Speed vs. Incline

jbuffan218

When walking on my treadmill , with calorie burning being the goal, should I go with a slower speed with a higher incline ?

Example: 5 incline @ 3-4 mph

or a faster speed with lower incline??

Example: 3 incline @ 5 mph

I am currently switching it up and doing a little of each but would like to use my exercise time wisely, with the max calorie burn.

Thanks for your help.

acureese

Both are great, it's good to mix it up so your body doesn't plateau, too. My favorite's to combine them, starting at a fast pace on low incline and every minute or two increasing the incline (and decreasing the speed as needed to not fall off) until I get very steep and pretty slow, then work my way back down again. (For example 5.0 at 1.0 incline up to 2.5 at max incline on treadmill, then back down, and depending on time/energy, repeat)

arewethereyet

switching it up is key IMHO....your body will get used to, then adjust to any type of exercise. I try to be 'tricky' and not do the same thing for more than 5 mins at a time.

Even when I am walking in the neighborhood I am known for doing sidesteps or kick outs or jumping over the curb!

I use my music to move me along, setting up a set on my itunes. Love love love it!!

SnakePlissken

Start on level ground at 5 mph and warmup for 4 or 5 minutes. If you find yourself comfortable at this speed, increase it in your next exercise session by .5. You must continue to think this way.

After you warm up, leave your speed at 5 mph and increase your incline to 3 for a 30 second interval..... then back it down to flat after 30 seconds for 1 minute..... this is known as active rest.
Now increase your incline to 4 and run at 5mph for another 30 seconds,..... again followed by level ground with active rest.

Do this 8 times. DO NOT lower your speed.
What you are doing here is both burning calories and pushing your body into an uncomfortable zone. If you can increase both your speed and incline you will push your body into manufacturing more HGH, which is the holy grail of fat burning. It is the basis of Tabata training (google it) and one of the shorter distances toward success. Mindless miles at the same speed will level you off at some point and you have to push your body to be successful. In other words, you can do just as much good for yourself in 20 minutes of pushing yourself on the treadmill as you can in doing an easy hour.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable during your workouts and you will have success.