UPDATED, January 5, 2022
The secret to decreasing body weight and fat mass isn’t just doing yoga or pilates. And it isn’t much of a secret at all (1). Aside from being consistent with your exercise, working out with proper form, and having a healthy nutrition plan, among other factors––part of your answer may have to do with your treadmill’s incline function and best utilizing this feature to perform moderate- to high-intensity interval training (2).
Running And Our Efficient Bodies
Our bodies are great at adapting to the stress we put it under, be it learning a new task or exercise. This holds true when it comes to running. Unfortunately, if you are trying to use running as a way to lose weight and build overall physical fitness, this adaptability may be working against you.
If you were:
- 150 lbs
- Running 5.0 MPH
- 20 minutes of running
- 0% incline
You would only burn about 180 calories (3). And with any successful weight loss, you’ll see yourself burn fewer calories over time (4). Even an increase in speed doesn’t offset this drop in calories burned.
But if you want your workout to count for more, then you need to turn up the difficulty level; not by going faster, but by climbing higher instead.
Incline Treadmills And Trying To Burn Calories
Part of what makes incline training on a treadmill so successful is that our bodies don’t adapt easily to hill climbing. We can get better at it, but since most of the time we walk on flat and level surfaces, our bodies are used to that as our baseline.
So, if you’re focused on trying to burn calories on a treadmill, go and try an incline treadmill. Also keep in mind that your estimated calorie burn depends on numerous factors, including sex, basal metabolism, ambient temperature, weight, height, and proper workout form.
These treadmills include:
- 0-12 MPH
- OneTouch® Controls
- Incline range of -6% decline up to 40% incline
- Live Interactions™ feature with iFIT®
- Interactive touchscreen for clear stat tracking
- Reflex™ cushioning
- 30-Day iFIT Family Membership Included
Working your way up to 40% incline is a fantastic way to see your running count for more (1). As our bodies are great at adapting, this is one hurdle that will keep you challenged. You will likely find that you can’t go as fast when you initially start using the higher incline settings on your incline trainer. Which should be exactly what you are looking for when working out.
Conclusion
By challenging yourself to an incline treadmill workout, you’re keeping your body more engaged––rather than working out at an 0% incline. And once you amp up your workouts with moderate- to high-intensity interval training, you should be making more use of your time and effort, as well as receiving more bang for your exercise buck (2).
DISCLAIMER: This blog post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. NordicTrack assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article. Always follow the safety precautions included in the owner’s manual of your fitness equipment. Shipping times are dependent on in-stock inventory and delivery timeframes may vary. Make sure to check the website for any specific delays in delivery and shipping. *Calories burned walking at 2 mph for 20 min. Based on the average user weight of 200 pounds. Five times calorie burn compares results of walking at -6% vs. 40% incline at 2 mph for 20 mins.
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Sources:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijes/vol12/iss2/21/ (This study was commissioned by and paid for by ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28401638/
