Walking on the treadmill at an incline increases the work on your quadriceps (front of the thigh) as well as your gluteus (large buttock muscle). The incline also allows you to get an even greater stretch in your legs and increased workload on your calf muscles.
And because you're building strength in your core and glutes, it can help reduce low back pain. Burns more calories. One of the main benefits of incline walking is that it helps burn more calories than regular treadmill walking or walking on a flat road.
Due to the higher level of posterior chain muscle engagement, high calorie burn, and high heart rate of incline walking workouts, they're some of the most effective ways to lose weight and increase your fitness level quickly.
Incline Walking Improves Heart Rate
"From a cardiovascular standpoint, the incline work out can increase your heart rate at a higher level than when flat, leading to more calories burned and improved endurance," explains Jason Greenwald, ISSA Certified Group Fitness Specialist at Life Time.
The intense workout requires absolutely no running. All you have to do is set your treadmill to an incline of 12 (or a number that feels steep to you), set your speed to 3 miles per hour and walk for 30 minutes.
"An incline requires more effort, so lower speeds can be used to have lower impact while still maintaining intensity. Using one-to-two percent incline is ideal, and three and under is the safest, especially for those with injuries or joint pain."
Using the incline on the treadmill effectively burns belly fat, even if it's a 30-minute walking workout at a moderate pace.
Frequency: Once you are used to treadmill walking, you can do it every day of the week. Walking at a brisk pace for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week, or a total of 150 to 300 minutes per week, is recommended to reduce health risks.
Speed Matters When Walking for Fitness
If you're walking for your health, a pace of about 3 miles per hour (or about 120 steps per minute) is about right. That's a 20-minute mile. To walk for weight loss, you'll have to pick up the pace to 4 miles per hour (or 135 steps per minute), a 15-minute mile.
As previously mentioned, the incline challenges your bum muscles more than walking on a flat surface and will help you to build strength in this area. With regular cardio sessions at an incline, you can build a shapelier bum over time.
Because of the high number of calories burned and the muscles targeted, walking on incline can be a great leg slimming exercise.
Bhusri suggests walking at 3 mph at an incline between 16 and 18 percent. In general, "the greater the incline and the longer the period of time spent exercising on that incline, the faster you'll see results."
Using the RPE scale, warm-up for between 5 and 10 minutes by walking on a flat surface at an RPE between 3 and 4. Then, gradually increase your incline to a level that challenges you, perhaps at an RPE between 6 and 7. Your speed should be brisk but comfortable enough to maintain for 20 to 30 minutes.
When you are targeting love handles, you will need to workout with purpose because walking on the treadmill isn't going to be enough to get the job done. While doing cardio will help you burn calories, it won't be effective alone when it comes to slimming down the hips.
Aerobic exercise includes any activity that raises your heart rate such as walking, dancing, running or swimming. This can also include doing housework, gardening and playing with your children. Other types of exercise such as strength training, Pilates and yoga can also help you lose belly fat.
If you're looking for a workout to aid in weight loss, increase your treadmill incline to 3-5% after a solid warm up. If you're an advanced runner, consider increasing the incline to 6-12%. This will help improve your cardiovascular health and challenge your body more.
Walking at an incline can also aggravate lower back pain. People who are experiencing pain in this area should reduce the incline and build up their workout slowly as the back muscles begin to strengthen.
But for the thousands of athletes who hop on a treadmill seeking a solid – and safe – workout, Dr. Plancher offers crucial clarity regarding how to best avoid knee injury by focusing on incline level of 3%.
Generally, a 20-minute treadmill workout can help you burn the same amount of calories you would in a 50-minute session of continuous training. This is due to the greater afterburn effect of HIIT. Be sure to customize HIIT to meet your fitness goals and incorporate strength training throughout the week.
What Incline Should I Run On The Treadmill? It will depend on your current fitness level and your long-term goals. As a rule of thumb, beginners should stay between 1-3% incline, while intermediate and advanced individuals can work around 15-40% incline in different workout modalities.