Beginners’ Treadmill Endurance Workout: 30 Minutes Each Day

Improving your endurance has a ripple effect on your health and wellness.

Physically, it strengthens your heart and lungs, which makes them more efficient at delivering oxygen to your muscles. This can lead to better cardiovascular health and more energy for tackling your day (1).

Mentally, endurance training can improve your resilience, and sharpen your focus (2). It’s a win for both body and mind.

For many beginners though, building endurance can feel like a steep uphill battle. It’s easy to get over excited and push too hard, too soon, risking injuries or burnout. This is where the treadmill comes in. It’s a controlled, consistent environment that allows you to pace yourself, track your progress, and safely build your stamina over time.

In this post, we’ll explore how you can use just 30 minutes a day on the treadmill to improve your endurance.

You’ll learn simple yet effective strategies to challenge your body without overdoing it, which will set the stage for long-term health and fitness. 

Is the Treadmill Enough to Stay Fit?

Fitness is multidimensional and typically includes the following components: cardiovascular endurance, muscular fitness, flexibility, and body composition (3).

The treadmill can absolutely be a foundation for staying fit, particularly for maintaining cardiovascular health and lower-body endurance (4). However, to achieve comprehensive fitness, it’s important to include other types of exercise.

What the Treadmill Does Well

A treadmill is an excellent tool for improving cardiovascular endurance. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week (5).

Walking, jogging, or running on a treadmill fits perfectly within this recommendation, as it gets your heart and lungs working together to pump oxygen to your muscles. Over time, this can enhance your heart health, improve your stamina, and boost your metabolism (6).

Treadmill workouts can also contribute to muscular endurance, particularly in your lower body.

When you consistently walk, jog, or run, the repetitive contraction of muscles such as your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes helps improve their ability to sustain activity over time. It’s not the same as resistance training, but it’ll still strengthen these muscles to a certain degree.

The calorie-burning potential of treadmill exercise can support improvements in body composition, particularly when combined with a healthy diet. Regular aerobic exercise helps reduce fat mass while preserving or slightly increasing lean body mass (7).

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Where the Treadmill Falls Short

While the treadmill shines in the areas of cardio and lower-body endurance, it doesn’t address every aspect of fitness. For example:

• Muscular Strength: Building muscle strength requires resistance training, which involves working your muscles against a force (e.g. weights or resistance bands) (1). The treadmill alone doesn’t provide the necessary resistance or variety of movements to strengthen all the major muscles in your body.
• Flexibility: Flexibility refers to the range of motion in your joints and muscles, which is essential for preventing injuries and maintaining mobility as you age (8). Stretching exercises, yoga, or Pilates are better suited to enhance flexibility.
• Balance and Core Strength: Balance means having the ability to control your body’s position while performing various movements, such as standing on one foot or walking on uneven surfaces (9). There’s a limit to how much balance and stability you can achieve through regular exercises, so incorporating specific balance and core-strengthening exercises such as planks, squats, or yoga poses is beneficial.

Read more: Is the Treadmill Good for Your Knees? Here’s How to Protect Your Joints

Can You Build Endurance on a Treadmill?

You can build endurance on a treadmill. Endurance, in a fitness context, refers to the ability of your body to sustain physical activity over time, relying on the coordinated efforts of your cardiovascular system, respiratory system, and muscles. The treadmill offers a controlled, versatile platform to target these systems and drive the adaptations that are required for improved endurance.

When you engage in regular treadmill workouts, several physiological changes occur that contribute to increased endurance. These adaptations are rooted in the body’s ability to respond and improve with consistent exercise:

It Improves Cardiovascular Efficiency

At the heart of endurance training lies your cardiovascular system, which includes your heart, blood vessels, and blood.

Over time, treadmill exercise increases your heart’s ability to pump more blood with each beat, a mechanism called stroke volume. This means that more oxygen-rich blood gets delivered to your working muscles (10).

Regular aerobic exercise promotes the growth of new blood vessels, improving blood flow to your tissues in a process known as angiogenesis. These adaptations allow you to sustain exercise for longer without feeling as fatigued (11).

It Improves Muscular Endurance

Running or walking on a treadmill engages key muscle groups, particularly in your lower body, such as your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes (12).

With repeated usage, your muscle fibers adapt by improving their oxidative capacity, or their ability to use oxygen to generate energy.

This is especially true for slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are designed for prolonged, low-intensity activity. These fibers become more efficient at performing sustained contractions, enhancing your overall endurance.

It Triggers Energy System Adaptations

Your body relies on different energy systems to fuel activity, with the aerobic energy system (using oxygen) playing a dominant role during endurance training. Treadmill workouts improve your body’s ability to utilize oxygen to metabolize carbohydrates and fats for energy (13).

Over time, this makes energy production more efficient, which delays the onset of fatigue and allows you to maintain activity for longer periods.

It Improves Lung Capacity and Respiratory Efficiency

Regular treadmill use also challenges your respiratory system. While your lungs don’t actually grow in size, training improves the efficiency of oxygen exchange and strengthens respiratory muscles, such as the diaphragm. This ensures a consistent supply of oxygen to your bloodstream, which supports your endurance (14).

