Are your treadmill sessions getting monotonous with no real progress being made? It might be time to switch things up. “There are many benefits to adding treadmill training into your exercise routine and the convenience of the machine makes it a useful tool in commercial and home gyms,” registered physiotherapist Sam Preston tells LiveScience. “It’s important to vary the style of your training, as there are different adaptations and responses to each stimulus you apply to the body.” If you want to burn fat fast while using the treadmill, there’s one very simple change you can make—set an incline. “Inclining the treadmill will not only increase the difficulty but also change your gait (walking/running) pattern slightly,” Preston says. “If you suffer from some lower back discomfort when standing or walking for long durations, try this. If you just want a killer workout to your quads and glutes, turn that incline up.” Here’s why walking or running on an incline can give your weight loss workouts a boost.
RELATED: 7 Best Treadmill Exercises for Weight Loss.
Low Impact Fat-Burning
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One of the more beneficial aspects of turning up the incline is you get an intense workout that’s still low-impact. “You can manipulate how many calories you burn on any machine depending on how hard you work,” Preston says. “However, where a treadmill can be useful is with LISS (low intensity steady state) exercise. Spending 30-45 minutes walking at a medium to high pace three to four times a week, alongside a controlled nutrition and resistance training program, will increase your calorie expenditure. This will help with losing fat and maintaining muscular strength and ‘tone’.”
Time Efficient
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Walking on an incline gives you a great workout in a shorter period of time. “Given the added intensity of an incline, your heart rate will spike more quickly than at a level surface,” personal trainer Chance Ruggeroli tells Texas Health. “That’s why I like to use inclines within the general warm-up phase of a training session when we’re trying to reach a specific heart rate quickly. However, walking at an incline can be a great exercise on its own. It is an excellent substitute for those recovering from injury, trying to reduce the impact on their joints, or to get an efficient workout within a small window of time.”
Slight Incline, Big Benefits
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Even a slight incline makes a difference for joint health. “Research indicates that as little as a 5-10% incline strengthens the knee joint, and it also requires more musculature than walking on a level surface,” Ruggeroli says. “Those with ankle mobility issues (surgical or otherwise) may also benefit from the increased dorsiflexion (the bending and contracting of your foot) that occurs during an incline walk.”
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Fat-Burning Benefits
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Walking on an incline puts you squarely in the fat-burning zone. “When you walk on an incline, your body uses a greater percentage of fat,” according to Peter Nielsen Life Coaching. “Studies have shown that walking 3 miles per hour on an inclined raised between 16 and 18 percent will burn 70 percent more fat than running on a flat surface… Start off slowly and work your way up! If you use your treadmill effectively and gradually increase the incline, it could give you just the kind of lift you’ve been dreaming about to help shed those unwanted pounds!”
Slow and Steady
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Remember, low-impact doesn’t mean low intensity. “We often do not fully appreciate the benefits of training smartly. There is a culture of breaking thresholds or personal bests, minimizing the importance of making subtle progressions,” Ruggeroli says. “It is these minor adaptations that, over time, have a monumental impact. My best recommendation is to pace yourself and leave room to grow. Walk, don’t run. Pun fully intended.”