Benefits of Incline Training

There are many ways to add incline training to your workouts. Whether you get fit indoors or outside, you can find a hill to climb. If you have a treadmill with incline, you can increase the incline to amp up the workout. To add incline training to your workout, check out these methods:

• Increase the degree of incline when you walk or run on your treadmill. If you burn 200 calories during your normal workout, you'll burn 320 with a 5 degree incline.

• Do interval incline training courses on the treadmill (not all treadmills have incline options, so choose one that does).

• Set the treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike to the hill setting.

10 BENEFITS OF INCLINE TRAINING

Now it’s time to go up and reap the rewards. Here are the top 10 benefits of incline training:

1. Burn more calories.

This is the number one benefit most people want . When you walk on an incline or run uphill, you increase the intensity of the activity and your heart rate goes up. As a result, you burn more calories faster.

2. Improve hamstring and glute activity — it will tone the back of your thighs and butt!

A 2012 study revealed that walking on at least a 9-degree treadmill incline increased hamstring activity by 635 percent when compared to walking. When evaluating the glutes, activity increased by as much as 345 percent.

3. Increase hip, knee and ankle muscle activity.

The same study revealed increased hip, knee and muscle activity on inclines.

4. Reduce the load on your extremities and joints.

Walking on an incline decreases stress on the knees according to a 2014 study. All gradient levels, from 5% to 20%, revealed a decrease in the internal knee-abduction movement. The study also revealed increased activation of the quadriceps and leg muscles without adding stress on the knee.

5. Improve lung function.

When you run or walk outside on an incline, you increase your lung capacity. Physical activity strengthens the respiratory muscles and improves blood flow, which promotes effective, efficient oxygen use. Over time, your body will have the ability to handle the increased load, thus increasing your lung function.

6. It is a great recovery method.

After an intense workout, walking on an incline can aid in recovery. When you have a hard day at the gym, keep moving to recover and improve blood flow.

7. It fights boredom.

If you are bored, you won’t return to the gym or keep up your workouts. Why would you? If you are bored with your workout, you are not challenging yourself or switching it up. Aim to challenge yourself daily and to keep it interesting so you are inspired to keep going. You can add variety to your workout with any of the incline methods listed above.

8. Encourages you to push yourself harder.

When you work out on an incline, you push yourself to keep going. The workout intensifies and your ambition kicks into gear. Not only will you work more muscles and burn more calories, but you will train your mind to overcome obstacles too.

9. Alleviate stress on your shins.

When you walk on an incline, you reduce your risk for shin splints. The decreased load on the legs and effective use of the leg muscles decreases the stress on the shins.

10. Increase your speed.

You get faster. When all of the benefits of training on an incline collide, you get faster. Your legs will be stronger, your breathing will improve, you reduce pain, and as a result, you increase your speed.