Whether to set the treadmill at a grade is a source of endless debate. Legendary coach and exercise physiologist Jack Daniels has long recommended setting treadmills at a 1 percent grade to account for the fact that you’re not overcoming wind resistance, as you would outside. That slight elevation, he claims, results in the same “cost” of oxygen consumption as running the same pace outside on flat ground.
Others doubt the relevance of that issue, and add this question to their objection: Why not just set the treadmill at a faster pace? That is, instead of saying, “I’ll put the treadmill at a 1 percent grade and my normal pace,” why not keep the grade at 0 percent and set the speed a little faster? That way, not only do your running mechanics feel more normal, but you slightly reduce your time on the treadmill.
I like to mix it up throughout a treadmill run, sometimes with the grade at 0 percent, sometimes at 1 percent, sometimes much steeper. This variety makes a treadmill run more like a “real” run, with its frequent ups and downs and flat stretches.