Over time, your body can get accustomed to a workout, making it harder to burn as many calories as you might have previously --- making it hard to lose weight. Whether you want to shake up your exercise routine or break through a plateau, incline workouts can be the solution. Running or walking on an incline burns more calories and has health benefits that can bring your fitness to the next level. Consult your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.
Approximate Calorie Burn
You burn about 10 percent more calories for each 1-degree increase in incline, Dr. Jana Klauer tells "Women's Health" magazine. The higher the incline, the greater your calorie burn. If you are running or walking outside, you can estimate the incline to get an idea of the additional burn. Adding even a small amount of incline and increasing it over time can thus lead to significant extra calorie burn.
Factors That Affect Calories Burned
How many calories you burn during an incline workout will vary based on your body size, fitness level, the speed at which you're walking or running, how long you exercise and, of course, the incline; heavier people will burn more calories, as will those moving faster or at a steeper incline. A 160-lb. person burns 277 calories in an hour of walking at 3.5 miles per hour, MayoClinic.com calculates; as a 2-percent increase in incline will boost calorie burn by 20 percent, the same 160-lbs. person can increase his calories burned to 332. You can also increase the burn by carrying hand weights and performing various strength-training exercises; "Fitness" magazine suggests hammer curls, alternating punches, lateral raises and triceps kickbacks.
Types of Exercise
Whether you are working out in a gym or outdoors, it is relatively easy to add incline training to your workout. If you are running or walking outside, simply find a hill; for steeper hills, do intervals alternating between hills and level surfaces to avoid tiring out. If you want to maintain the incline during the entire workout interval, find a long, low incline. Most newer treadmills have an incline option, which allows you to change the angle with a push of a button; you can also adjust the time and workout profile to fit your individual limitations. According to the American Council on Exercise, a 10-percent incline may be a big challenge for new exercisers, while 15 percent may be the maximum for fitter individuals.
Additional Benefits
In addition to an additional calorie burn during a workout, incline training will help you build more muscle than working out on a flat surface. Because your legs are required to work harder to get your body up a hill, your muscles will build faster. And since muscles burn more calories than fat, incline training can lead to increased calorie burn in the future. Incline workouts can also improve lung and heart functioning and help you increase your speed on flat ground.
References
- American Council on Exercise: What You Need to Know to Purchase a Treadmill
- Spine-Health; Treadmills for Exercise and Pain Relief; Megan Tyner; May 23, 2007
- "Fitness" magazine; Walk (or Run!) Off Bulge; Holly St. Lifer; January 2007
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise for weight loss: Calories burned in 1 hour; Dec. 1, 2009
- "Women's Health" magazine; Run Less, Lose More Fat; Liz Plosser; March 2011
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