Incline Training on a Treadmill
Most treadmills are equipped with the incline feature and can reach grades of 10-15 percent. You can manually incline the tread belt to simulate an uphill workout, but many Life Fitness treadmills also come with built-in hill-climbing programs that automatically take the grade of the treadmill up and down to simulate an uphill or rolling hills workout. Incline training can be a great way to increase the intensity of your walking workout while keeping it low impact or to kick your running workout into high gear.
Benefits of Incline Training
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- Training indoors means you get to determine the terrain and grade of the hill and avoid any environmental or weather issues.
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- Incline training gives an extra boost to your low-impact walking workouts. The lower-impact workouts on a treadmill decrease the risk of injury or strain to knees, hips, back and ankles.
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- If you are a runner, adding in a hill climb or two will kick your cardiovascular workout into high gear. Try a few rolling hills or jog up a steady climb.
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- Studies show that by increasing the incline, you engage more leg and glute muscles than in flat road training. This means increased heart rate, calorie burn and muscle strength.
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- Using the incline feature or preprogrammed hill climbing workouts can provide variety and strength.
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- Letting go of the handrails will also engage more core muscles for balance and increase the intensity. More muscles used means more calories burned.
If you are just beginning an exercise program, start at a low incline level and speed. Listen to your body, and as your endurance and strength improve, gradually increase the intensity and length of your workouts.
