouts (overkill for a beginner I would say but crucial to me now).

So to summerize, get a HRM and calculate your range (60% will serve you well for a few months work up to 75%). Then just listen to your body, if you go really hard one day and can’t move the next 2 days back it off a bit, if you go hard and feel energized the next day go a bit harder (increase the incline by 1% or speed it up by .1-.2). Just realize it takes a bit of time and be patient as you get into shape.