What Is the Best Way to Build Stamina on a Treadmill?

Building stamina on a treadmill involves combining a variety of strategies that are tailored to your fitness level and goals. Different approaches target your energy systems, muscle fibers, and overall endurance in unique ways.

Lower-Intensity Strategies

Easy Runs

Easy runs are low-effort sessions that are designed to keep your heart rate at about 50-70% of your maximum. These runs encourage oxygen delivery to your muscles and enhance your aerobic energy system, which makes them excellent for beginners or recovery days.

• Benefits: Promotes blood flow, boosts endurance slowly, and has a low injury risk.
• Good for Daily Use? Yes. You can safely include easy runs most days because they’re not overly taxing on your body.

Moderate Inclines

Walking or jogging on a modest incline (0.5-3%) recruits more muscle groups than flat terrain. It helps strengthen your calves, hamstrings, and glutes while still focusing on aerobic endurance.

• Benefits: Improves lower-body endurance and mildly increases calorie burn without overwhelming your system.
• Good for Daily Use? Yes. Keep the incline moderate for steady progress without fatigue.

Gradual Progressive Overload

Progressive overload involves slowly increasing your workout intensity over time. On a treadmill, this can mean gradually upping your speed, incline, or workout duration week by week. For example, you might walk at 4 mph for 20 minutes one week, then 25 minutes the next.

• Benefits: Helps avoid plateaus and promotes long-term endurance gains.
• Good for Daily Use? Yes, but increase intensity in small increments to avoid burnout or injury.

Recovery Runs

Recovery runs are light, low-intensity sessions that are meant to loosen up your muscles and help with recovery after tough workouts. These runs should feel effortless and last no longer than 20-30 minutes.

• Benefits: Reduces muscle stiffness and enhances circulation without straining your body.
• Good for Daily Use? Yes, particularly for active recovery after high-intensity sessions or long runs.

High-Intensity Strategies

Interval Training

Interval training alternates between short bursts of high intensity (such as sprinting) and periods of lower intensity for recovery. For example, sprint for 30 seconds, then walk for 90 seconds, and repeat for 20-30 minutes. Intervals challenge your cardiovascular system and improve your VO2 max (your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently).

• Benefits: Builds stamina quickly, enhances anaerobic capacity, and improves overall fitness.
• Good for Daily Use? No. Stick to 2-3 sessions per week, as intervals are demanding and require adequate recovery.

Steep Inclines

Walking or running at a steep incline (6-12%) on the treadmill builds muscular endurance and strengthens your posterior chain (the muscles at the back of your body), including your glutes and hamstrings. This simulates hill training, which challenges your cardiovascular system as well.

• Benefits: Targets key muscle groups, strengthens lower-body endurance, and increases calorie burn significantly.
• Good for Daily Use? No. Use this 1-2 times per week to avoid overloading your lower-body muscles.

Tempo Runs

Tempo runs involve maintaining a “comfortably hard” pace for an extended period, typically 20-40 minutes. This pace is faster than an easy run but sustainable. Tempo runs are designed to improve your lactate threshold (the point at which your muscles fatigue from lactic acid buildup).

• Benefits: Boosts sustained endurance and improves your ability to hold faster paces over time.
• Good for Daily Use? No. Limit tempo runs to 1-2 sessions a week, as they place significant stress on your body.

Which Approach Is Right for You?

A combination of these strategies is ideal for building stamina. Lower-intensity workouts are great for daily consistency, while high-intensity sessions provide a necessary challenge to push your limits. Alternate between these approaches to avoid overtraining and support long-term progress.

Building stamina on a treadmill is a gradual process. Pay attention to how your body responds, and don’t rush the progression. Consistency, variety, and adequate recovery are the keys to seeing results.

What Exercise Builds the Most Stamina?

The exercise that builds the most stamina is aerobic or endurance-focused training, such as long-distance running, cycling, or swimming. These activities are highly effective as they engage your cardiovascular and respiratory systems for sustained periods, driving adaptations that improve your body’s ability to perform prolonged physical activity.

• Why Does Aerobic Exercise Build Stamina?

Stamina comes from your body’s ability to efficiently deliver oxygen to your working muscles and utilize it to produce energy.

Aerobic exercises such as running, cycling, and swimming are particularly effective because they primarily use the aerobic energy system. This system relies on oxygen to generate energy from carbohydrates and fats, fueling sustained effort.

Over time, consistent aerobic training enhances your cardiovascular efficiency, strengthens your slow-twitch muscle fibers (the ones designed for endurance), and improves your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise).

• The Role of Consistency and Progression

While aerobic training is key to building stamina, it’s important to follow principles such as progressive overload (gradually increasing intensity, duration, or frequency). For example, if you’re running, you can start with shorter, slower runs and gradually increase the distance and pace. This steady progression allows your body to adapt without overtraining or injury.

• Are Other Exercises Effective?

While aerobic training is the gold standard for building stamina, other activities such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or circuit training can also be effective. These incorporate periods of intense effort alternating with recovery, improving both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems (15). However, they often place more stress on your body, so they’re best used in combination with steady-state aerobic exercise.

