Running at low incline versus walking at high incline?

JWA81
JWA81 Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site and am currently working on getting back to my previous weight of 118-120 pounds. I am a 32-year-old female and am about 5 feet 5 inches tall and currently around 140 pounds. I always used to be a super active, very athletic person and used to work out several times a week. I was actually almost addicted to working out. However, over the last year or two, I have sort of allowed myself to fall off track and haven't been working out nearly as much as I used to and haven't been eating nearly as healthy as I previously did. I really have no good excuses, other than working really long hours and being tired from that, but I do work from home and I own a treadmill, stationary bike, dumbbells, and a Bowflex, so the bottom line is that I've just been downright lazy lately! Unfortunately, I have gained about 20 pounds over the last 1-2 years because of this and I am now very, very serious about getting back to my previous fitness level and weight of approximately 120 pounds. I'd even be happy with 125 pounds. I am forcing myself to get better with time management make the time to get a good workout in at least 4-5 days per week and I have restarted my healthy eating habits and cut out the junk with NO EXCUSES. I told my husband that I don't want any cookies, chips, ice cream, cakes, donuts, candy bars, etc. in the house at all because I need to be in a fail-proof environment to help me reach my goals. Thankfully, he is being very supportive of this.

Here is my question: For my cardio workouts, would I obtain faster/better results by walking at a high incline on my treadmill or running at a low incline? What I've been doing lately is mixing it up where I will run at 6.8 to 7 mph at a 2 to 2.5% incline for 5 minutes and then walk for 5 minutes at 3.5 to 3.6 mph at a 10 to 12% incline (my treadmill goes up to an incline of 12). I spend a total of 40 to 45 minutes on the treadmill and then I add in a bit of weight training/resistance and crunches afterwards. When I walk at the high incline, I can REALLY feel the burn in my legs and I do work up a pretty decent sweat doing this. I've also heard that the high incline walking can really help to burn fat in the lower belly. I am just wondering if I should continue alternating the low incline run/high incline walk like I'm doing now or just focus more on one or the other. I really would love to be at my goal weight and look and feel as toned as I used to by late May/early June. I really want my abs back! :)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    No exercise targets fat on any part of the body. So don't buy into stories about doing an exercise can specifically reduce any part.

    Keep doing what you're doing. I would add that if you're hanging on the rails while walking on incline, you can reduce the actual resistance by 35%-50%. Hands free. If you can't do that 5 minutes hands free, then reduce the incline or the speed.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • JWA81
    JWA81 Posts: 5
    Thanks! Nope, I never hang onto the rails of the treadmill. I already knew about that. The only time I ever touch the handlebars is to check my heart rate, but that's only for a second and I never hang on while I'm running or walking.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm not sure how much difference the incline makes in terms of calorie burns (perhaps someone can chime in on that) but generally speaking running burns almost double the number calories does (.63 x weight in lbs x distance in miles vs .30 x weight in lbs x distance in miles*) but there are also great reasons to do interval type workouts.

    * source: http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single
  • kbrister85
    kbrister85 Posts: 11
    Hey there, personally I walk on incline since it also targets the glutes and burns just as many calories as running does, I do 3.6 at 15%. You could always try sprints as well I like doing those a couple of times a week sprint for 2 mins walk for one 12 sprints total. Good luck!
  • JWA81
    JWA81 Posts: 5
    That's what I was thinking! I do enjoy running, but my lower body in general really feels it a lot more when I walk as fast as I can (usually around 3.5 mph) at a really high incline. I also want to get some muscle definition back in my legs, which I already somewhat have, but I want to improve it. I just overall want to slim down and be toned all over!
  • kickivale
    kickivale Posts: 260 Member
    Hey, I really want to respond because we have a very similar situation…
    I was 142 lbs 105 days ago. That's the most I have ever weighed and it felt really wrong, just bizarre. Tired, lumpy, whatever.
    Today I'm 126. So the weight has been coming off at a pound a week very steadily.
    I do walk at incline and run without, just like you, except I do it 7 days a week.
    I throw in a lateral side shuffle for a few minutes while I am walking on the incline. (like this guy is doing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oiV-hcPeaY) Which switches things up a little and engages muscles I tend to use less.
    I only skip a day if I have a terrible hangover or something has happened that is keeping me too far from the gym to make it (that's only occurred once)
    Every day on the treadmill plus a very short weight train, some planks, pushups, and some exercise ball moves, and STICKING TO MY CALORIES OF COURSE, and it's been easy peasy.
    Good luck!
  • JWA81
    JWA81 Posts: 5
    Wow, that's definitely some good progress you're making! I know exactly how it feels. I'm VERY uncomfortable at my current weight since it's the highest I've ever been in my entire life. In my 20s, I was never higher than 125 pounds and I paid a lot more attention to what I was eating and getting on the treadmill for 45 minutes several times a week. I've been having a hard time getting my motivation level back up to where it needs to be to stick with it, but I've finally gotten to the point where I am absolutely sick to death of being at this weight and I feel more determined than I have in a long time to get back to where I was! Summer is coming in a few short months and I'm just going to suck it up and do it. I work until midnight, so I don't care if sometimes I have to be in our basement on the treadmill at 2 in the morning! I'm going to do whatever it takes to be happy with myself again!
  • Aeramis13
    Aeramis13 Posts: 135 Member
    In my experience, a high incline can really add to a walk, but it's not the same burn as a run...though it depends on how fast you run, the rate of incline, etc.

