When you begin walking on the treadmill, you might start wondering when it is time to
increase the incline and if this is the right choice for you. While incline is entirely
optional, there are a few reasons why it might be a good idea for you.
It is Easier to Transition to Walking Outside
One thing that people discover pretty fast is that walking on a treadmill is nowhere near
the same as walking outside. The main difference is that without an incline, the treadmill
is completely flat, but the ground outside rarely is.
You Improve Your Stamina
When you start increasing the incline on your treadmill, you work more on your stamina,
which is going to benefit you in a number of ways. As you increase the incline, your
body works harder to keep up with the workout, which is going to require your lungs to
work harder. When this happens, your lungs become getting stronger over time to
adjust to it, and you will start to increase your stamina exponentially. Plus, your muscles
are also going to increase in strength and stamina thanks to the higher incline.
It is a Better Workout Overall
In addition to improving your stamina, the workout itself is going to improve. When you
use a higher inline, a lot more muscles are used, you burn more calories, and you just
feel the workout so much more. Just try increasing the incline by a few points, such as
going from 0 to 3 incline or 2 to 5 incline. You will notice the difference right away.
Make sure you are increasing it slowly. Your body is not going to be very happy going
from 0 to 12 or 15 incline right away. You will barely (if at all) get through your workout,
and will probably be so tired and sore, you have no interest in doing your walk
tomorrow. You are looking for sustainability in your workouts, which requires increasing
incline and speed slowly over time.
You Burn More Calories in Less Time
Also consider that when you are burning more calories, you can either boost the
calories burned in your normal 30-minute workout, or you can cut down the time you are
on the treadmill once you reach the calorie burning goal you set out for yourself.
Do you only have 20 minutes one day to get your treadmill workout done, but still want
to try to burn the normal amount of calories you do? Try to boost the incline and maybe
walk a little faster, and you should get to your goal much faster. You don’t want to
overdo it, but this does help you to shorten your workouts as needed.