Increase your cardiovascular health and improve your endurance by jogging lightly or running on the treadmill at an incline. Get an equivalent training benefit by running slower than your regular pace at a higher grade than you are used to. Change up your routine, by adding variety to your everyday cardio workout on the treadmill to maximize your results.
Features
Hillrunner.com features a conversion of mile paces based on the incline you set on the treadmill. The chart is broken down to show your selected treadmill speed, the mile pace on the treadmill and then the equivalent paces at ascending inclines. The treadmill miles-per-hour on the chart are shown in increments of .10 and range from five to twelve. The incline range is from zero to 10, in increments of 1 percent.
Benefits
Burn more calories by running at an equivalent pace with an increased incline. For example, a 150 lb. individual will burn around 264 calories running on a flat incline at a 12-minute mile pace for 30 minutes. Increase the grade to 5 percent and maintain your pace, and burn an extra 83 calories in 30 minutes.
Running on an incline will train you to better adapt to the challenges of running outdoors, on hills and through terrain. Switch up your incline and pace throughout the workout, to maximize these benefits.
Misconceptions
The perception that running on the treadmill at a zero incline will yield the same mile pace as running on a outdoor track or on the road, is false. The chart shows that running with a zero incline on the treadmill has a 20- to 30-second variance to running outdoors, even on a level surface. To better simulate the outdoors on a treadmill, many experts suggest running on a 1 percent incline.
Training for a Race
Any outdoor race, such as a 5k, 10k, half marathon or marathon, will subject you to ever-changing terrain. To better prepare yourself for race day, change up your incline and maintain your running pace on the treadmill throughout your workout. The more you prepare, the better ready your heart and legs will be on race day.
Prevention
Some individuals may experience shin splints while running on the treadmill at an incline. To better prevent shin splints, adjust your pace progressively, week to week. For example, if you are used to running with no incline, start by running for two to three minutes at a 1 to 2 percent grade incline, a few times during your workout. Slowly progress the incline, so that your muscles get used to the change in incline.
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