    For example, part of my daily warmup is to start at 4mph at an incline of 4 (my treadmills go to 12 like yours). At :30, I bump it to an incline of 5, and then up to a 6 at 1:00. From there, I up it .5 every 30 seconds til I hit 5 minutes and end up at an incline of 10.5 (no hands!) Nearing the end, my heart rate hits around 145-ish.

    Running at 6mph with 0 incline gets my heart rate to about 155-160, and running at 7.5mph with 0 incline puts me around 168-174.

    TL;DR: A walk with a high incline is still great exercise for your heart and will definitely help you burn calories. Running with less incline is still a better workout.

    (this is (obviously) all based on my personal experience only. also, it's worth considering the possibility of injury/impact on your body if you decide to run. I do!)
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    Personal preference. You lose weight with a calorie deficit, and you lose fat and retain muscle by incorporating resistance training and adequate protein. Walking on an incline is probably a better form of resistance training than running flat, but I wouldn't overlook upper body training as well as extra lower body work to make sure you hit all your muscle groups. Running will improve your cardiovascular strength - also important. You can't spot reduce, so just do whatever you enjoy most, or start working toward specific fitness goals.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
    Either one can be good -- I would suggest doing both; that way you work different muscle groups and probably reduce your chances of getting injured. If you feel like you're not getting as much of a workout in one versus the other, just increase the speed. You'll feel it, I guarantee it!

    One thing to watch for when you are walking on an incline is posture -- keep your upper body vertical -- don't hunch over, as that can lead to back problems.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    There is nothing inherently preferable about either mode of exercise--they have different characteristics.

    Every exercise workload has an energy cost--in order to compare different activities (e.g. running vs walking) you have to make sure you are working at equivalent workloads.

    In this case, running at 7.0 mph/2% grade is about 33% harder than walking at 3.6 mph and 12% grade. That is consistent with research that has suggested that running has a lower rate of perceived exertion compared to other exercise modalities at the same workload. So even though the incline walking might "feel" harder, it probably is a little less. (That is not meant to be a negative description).

    One characteristic of incline walking is that it doesn't beat your legs up (even on a treadmill) the way that running does, so it often allows someone to work for a longer duration (and burn more calories) if they haven't conditioned their legs for running endurance yet.

    The "strengthening" aspects of incline walking will be mild to modest. It might feel harder, but it's not necessarily better than running in that regard (and neither are very good compared to strength training).

    I rely on incline walking a lot when I am getting back into a program after illness or injury. I have had a number of injuries the past few months and suffered a mild concussion in an auto accident 3 weeks ago which put me further out of commission. While I was only able to run for 15 min continuously, I could still do 65-75 min of incline walking and do a 1000-calorie workout.
  • JWA81
    JWA81 Posts: 5
    I greatly appreciate all the replies! I have always been a runner and I used to be able to run for a good 10-15 minutes straight before needing to stop for a break, but since I've been out of it for a while, I can only do between 5 and 7 minutes now without stopping. I'm sure I'll get back to my previous endurance level pretty soon. It's been hard to tell whether walking at a high incline or running at a low incline is more effective. Obviously with running, I'm a lot more out of breath, my heart rate is faster, and I sweat more, but when walking with a high incline, I really feel it in my lower body and I still do work up a bit of a sweat. I do enjoy both, so I will probably continue to do the intervals that I have been doing with 5 minutes of running and then 5 minutes of walking with incline and do these intervals for 40-45 minutes. I always do about 30 minutes of strength training after my treadmill workouts. I definitely don't want to get totally "jacked", but I do want to look toned and fit like I always used to. I just hate myself for letting my career get in the way of my healthy and active lifestyle these last couple of years! When I took a promotion at my job, I never thought it would take over my life as much as it has and that's something I'm changing right now. I am now working 10-hour shifts, so I have 3 days off in a row, which is allowing me more time to get some longer workouts in!

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