Calories burned walking 4.0-4.5mph on a 10% incline for an hour (estimates)

takemetosingapore19
takemetosingapore19 Posts: 86 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! So I am having difficulty estimating this accurately... I walk 4.0 mph on a 10% incline for an hour almost everyday. I have been logging it as if I am on a flat surface. The calories burned calculated I used are way too low. I’m just not sure how to estimate this. Does anyone have any accurate calculators? I’d rather not say my weight but I’d input it.

Replies

  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
    10% incline is roughly going to double your flat walking calories. So, more or less the equivalent of 8 miles walked on level ground.
  • takemetosingapore19
    takemetosingapore19 Posts: 86 Member
    edited March 2018
    Great thanks!
  • 1985mattie
    1985mattie Posts: 9 Member
    Wow, good going! You must have quads of steel!
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    I'd say it also depends upon whether or not you're doing what I see a lot of people doing when walking at high inclines - leaning back and holding onto the treadmill handles for dear life, which basically negates the effect of the incline.

    This is a good point. If you do this too much you probably burn less than walking on flat. Sure you spend some calories holding yourself off the mill, but if you take most of the weight off there is almost no other work.

    Don't know why people do that. Just walk normal with your hands swinging at your sides like you would if hiking
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    L_Master wrote: »
    10% incline is roughly going to double your flat walking calories. So, more or less the equivalent of 8 miles walked on level ground.

    Do you have a source for that? Just curious.
  • huntersvonnegut
    huntersvonnegut Posts: 1,177 Member
    edited March 2018
    https://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunME

    I use the “net” setting instead of “gross”.
  • huntersvonnegut
    huntersvonnegut Posts: 1,177 Member
    And by the way...great job!
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
    edited March 2018
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    L_Master wrote: »
    10% incline is roughly going to double your flat walking calories. So, more or less the equivalent of 8 miles walked on level ground.

    Do you have a source for that? Just curious.

    Yes...and no. I've read that figure in several studies. I don't have the links off the top of my head, though if I have time later today I'll see if I can bring them up again.

    Have also read some pretty interesting stuff that suggests when going downhill the calories expended are very similar (within 10% iirc) of what one would burn on flat ground.
    sijomial wrote: »
    Your treadmill may have and use all the information needed to perform the same calculation that you could do using external sources (weight, distance, incline).

    If your treadmill asks you your weight why not test its accuracy using the standard walking formula?
    Net Walking calories Spent = (Body weight in pounds) x (0.30) x (Distance in miles)
    If you do a flat 4 mile walk see what the treadmill estimates to gauge its accuracy.

    Then when you do your next incline walk (without holding on of course) you will see how much factoring in the incline is affecting the calories burned.

    Good effort by the way!

    The only thing about this that I never know is what speed the treadmill assumes you're running, at which point the calories should get quite a bit higher. For the classic 150lb person most running estimates are around 110-120 kcal/mile, and most walking estimates are about 80 kcal/mile
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    L_Master wrote: »
    10% incline is roughly going to double your flat walking calories. So, more or less the equivalent of 8 miles walked on level ground.

    At walking speeds ( <=4.2 mph), 10% incline will add about 80% to level walking calories. Again, assuming no handrail support.
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
    And glutes of steel!
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited March 2018
    OP: I use the following calculator to estimate cals burned on my hikes:

    https://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-hiking/

    When I input my weight (156#), backpack weight (0#), time (60 mins), distance (4 miles), terrain (uphill only) and incline (5-10°), I get an estimate of 932 cals burned.

    Your estimate will be higher or lower depending on your body weight.

    I find this calculator to be fairly accurate to estimating the cals burned on my hikes. It's lower than the "overly generous" estimates given by MapMyHike and higher than the estimates given by my pedometer (which assumes a flat walk).

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