The Power of Adding Incline - More Calories Burned

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  • LovelyVegetarian
    LovelyVegetarian Posts: 117 Member
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    Uuuugh, I detest the incline. I totally get it and it make sense but while I can run no problem for 30 mins and run at 5.0 speed or 5.5, I caNOT handle an incline. It just kills me. I love to run and do 4 to 5 times a week but I'm a flat treadmill kinda girl.
  • earvizu92
    earvizu92 Posts: 320 Member
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    Thanks for sharing!! I love my incline!:wink:
  • LovelyVegetarian
    LovelyVegetarian Posts: 117 Member
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    If you are eating 700 cals a day and burning 700 to 1000 cals a day....well of course you're going to lose weight. This is not healthy I'm sorry. I don't like to be negative on the boards and I am a fan of 'whatever works' but seriously, no wonder you dropped so many sizes in 4 months. Also 1.5 hours cardio? Yea no thanks.


    I've been inclining on the treadmill on and off for about seven years. I first started inclining after my last child was born and I had gained a serious amount of weight having children. In four months I went from a size 10 to a size 0. Here's how I did it. Five days a week at the gym. Mon, Wed, Fri treadmill. Tues and Thurs machines. I don't like to run so I walked at an incline on the treadmill. I started at around 10% for a few weeks changing my speed to match whatever song I was listening to at the time. After a few weeks I went to 12%. I stayed at 12% for a couple months then slowly starting going up to 15%. I remained at 15% and continued changing my speed from 1.7 up to 2.8 max. I have a couple key points I want to share with you that I've learned along the way. First, as everyone else has said you cannot hold on. Second, to be able to not hold on you have to work out your leg muscles either with HIIT, machines, or Pilates on your off days. Building up your leg muscles not only will help with your calorie burn but will allow you to balance yourself while your inclining. Third, your cardio sessions need to last around hour to an hour and a half. Slow, long, and balanced wins the race! I burned around 700 to 1000 calories a session on the treadmill doing this. I also watched my diet intently but never deprived myself of any food. I limited my caloric intake to around 700 calories a day, once a week did a fast, and never ate after 7pm. I now have just started back on the treadmill after a long break and already can tell a difference. I've done every workout imaginable and nothing has been better than inclining!
  • sueclare38
    sueclare38 Posts: 125
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    I always use the highest incline and fast walking speed because I have bad knees. I also always hold on, I am however totally upright not leaning back, the only reason I hold on is because sometimes my knees just give out and go from under me, when this happens I'd much prefer to holding onto something, don't have a death grip either. I was once walking slowly downstairs holding the the baby when one of my knees gave out, scared the life out of me.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    Holding on the treadmill negates the benefits of the treadmill??? Now I heard everything on MFP. :huh: :noway:

    it negates the benefits of using the incline,when you are not holding on to the handrails on an incline you lean forward,when you hold on you keep your posture straight which is the same as walking on it flat.

    Wrong.... I do a big incline and hold on and feel more benefits than if it were flat.

    Holding on causes changes in your gait and posture, and reduces the number of calories you burn, compared to what you would burn if you weren't holding on. That doesn't mean you aren't burning more than you would on the flat, or that you shouldn't bother if you need to hold on. People with balance issues need to hold on for safety reasons. But if you can use a treadmill without holding on, or you could if you reduced the incline, it's a better use of your time to do so. Otherwise, carry on, and congratulations for exercising.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    If you are eating 700 cals a day and burning 700 to 1000 cals a day....well of course you're going to lose weight. This is not healthy I'm sorry. I don't like to be negative on the boards and I am a fan of 'whatever works' but seriously, no wonder you dropped so many sizes in 4 months. Also 1.5 hours cardio? Yea no thanks.


    I've been inclining on the treadmill on and off for about seven years. I first started inclining after my last child was born and I had gained a serious amount of weight having children. In four months I went from a size 10 to a size 0. Here's how I did it. Five days a week at the gym. Mon, Wed, Fri treadmill. Tues and Thurs machines. I don't like to run so I walked at an incline on the treadmill. I started at around 10% for a few weeks changing my speed to match whatever song I was listening to at the time. After a few weeks I went to 12%. I stayed at 12% for a couple months then slowly starting going up to 15%. I remained at 15% and continued changing my speed from 1.7 up to 2.8 max. I have a couple key points I want to share with you that I've learned along the way. First, as everyone else has said you cannot hold on. Second, to be able to not hold on you have to work out your leg muscles either with HIIT, machines, or Pilates on your off days. Building up your leg muscles not only will help with your calorie burn but will allow you to balance yourself while your inclining. Third, your cardio sessions need to last around hour to an hour and a half. Slow, long, and balanced wins the race! I burned around 700 to 1000 calories a session on the treadmill doing this. I also watched my diet intently but never deprived myself of any food. I limited my caloric intake to around 700 calories a day, once a week did a fast, and never ate after 7pm. I now have just started back on the treadmill after a long break and already can tell a difference. I've done every workout imaginable and nothing has been better than inclining!

    If you your doctor approves, and you're able to stick with it, a huge loss at the beginning probably isn't the worst thing ever. Some people have a lot of energy reserve to work off. Weight loss slows down a lot when you only have a little bit to lose. Just be ready to start eating at a smaller deficit at some point in your weight loss process. Being too tired to exercise is a sign that it's time to reassess that deficit.

    P.S. An hour or more of cardio is exactly what is recommended for weight loss. Kudos to you for having the tenacity.

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