Walking with incline on treadmill

As others have said, incline treadmill walking is excellent for burning calories. To repeat, in order to get the most out of it, you cannot hold on to the handrails.

Research has shown that handrail support can reduce the amount of calories burned by as much as 70% (compared to what you would expect based on the speed and incline).

People who walk at high speeds and high inclines, but have to hold on for dear life, not only have bad biomechanics, but are only burning a fraction of the calories they think they are.

It it much better to start with a slower speed (in the 2.5-3.0 mph range) and learn to tolerate the higher inclines (10%-15%)--it's the incline that really adds the itensity--without handrail support. It takes some getting used to -- your back will get a little achy at first-- but it pays off in the long run.

It might be a 10-20% difference..No way is it 70%..I walk at very high inclines and my heart rate is much higher holding onto the front rail compared to walking at a 10% incline and not holding on..Plus I can feel it my legs much more at 30-40% incline holding on the rails..Plus my lower back is much stronger now then it was before I started..

Note that I used the term "as much as". So, no, not every instance of handrail support will be off by 70%--it is a range, with the highest amount at the higher combinations of speed and elevation.

And, rereading this, I realize I am unclear what you are disputing. The discrepancy in numbers that I am citing is the difference between the numbers displayed on the console and what one is actually burning. It is not a comparison of completely different workloads. If you are working at a 30%-40% incline, you have to hold on and so you don't know what your actual workload is. So there is really no way to compare that to "walking at a 10% incline" especially since you haven't mentioned the speed. It's not like EVERY incidence of walking without support MUST be greater than every instance of walking with handrail support. Again, going up to 40% is beyond the limits of human capability. So it stands to reason that, even with holding on and offsetting a large chunk of the actual workload, you could still be working harder than doing another workload walking unsupported.

The study that demonstrated the effects of handrail support replaced the handrail on a treadmill with a device that measured the actual force exerted hanging on to the rails. It also compared the effects of walking assisted and unassisted. It was very well designed (probably published 25 years ago when we were still doing real graded exercise testing in clinical settings). The 70% figure came during the 4th stage of the Bruce protocol, with a workload of 4.2 mph and 16% incline.

You can do whatever you want. If you like the effect that you get from those kinds of workouts, that's fine. I am only presenting the science so that people can judge what is best for them. And the science is that handrail support can sharply reduce the number of calories actually burnt compared to what is on the display. That's something that many people don't seem to understand, based on my conversations on this website and with some of our members. If you like the feeling of walking at a steep incline and feel it provides unique benefits, and you are not counting the exercise calories on the display, that's perfectly fine. I am just saying that, in terms of aerobic training and calorie burning, there is nothing that can be done on that type of treadmill that cannot be achieved on a regular one, so people should not purchase one because they think they are going to get a unique calorie-burning experience.

My concern is never with anyone who knows what they are getting and enjoys their purchase. It is with those who get taken in by misleading advertising and end up thinking they are getting something that they are not. Or limiting themselves to a niche exercise piece when they wanted something more versatile.

hmm... I don't hold on cuz I need to - it just feel natural (I hold onto the top)...but most of the time I'm running and can't hold onto nothing. I wonder how bad is it really?

As others have said, incline treadmill walking is excellent for burning calories. To repeat, in order to get the most out of it, you cannot hold on to the handrails.

Research has shown that handrail support can reduce the amount of calories burned by as much as 70% (compared to what you would expect based on the speed and incline).

People who walk at high speeds and high inclines, but have to hold on for dear life, not only have bad biomechanics, but are only burning a fraction of the calories they think they are.

It it much better to start with a slower speed (in the 2.5-3.0 mph range) and learn to tolerate the higher inclines (10%-15%)--it's the incline that really adds the itensity--without handrail support. It takes some getting used to -- your back will get a little achy at first-- but it pays off in the long run.

It might be a 10-20% difference..No way is it 70%..I walk at very high inclines and my heart rate is much higher holding onto the front rail compared to walking at a 10% incline and not holding on..Plus I can feel it my legs much more at 30-40% incline holding on the rails..Plus my lower back is much stronger now then it was before I started..

Note that I used the term "as much as". So, no, not every instance of handrail support will be off by 70%--it is a range, with the highest amount at the higher combinations of speed and elevation.

And, rereading this, I realize I am unclear what you are disputing. The discrepancy in numbers that I am citing is the difference between the numbers displayed on the console and what one is actually burning. It is not a comparison of completely different workloads. If you are working at a 30%-40% incline, you have to hold on and so you don't know what your actual workload is. So there is really no way to compare that to "walking at a 10% incline" especially since you haven't mentioned the speed. It's not like EVERY incidence of walking without support MUST be greater than every instance of walking with handrail support. Again, going up to 40% is beyond the limits of human capability. So it stands to reason that, even with holding on and offsetting a large chunk of the actual workload, you could still be working harder than doing another workload walking unsupported.

The study that demonstrated the effects of handrail support replaced the handrail on a treadmill with a device that measured the actual force exerted hanging on to the rails. It also compared the effects of walking assisted and unassisted. It was very well designed (probably published 25 years ago when we were still doing real graded exercise testing in clinical settings). The 70% figure came during the 4th stage of the Bruce protocol, with a workload of 4.2 mph and 16% incline.

