Walking: who knew a simple exercise could be so beneficial in so many ways? Incline walking especially, which entails adjusting the treadmill incline to a higher level, allows one to enjoy many health benefits. Below are a few important things to know about incline walking on the treadmill.
Muscles Used While Walking Uphill
A variety of different muscles are used when completing an incline workout on the treadmill, though different muscles will be used at different levels on an incline. An incline walking workout will recruit several muscles on the body, including:
- Calves
- Quadriceps (muscle on the front of the thigh)
- Hamstrings (muscles in the back of the thighs)
- Hip flexors
- Glutes
In addition, incline walking of course strengthens one of the most important muscles in the body – the heart!
Incline Walking for Weight Loss
Many people may believe that incline walking isn’t enough to achieve weight loss. In fact, walking is one of the most recommended exercises based on its ability to improve cardiovascular fitness and its low-impact nature. You can achieve a perfectly intense workout by incline walking, even in short bursts of time. Increasing speed and incline will help you achieve a more intense workout. There are plenty of tips and tricks for creating your own high-intensity incline walking workout program.
Not only will incline walking improve weight loss, but walking itself provides many health benefits. From lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, to strengthening muscles and bones, walking is an excellent way to improve health and longevity as well as boost immunity. Many adults only need 30 minutes of low-intensity aerobic exercise per day; it does not take hours of intense exercise to reap the health or weight loss benefits that walking can provide.
Treadmill Incline Benefits
There are a myriad of different benefits that can be enjoyed when embarking on an incline walking treadmill workout. Beyond the obvious cardiovascular benefits of incline walking, the varying inclines can work different muscle groups and aid in total-body toning. As the incline increases, more muscles are recruited to do more work to keep your body on the treadmill.
Tips for Incline Walking
If you are used to jogging or doing other forms of exercise that you may not be able to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, incline walking may seem boring or less interesting than other more engaging workouts. However, there are plenty of ways not only to make incline walking more intense but also a lot more fun. Below are a few tips to try to enjoy the benefits of incline walking on a treadmill:
1. Switch Up Your Pace
If you incline walk at the same pace throughout the entire workout, it is a lot easier to be less engaged, even bored. You may stare at the clock and wonder when your workout will end! Instead, try 30 seconds of incline walking at a faster pace, followed by a 30 second “cool down” at a slower pace. You may also adjust the steepness of the incline throughout the workout to incorporate different intensities. There are plenty of websites that provide incline walking workouts; in fact, there are even tips out there on how you can use incline walking to improve your abs.
2. Entertain Yourself
Television is typically a sedentary activity, but you can switch it up by downloading shows onto your phone and watching them while you walk. This will help the time fly by as you work out – the same can be said about books, audio books, podcasts, vlogs, or any other form of entertainment.
3. Recruit A Friend
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is easy to lose touch with friends. Call them or use a video conferencing tool to catch up with friends while you complete your incline walk workout.