Walking on an incline can increase your heart rate, target specific muscles, and help promote weight management. But it can also result in soreness, especially as you get used to it.
Adding incline training to a walking or running workout is a popular way to increase the intensity.
The gradient, or incline, is determined by how steep the land or treadmill is below your feet. For example, if a road sign signals a 6% grade, it means the road elevation changes 6 feet for every 100 feet of horizontal distance.
If you’re walking or running outside, determining the incline may be complicated because the terrain is more likely to change frequently.
If you’re on a treadmill, however, you can control the incline. Many treadmills offer incline settings that start at 0% and move up by 0.5% increments to a maximum of a 15% incline or grade.
Keep reading to learn more about the benefits, downsides, calories burned, and how incline walking compares with regular walking.
Changing things up when exercising could help improve performance, break plateaus, and keep you motivated. One easy change is adding inclines to your walking or running workouts.
Here are five possible benefits of walking on an incline.
Boosts your heart rate
Your heart rate refers to how many times your heart beats per minute. It’s an important marker of cardiovascular and overall health.
Your heart rate is typically the lowest at rest, which is called your resting heart rate. A normal resting heart rate is between
When you begin to exercise, this number climbs in relation to the intensity of the activity until you reach the maximum level you can sustain, known as your maximum heart rate.
Aerobic exercises like walking, running, and hiking can help improve both your resting and maximum heart rates. This means that your heart will have to work less hard to pump blood out to the rest of your body.
Some research suggests that walking on an incline can further increase your heart rate.
For instance, a 2021 study found that walking on an incline treadmill at a 10% and 16% grade better targeted heart rate and full body muscles than walking at 0%.
Incline walking on a treadmill may also provide more accurate results of your perceived exercise exertion and heart rate. This means that how hard you are working will better match your heart rate.
When walking outdoors
If you want to know the elevation gain or loss during your walk, consider using a smartphone app like MapMyRun or MapMyWalk.
Conditions the body for realistic terrain
Going about your daily routine typically requires walking uphill or on a slight incline, even for brief periods. Sticking to one route or terrain may stall your training progress.
Walking on varying inclines, either indoors or outdoors, could help you better adapt to the varying inclines outside.
Helps prevent long-term knee problems
Regularly walking or running on a flat surface may lead to osteoarthritis in the knee or other knee problems.
Some research suggests that incline walking may better target lower body muscles like the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, which can help relieve pressure from the knee.
Incline walking at a 10% or 15% gradient may also be beneficial for older adults, people with obesity, and those recovering from knee surgeries because it helps support lower body range of motion, movement, and balance.
Increases activation of lower leg muscles
Your lower leg, which comprises your calves and shins, is home to several muscles, including:
These muscles are activated when you change from a flat surface to an incline.
Research shows that walking on a medial incline ramp also activates the peroneal muscles significantly more than walking on a normal or flat surface. This may be especially beneficial for people with weak ankles.
Increases calorie burning
The number of calories you burn while exercising is based on several factors, including your weight and the activity you’re performing. It can also change when you increase the intensity, such as when you walk or run on an incline.
Some research suggests that walking on an incline requires more energy than walking on flat ground. The amount of energy, or calories, required also goes up the steeper the gradient. This means you might burn more calories at a higher incline.
Data from 24 participants showed that compared to flat ground, metabolic energy cost increased by 22.9% at a 10% gradient and 44.2% at a 16% gradient.
Is walking on an incline good for weight loss?
Some research suggests that incline walking may burn more calories than flat surface walking. This can help you maintain a caloric deficit, which is important for weight loss.
That said, many other factors are important in maintaining a calorie deficit and supporting weight loss. These include eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and managing stress, among others.
Learn more about how to lose weight safely.
While the pros of incline walking may outweigh the cons, there are some downsides to consider.
When you switch from a flat surface to one with an incline, additional stress is placed on both the front and back lower leg muscles. These muscles include the tibialis anterior, peroneals, gastrocnemius, and soleus.
Because of this, you may notice increased soreness in these muscles until your body adjusts to incline walking or running.
Incline walking also requires more range of motion in your ankles. If you have limited range of motion in one or both ankles, incline walking can place even more stress on the tibialis anterior, plantar flexor, and soleus muscles.
Over time, this can increase the risk of pain, fatigue, and muscular injuries in the ankle, calves, or shins.
If you have low back pain or chronic issues with this area, consider working with a physical therapist to set an incline that doesn’t aggravate your back. The higher the gradient, the more strain that’s placed on the back and hips.
There are many different types of incline walking workouts that you can do.
Beginner workout
If you haven’t tried incline walking on a treadmill before, consider starting slow.
- Walk at a 1% gradient and a speed of 3 miles per hour (mph) for 3 minutes.
- Increase the gradient by 0.5% to 1% every 3 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, walk at a flat gradient and a speed of 3 mph for 3 minutes.
If this is too easy, gradually increase the gradient until you find a challenging, but not painful, incline.
The 12-3-30 method
A popular beginner walking workout is the 12-3-30 method. To do this, walk at a 12% gradient and a speed of 3 mph for 30 minutes.
Some research suggests that the 12-3-30 method takes longer to burn the same number of calories as setting the pace and incline yourself.
However, the 12-3-30 method may be more beneficial for fat loss because it’s lower in intensity. Lower intensity aerobic exercises use your fat stores instead of carbohydrates for energy.
Consider modifying the gradient, speed, and time of this structured workout to suit your ability and goals.
Intervals
The treadmill also has many programmed settings. These may include intervals, which alternate between steeper and lower gradients for timed periods.
For example:
- Walk at a 1% gradient and a speed of 3 mph for 3 minutes to warm up.
- Walk at a 10% gradient at your maximum speed for 1 minute.
- Walk at a 3% gradient and a speed of 3 mph for 2 minutes.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 up to 10 times.
- Walk at a 0% gradient and a speed of 2 mph to cool down.
You can modify these intervals based on your fitness levels.
Walking is an excellent way to get your exercise. To make the activity more intense and target different muscle groups, consider adding incline training.
You can vary the incline on a treadmill or by walking uphill or on uneven terrain outdoors.
Pay attention to any soreness or discomfort in your legs and lower back. Start slowly, and increase the intensity only when your body has adjusted to the change in incline.