You can do whatever you want. If you like the effect that you get from those kinds of workouts, that's fine. I am only presenting the science so that people can judge what is best for them. And the science is that handrail support can sharply reduce the number of calories actually burnt compared to what is on the display. That's something that many people don't seem to understand, based on my conversations on this website and with some of our members. If you like the feeling of walking at a steep incline and feel it provides unique benefits, and you are not counting the exercise calories on the display, that's perfectly fine. I am just saying that, in terms of aerobic training and calorie burning, there is nothing that can be done on that type of treadmill that cannot be achieved on a regular one, so people should not purchase one because they think they are going to get a unique calorie-burning experience.

My concern is never with anyone who knows what they are getting and enjoys their purchase. It is with those who get taken in by misleading advertising and end up thinking they are getting something that they are not. Or limiting themselves to a niche exercise piece when they wanted something more versatile.

Studies are a dime a dozen. Especially one done 25 years ago. There are so many variables. It probably depends on where you hold onto a rail. Is it the side rail or the front rail. How extended are your arms..Do you lean forward and support a lot of your weight. What's the speed. How fit is the individual doing the clinical study. How much do they weigh. Walking at 4.2 mph at a 16% incline as mentioned in the clinical setting is hard to do..Many can't walk 4.2 mph at no incline..So if the person in the study has really bad form and can barely keep up. Then maybe it is 70%. But way, way out of the norm imo. Every scenario is going to be different.

When I walk up an incline of 30-40% at 2.5 - 3 mph holding onto the front rail. My heart rate is higher compared to running at 5-6 mph at no incline..That's one of the reasons I bought a treadmill with such a high incline..You do get more out of a high incline treadmill compared to most treadmills. Most treadmills stop at a 15% incline. I wanted something different then the usual. So I would disagree with you about comparing a normal treadmill (10-15% incline) to a treadmill that goes up to 40%. I don't know if I would call it a unique calorie burning experience..I call it one hell of a workout. Better then any treadmill I've ever been on. Just walking, you heart rate will rise much faster compared to a treadmill that stops at 15% at similar speeds.

There were no misleading advertisements. I found it online searching for over 2 months for a treadmill. I didn't even know that treadmills went up to a 40% incline. Once I saw it and knew that was the one for me. The price was reasonable. Completely satisfied and would recommend it to anyone looking for a treadmill without hesitation.

I started walking the treadmill at an incline about a month ago. I can already see a huge difference in my thighs, hips, waist, and most importantly - my booty. I alternate incline (8-12) and speed (3.2-4.2) for 35-60 minutes about 4 times a week. I've never really been much for exercise, but I also know that I won't continue losing if I don't step it up - literally. I am a big fan of the incline on the treadmill!

I walk at a 15 incline 3.0 speed for 30+ minute everyday

Holy smokes, you guys are beasts! Your speeds and inclines are amazing to me! I hit my treadmill for maybe 45 minutes at an average speed of maybe 2.5mph and an average incline of 5 or maybe 6 and I feel like I'm really kicking butt, haha. Seriously, you guys are crazy good.

I do 45 minutes a day, 5x a week, at 3.8 to 4.0 speed, and 6 to 7 incline. I totally feel it in my legs, and my constantly sore left hip is not sore when I keep to this routine.

Through in a little circuit training, or weights of some type, and you will continue to be a fat burning machine!

Hi. I'm a little confused about the incline on the treadmill. If the incline on the treadmill reads 5, does that mean it's at 5%? Cause going steeper than 5 makes my lower back hurt

Also, after walking for 1 hour at 3.5-3.8 on that incline, my HRM said I burnt 912 calories! Is it crazy? Or is that actually possible?

Not at that worklaod.

Even if you kept it at 3.8 mph and 5% hill the entire hour, and you did not hold on to the hanrails, you would have to weigh over 360 lbs to burn 912 calories in an hour at that workload. I think your HRM is out of whack.

Hi. I was wondering if I'm burning more because I'm out of shape (working on it though). I read this in another forum:
"....if you were to do the same work with an out of shape person and a fit person with the same stats, the out of shape person would burn more."

Is this true? It kinda makes sense. What seems like a very light work out for most, was actually a heck of a work out for me.

How are you possibly still be "speadwalking" at 6.0-6.5mph? The treadmills at my gym are forcing me into a run at @ 4.5!

I've been doing a manual workout creating my own hills...I'll walk at 3% incline/3 mph for five minutes, then increase the incline by .5% every ten seconds until I hit 7%. I'll do this for a few minutes (increasing and decreasing every ten seconds), then another couple of minutes at a lower incline, etc. I can't even imagine a 15% incline, but I'm sure I'll make it there eventually! Yesterday I did 5% for ten minutes (at 3 mph), then 6% for ten minutes, then 7% for ten minutes. I was sweating like crazy but damn I felt good and really raised my heart rate! I can burn a ****load of calories doing this (about ten per minute) because my weight is high.