Why Incline Treadmill Workouts Get Best Fitness Results
Running at an incline on
a Treadmill is Better
Adding incline (Elevation) to your treadmill workouts is one of the most effective ways to reach your fitness goals for strength, stamina, endurance, and faster weight loss. Do not underestimate the power of incline when it comes to running, walking, or hiking - the calorie burn alone is worth it! The benefits of any up-hill training are many and have a big payoff in the short and long run. (no pun intended) Even walking at just a 1 to 10% elevated incline can make a real difference for your body while moving.
Why, because exercising at elevated running deck inclines burns a lot more calories faster, making it ideal for weight loss as you are in effect creating more resistance. It strengthens your hip, hamstring, and calf muscles, helping you increase stamina, endurance, and overall core strength. Incline training raises your heart rate, providing an excellent cardio workout for power walkers, hikers, and runners alike. It's also an essential component of any HIIT training program.
On the other side, downhill terrain options are super-good for your lower body and legs. When you move downwards, your body falls forward, engaging the glutes and hamstrings, all while the quads control momentum.
If you want to burn more calories in a shorter period and add variety to your running, power walking, or hiking sessions, incorporating inclines into your workout routine at 10 to 15%+ is strongly recommended.
How Jeremy Renner overcame physical challenges to begin fitness again.
Action Super-hero Jeremy Renner marked 10 months of recovery since his heroic near-fatal snowplow accident by posting a remarkable video of him running/cross-training up and down his inclined driveway, which according to the Mayor of Kingstown star was his first attempt at any of this activity.
While Renner has made an incredible physical recovery from the near-fatal accident he suffered in January 2023, the experience has stayed with him. The Marvel Avengers Star, was crushed near his Nevada home while he courageously attempted to stop his snow-removal tractor from sliding and hitting his nephew. He broke 30 bones, including eight ribs, an eye socket, a knee, and a shoulder.
Mind over Body - plus a little Incline added.
‘Mental Strength is Now my Superpower Gift’
"I just feel blessed and lucky to be upright and walk around and to live life," Renner said. "I'm very, very clear. My life is very lean if that makes sense. There's no fat in my life anymore. I don't have time for that. So, there's something beautiful about having that superpower." Renner added that his time feels "more valuable" now.
Renner described "gifts" he feels he has gained as a result of nearly losing his life. "There are a lot of gifts that I received because of it," Renner said. "When you're tested physically, emotionally, spiritually, in every way, and then to come through it, something that's hard to explain."
Having regained his mobility, Renner looks and sounds healthy and grateful.
"Perseverance and Strength, it’s all a mental game, I put it in my back pocket now, he says. I know how to deal with pain. It's all in the mind. If you can sift through the fog of it all. I am very blessed."
Anti-Gravity Treadmill
Previously, as part of his recovery, Renner used a specialized anti-gravity treadmill that uses air to gently keep body weight off his injured leg as shown in the adjacent short video clip.
The way it works is, for example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you could walk or run as though you weigh only 100 pounds even though you are actually 50 heavier.
A strong, partially transparent bubble attached to specially designed shorts, once calibrated, can decide how much weight to allow the runner/walker to place on the running deck as they are moving, using air to lift up or down, to varying degrees, and is based on user weight and other pre-programmed variables.
Best Incline Treadmills Available by Nordictrack
POWER OF THE INCLINE AT ANY AGE
According to Matt Novakovich
Elite Endurance Athlete, Matt 'The Bear' Novakovich, has been using NordicTrack Incline Treadmills as part of his training regime to become a Spartan and Obstacle World Champion. Not all of us have easy access to obstacle courses or decent hills to train on so a Nordictrack Incline Treadmill powered by iFit is what we recommend as the go to Treadmill. Read our Nordictrack comparison review of the X22i vs. the X32i incline Treadmill - 7 Big Differences.
Spartan/Obstacle World Champion Matt Novakovich has used NordicTrack Incline Treadmills to train daily. He gives some good advice on getting fit at any age. Above Video Clip: 1.59s
MATT NOVAKOVICH SPARTAN PRO-RACE TEAM MEMBER IN ACTION
Elite Endurance Athlete, Matt Novakovich in action X22i model vs. X32i - 7 Differences Review
