How to Use Incline on a Treadmill to Boost Your Calorie Burn (3 Workouts + Infographics)

The slap in the face of 37 chilly degrees during my morning run has me contemplating switching to treadmills for a few days each week. Running on treadmills has it perks, beyond the obvious benefit of being indoors during colder months. They’re a helpful tool if you want to improve your natural running pace or burn more calories on your daily run. You’ll get more from your treadmill workouts because you can program the machine with very specific speed and incline inputs. So with that in mind, I’m excited to share this article and 3 specific workouts by Coach Jenny on how get the most out of your treadmill’s incline feature. Enjoy.

One of the greatest benefits of using a treadmill is the ability to control the intensity of your run or walk to create a fun, effective of workouts on demand. One of the most effective tools to do so is the incline button. Hitting the incline button during your workout boosts your calorie burn, increases the intensity with less impact, and improves strength. Here are three incline-based workouts spice up your workouts.

High Intensity Hill Intervals:

Boost your metabolic burn post workout with this short, high intensity hill workout.

Warm up walking 5-minutes. Start easy, and progress to a brisk walking speed by the end. Run 5-minutes at an easy effort, or if you’re a walker, walk at a brisk effort. Repeat 6-8 times: Run or Walk 1-minute at 4% incline at a hard red zone effort level. Recover 2-minutes easy running or walking to catch your breath. Cool down walking 5-minutes. Start at a brisk effort and gradually reduce the speed by the end.

Cross-Country Hills:

Improve your ability to run hill running more efficiently with this moderate intensity hill workout.

Warm up walking 5-minutes. Start easy, and progress to a brisk walking speed by the end. Run 10-minutes at an easy effort, or if you’re a walker, walk at a brisk effort. Repeat 4 times: Run or Walk 5-minutes at 3% incline at a moderate zone effort level (not hard, not easy) Recover 2-minutes easy running or walking to catch your breath. Cool down walking 5-minutes. Start at a brisk effort and gradually reduce the speed by the end.

The Mt. Climber:

Build strength and stamina for hilly hikes and trail running with this moderate-to-high intensity climbing workout. If you’re training for a hike, wear your pack for added challenge and benefit.

Warm up walking 5-minutes. Start easy, and progress to a brisk walking speed by the end. Repeat Twice: Walk 1-minute at 1% incline at a brisk, but controlled speed. Every minute, increase the incline by 1% until you hit 10% (ie. 2%, 3%, 4%). After you perform the 10% incline climb interval, reduce to 0% for 3 minutes and repeat the 1-10% climb increasing the incline by 1% every minute. Moderate the intensity by your effort and how you feel. You want to be in the orange to red effort zone - and a speed that feels like it’s just outside your comfort zone. Cool down walking 5 minutes. Start at a brisk effort and gradually reduce the speed by the end. Note: As you gain fitness and the workout gets easier, shift the starting incline up slightly (ie. 2, 3%) so you’re building eventually to 15%.

Variety is the spice of life. The more you have, the more your body is challenged, and the more you gain from every workout.

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Coach Jenny Hadfield is a published author, writer, coach, public speaker and endurance athlete. To find out more, visit our Meet Our Writers page or visit Coach Jenny’s website.