Table 1.

The Gardner Graded Exercise Treadmill Protocol for PAD

Time, min	Speed, mph	Grade, %
0	2.0	0
2	2.0	2
4	2.0	4
6	2.0	6
8	2.0	8
10	2.0	10
12	2.0	12
14	2.0	14
16	2.0	16

PAD indicates peripheral artery disease. In the Gardner protocol, the speed is a constant 2.0 mph, with an increase in gradient of 2% every 2 minutes.⁷¹ The Hiatt graded protocol uses a similar concept with a constant speed of 2.0 mph and an increase in gradient of 3.5% every 3 minutes.⁶⁹