Read more: Best Glute Gains: How Much Incline On A Treadmill For Glutes?

30-Minute Beginner Treadmill Endurance Workout

Building endurance starts with structured, manageable sessions that challenge your body without overdoing it. This 30-minute workout is designed for beginners and gradually develops stamina using low-to-moderate intensity. To help you get started, the workout includes a warm-up, a main phase with progressive effort, and a cool-down.

Phase 1: Warm-Up (5 Minutes)

The warm-up is essential for preparing your muscles and getting your heart rate up (16). Start slow and focus on easing into the session.

• Speed: Walk at 2.5-3.5 mph (adjust based on your comfort level).
• Incline: 0% (flat)
• Effort Level: Light (you should feel comfortable holding a conversation).
• Goal: Gradually increase your circulation and warm up your muscles.

Phase 2: Main Workout (20 Minutes)

The main part of this workout alternates between easy effort and a mild challenge to build endurance steadily. We’ll use small changes in speed and incline to introduce variety while keeping the intensity beginner-friendly.

Minutes 1-5 (Steady Walk)

• Speed: Walk at 3.5-4.0 mph.
• Incline: 0.5-1% (to simulate outdoor terrain).
• Effort Level: Moderate (you should still be able to talk, but your breath may quicken).
• Goal: Start challenging your cardiovascular system without overwhelming yourself.

Minutes 6-10 (Add an Incline)

• Speed: Stay at 3.5-4.0 mph.
• Incline: 2-3% incline.
• Effort Level: Moderately challenging (you should feel your legs working harder, but it’s still manageable).
• Goal: Strengthen your lower body and slowly push your endurance limits.

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Minutes 11-15 (Push the Pace)

• Speed: Increase to 4.0-4.5 mph (depending on your comfort level and whether you’re walking or jogging).
• Incline: Back down to 0.5-1%.
• Effort Level: Moderate to somewhat challenging (your breathing should be a bit heavier, but you’re still in control).
• Goal: Introduce a slight speed challenge to improve your aerobic capacity.

Minutes 16-20 (Return to Comfort Zone)

• Speed: Reduce back to 3.5-4.0 mph.
• Incline: 1%.
• Effort Level: Moderate (reset your pace and focus on steady breathing).
• Goal: Maintain steady effort and recover slightly while keeping your heart rate elevated.

Phase 3: Cool-Down (5 Minutes)

The cool-down is just as important as the workout itself. It helps bring your heart rate down gradually and prevents dizziness (16).

• Speed: Slow to 2.5-3.0 mph.
• Incline: 0% (flat).
• Effort Level: Light (you should feel your breathing returning to normal).
• Goal: Stretch out your steps, relax your muscles, and enjoy your accomplishment.

How Long Does It Take to Build Endurance on a Treadmill?

Someone who is just starting out may notice small improvements, such as being able to walk or jog longer without stopping within 3-4 weeks. After 8-12 weeks, they’ll likely feel significant changes in stamina as their body adapts to regular exercise.

Seasoned treadmill users may need closer to 8-12 weeks or beyond to notice meaningful improvements, as their bodies are already accustomed to exercise.

Building and maintaining endurance is an ongoing process. While you can make noticeable improvements in a few months, achieving peak endurance may take a year or more of consistent training. 

Is a Treadmill Better than a Bike for Stamina?

When it comes to building stamina, the treadmill has a slight edge over the bike, primarily due to its demands on larger muscle engagement, cardiovascular intensity, and weight-bearing nature. However, the choice can vary depending on your personal fitness goals and physical conditions.

Running or walking on a treadmill increases heart rate and oxygen consumption more than cycling at equivalent perceived effort levels. This is because the body must support its own weight during treadmill use, which makes it a weight-bearing exercise. The higher the cardiovascular demand, the greater the stimulus for improving stamina.

Although the bike may not match the treadmill in terms of direct cardiovascular stimulation for stamina, it provides a low-impact alternative that’s still effective. Prolonged cycling sessions at moderate-to-high intensity allow for endurance-building with less strain on your joints.

For individuals with joint issues or injuries or those who are new to exercise, a bike may be a preferable option for consistent stamina training.

The choice between a treadmill and a bike comes down to your personal needs and goals:

• Choose a Treadmill If: You’re looking to engage more muscles, mimic outdoor running, or prepare for weight-bearing activities such as running races. It’s also a better option if you want to push your cardiovascular system to its limits.
• Choose a Bike If: You prefer a low-impact workout, need to reduce stress on your joints, or are recovering from an injury. It’s also a great choice for prolonged sessions without the physical strain of weight-bearing activities.

The Bottom Line

Treadmill endurance workouts are an excellent way to build your stamina thanks to their ability to engage large muscle groups, elevate your heart rate, and mimic real-world movements such as walking or running. They offer flexibility in intensity and duration, which makes them suitable for beginners and advanced fitness enthusiasts alike. With consistent effort, these workouts can lead to significant cardiovascular improvements, enhanced muscular endurance, and overall better fitness levels.