Treadmill Incline- What Is It And How Can We Use It To Achieve Our Fitness Goals?

By Rob Maraby

The treadmill incline is a useful tool but a lot of beginners simply don’t know how to use it, Most people will jump onto a treadmill crank up the incline and then run as fast as they can , hoping to get glances from onlookers at the gym. This is no way to lose weight or to get in shape for a race using a treadmill

This can also be dangerous as it over exerts the muscle and may lead to injury or overtraining. Overtraining has to be avoided at all cost when trying to lose weight and get in shape because it shuts down your immune system and makes getting in shape or losing weight even more difficult

If you look at most inclines you will see that the average on a treadmill is between 0 -15%, 0 being flat ground and 15% being the highest incline you can safely use on the treadmill. If you are a beginner then running at a zero level incline and at a faster speed is probably all you need to get in shape with. You can gradually increase the incline when you can run at a steady speed for 10 minutes without stopping

The treadmill incline should never be equated to running outside on hills for the simple reason that it is not outdoors and does not have the uneven ground, the weather and the downhill slopes

Running downhill cannot be equated on the treadmill and there is no substitute for this option on the treadmill incline

To lose weight and get in shape for any race or marathon I recommend you run out doors over hills as often as you can. Never replace the treadmill incline with running over hills

You can alternate between running on a treadmill incline one day and then running out doors the next-this is helpful when the weather outside does not allow you to run hills

Done correctly, treadmill incline training can help you lose all the weight you want, it can also get you in shape for a marathon or race if used properly