Which plan fits your goal
Your goal sets the number of sessions and the length of the plan. The speeds below are starting points: on easy days, you should be able to talk. If you’re coming back after a long break or have a health concern, check with a doctor before you start. Runkyz shows speeds in km/h, so this guide gives both units.
To walk rather than run, the treadmill walking plan guide has two four-week plans, one flat and one on an incline.
| Goal | Sessions per week | Session length | Plan length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start: run 30 minutes | 3 | 32 to 40 min | 6 weeks |
| Lose weight | 3, then 4 | 30 to 45 min | 4 weeks, then longer sessions |
| Run a faster 10K | 4 | 25 to 85 min | 8 weeks |
Beginner plan: 6 weeks to run 30 minutes
The Runkyz First 5 km plan follows the idea behind the NHS Couch to 5K: three sessions a week, a rest day in between, and run intervals that get longer each week. Couch to 5K takes nine weeks; the Runkyz plan takes six.
Set the walks to 3.4 mph (5.5 km/h) at 1% incline, as the plan does, and run at a pace where you can still talk. If a week felt too hard, repeat it before moving on.
| Week | Session, three times | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 × (1 min run, 2 min walk) | 34 min |
| 2 | 6 × (2 min run, 2 min walk) | 34 min |
| 3 | 5 × (3 min run, 90 s walk) | 32 min 30 s |
| 4 | 4 × (5 min run, 2 min walk) | 38 min |
| 5 | 3 × (8 min run, 2 min walk) | 40 min |
| 6 | 2 × (12 min run, 2 min walk) twice, then 30 min without stopping | 38 min, then 40 min |
Further reading: NHS — Get running with Couch to 5K ↗
Weight loss plan: 4 weeks, 3 then 4 sessions
For weight loss, the weekly total matters more than how fast one session goes. In 2009, the American College of Sports Medicine reviewed the studies: between 150 and 250 minutes of moderate activity a week brings only modest weight loss; above 250 minutes it becomes clinically significant, and the same amount helps keep the weight off afterwards.
The plan starts at 90 minutes in week one and reaches 180 minutes in week four. After that, add 10 to 15 minutes a week until you pass 250 minutes. The easy runs, at a pace where you can talk, can stay run-walk until 30 minutes in a row feels fine.
Running doesn’t burn belly fat first. In a 2011 trial, six weeks of ab exercises didn’t reduce belly fat. A meta-analysis of 35 trials found that aerobic exercise, such as running or brisk walking, does reduce visceral fat, the fat around the organs.
I went from 105 to 75 kg (231 to 165 lb) training indoors, before I could run outside without getting hurt.
| Week | Sessions | What to do | Weekly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 × 30 min | 2 run-walk easy runs, 1 incline walk at 6% and 3.1 mph (5 km/h) | 90 min |
| 2 | 3 × 40 min | 2 easy runs, 1 incline walk at 8% | 120 min |
| 3 | 4 × 40 min | 2 easy runs, 1 incline walk at 10%, 1 short hill session: 10 × 1 min at 6% | 160 min |
| 4 | 4 × 45 min | 2 easy runs, 1 incline walk at 10%, 1 short hill session | 180 min |
Sources: Donnelly et al., ACSM, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2009 ↗ · Vispute et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011 ↗ · Ismail et al., Obesity Reviews, 2012 ↗
How many calories does 30 minutes on a treadmill burn?
The Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference researchers use, rates each activity in METs. One MET is 1 kcal per kilogram per hour: 30 minutes of running at 6 mph, rated 9.3 METs, burns about 325 calories for someone who weighs 154 lb (70 kg). These are averages; what you actually burn varies from person to person, and your treadmill console makes its own estimate.
| Treadmill activity | METs | 154 lb (70 kg) | 198 lb (90 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, level, 3.0–3.4 mph (4.8–5.5 km/h) | 3.8 | 135 cal | 170 cal |
| Walking, level, 3.5–3.9 mph (5.6–6.3 km/h) | 4.8 | 170 cal | 215 cal |
| Running, 5.0–5.2 mph (8–8.4 km/h) | 8.5 | 300 cal | 385 cal |
| Running, 6–6.3 mph (9.7–10.1 km/h) | 9.3 | 325 cal | 420 cal |
| Running, 7 mph (11.3 km/h) | 11 | 385 cal | 495 cal |
Sources: Compendium of Physical Activities — running ↗ · Compendium — walking ↗ · Compendium — MET conversions ↗
10K plan: 8 weeks, 4 sessions a week
The Runkyz 10 km plan runs for eight weeks: base, endurance, threshold, absorb, VO2max, two specific weeks, then the taper. Each week has four sessions, on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and the plan ends with a 5 km time trial. The game sets the target time and the pace of every session after the VMA test, a ramp test that gives your maximal aerobic speed.
The long run, tempo run, Norwegian threshold and time trial take place in Space, so those sessions need the license.
| Week | Tuesday | Thursday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, base | Easy run | Strides | Easy run | Long run |
| 2, endurance | Pyramid | Easy run | Tempo run | Long run |
| 3, threshold | Billat 30/30 | Norwegian threshold | Easy run | Long run |
| 4, absorb | Recovery run | Strides | Easy run | Long run |
| 5, VO2max | 10 × 400 m | Cruise intervals | Easy run | Long run |
| 6, specific | Billat 30/30 | Norwegian threshold | Strides | Long run |
| 7, specific | Pyramid | Tempo run | Easy run | Long run |
| 8, taper | Strides | Recovery run | Easy run | 5 km time trial |
Following a plan in Runkyz
The First 5 km and Incline walking plans are free. The game shows the speed and incline for every block, in km/h; you set them on the console yourself.
Enter your treadmill
In the settings, on the Your treadmill card, enter your treadmill’s maximum speed and incline: targets stay within those limits.
Pick a plan
In the Training tab, open Plans, choose your plan and click Follow this plan.
Set your paces
The 10 km plan asks for a VMA test or a 5 km time trial first. The First 5 km plan needs no test: run at a pace where you can talk.
Start today’s session
The plan shows the session for the week. Follow the banner: it announces every change of speed or incline ahead of time.
IN RUNKYZ
The First 5 km plan is free in Runkyz.
Six weeks of run-walk on the Wild Ring loop, with the speed and incline of every block on screen.
