We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Incline

launica20132013
launica20132013 Posts: 21 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I prefer to jog outside.. But when I have no choice but to jog in a treadmill I just do it. I put the treadmill incline to 1.5... Is that the correct incline to mimic as if I was jogging outside? Or is it 1.7 incline?

Replies

  • Tortitudekitty
    Tortitudekitty Posts: 67 Member
    The difference between 1.5 and 1.7% is negligible, tbh.

    I have been told that to mimic "level" pavement (for example) the incline can be anywhere between 1-2%.
    Your mileage may vary ('scuse the pun!).
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    A 1.5% incline is practically nothing. Plus, how often in real life do you just run uphill constantly, and
    at the same incline?
    Look for a setting that says something like "hills" or "variable". You want the one which adjusts itself.
    Start off low/slow, so you're challenged, but not too much. Increase the level as you get more fit.

    One will act more like actual turf, the profile looks like hills. The change in incline is gradual & somewhat
    random.
    For a 20-minute workout, it might look like: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2

    The other alternates minutes at low/no incline with minutes at higher incline, which steps up 4-5 times, then
    drops back to the lowest. When I do this, I usually use a setting between #12 & #15 (of 20 levels... I'm not
    very far along yet), so the lower incline might be 4% and the steepest minutes are at maybe 15% incline.
    For a 20-minute workout, it could look like: 2, 3, 4, 3, 5, 3, 6, 3, 7, 3, 4, 3, 5, 3, 6, 3, 7, 3, 2, 1
  • launica20132013
    launica20132013 Posts: 21 Member
    Thanks for the info! I will try it.. Next time I'm on a treadmill!
    MKEgal wrote: »
    A 1.5% incline is practically nothing. Plus, how often in real life do you just run uphill constantly, and
    at the same incline?
    Look for a setting that says something like "hills" or "variable". You want the one which adjusts itself.
    Start off low/slow, so you're challenged, but not too much. Increase the level as you get more fit.

    One will act more like actual turf, the profile looks like hills. The change in incline is gradual & somewhat
    random.
    For a 20-minute workout, it might look like: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2

    The other alternates minutes at low/no incline with minutes at higher incline, which steps up 4-5 times, then
    drops back to the lowest. When I do this, I usually use a setting between #12 & #15 (of 20 levels... I'm not
    very far along yet), so the lower incline might be 4% and the steepest minutes are at maybe 15% incline.
    For a 20-minute workout, it could look like: 2, 3, 4, 3, 5, 3, 6, 3, 7, 3, 4, 3, 5, 3, 6, 3, 7, 3, 2, 1

  • launica20132013
    launica20132013 Posts: 21 Member
    Ok.
    Thank you :)
    Tortitudekitty wrote: »
    The difference between 1.5 and 1.7% is negligible, tbh.

    I have been told that to mimic "level" pavement (for example) the incline can be anywhere between 1-2%.
    Your mileage may vary ('scuse the pun!).

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    You don't need any incline at all to mimic outdoor running unless you are running steadily faster than 5 min/mi.
  • launica20132013
    launica20132013 Posts: 21 Member
    Good to know! Thank you!
    But I'm not there yet lol when I run I do it at 4.3... That's so I can breathe appropriately and no pass out! Lol
    I'm not fit yet it have much endurance
    scottb81 wrote: »
    You don't need any incline at all to mimic outdoor running unless you are running steadily faster than 5 min/mi.

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    There was a study done somewhere that I read once that addressed this, I believe in terms of energy expenditure. At the speeds most of us run there is no difference between outdoor and indoor. However, once you get up to about 5 min/mi outdoors there is a wind resistance component that is missing on the treadmill that can be made up for with a 1% incline.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    hm interesting. I didn't know that
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Here is the article I read a while back. http://www.hillrunner.com/jim2/id110.html
  • launica20132013
    launica20132013 Posts: 21 Member
    Awesome!! Thank you!
    scottb81 wrote: »
    Here is the article I read a while back. http://www.hillrunner.com/jim2/id110.html

This discussion has been closed.

Categories