Incline vs Flat Run

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pasqui
pasqui Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I am actively running at my gym on the running machine, my incline is at 1.5 and I jog for about 40 minutes at a speed between 8.5-9kph - I burn approx 750 calories.

My girlfriend does the same however she isn't running at an incline, at a flat surface. She only burns about 350 calories.

I know this may sound obvious but is it really that amount that burns or is there an actual error?

Reason I ask this is because I have to set my jog speed to say I jog 10 or 9min a mile when I know I jog 11min30sec a mile.

Any help from my fitness friends will be great :)

Replies

  • FitFi74
    FitFi74 Posts: 129 Member
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    Is it not to do with the difference in your weights? If you're heaver you'll burn more...just a thought!
  • annisthehag
    annisthehag Posts: 11
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    Well, your girlfriend probably burns less calories because she is female. My boyfriend and I go out running together sometimes and he burns around 500 whereas I settle in somewhere in the 300s. However, it is good to run on a slight incline (around 1% or so) simply to offset the ease of running on a moving surface, which is doing part of the work for you (compared with outdoors, where you are doing all the work yourself). You should encourage her to step it up a notch. ;)
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    ...... However, it is good to run on a slight incline (around 1% or so) simply to offset the ease of running on a moving surface, which is doing part of the work for you (compared with outdoors, where you are doing all the work yourself). .....
    That's NOT the reason you should run a little incline in the treadmill. The incline is to offset small road inclines and some wind resistance that might happen outside.

    As far as the body is concerned, running on a treadmill and running outside (if there's no road inclines and 0 wind) is identical.
  • Tan43
    Tan43 Posts: 87 Member
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    I break up my runs on the treadmill with intervals of walk at 6kmh for 1 minute at 3% Incline then run at 12kmh at 1% incline for a total of 10 minutes then walk at 6kmh at 3% incline then jog at 9kmh at 5% incline for another 10 minutes then cool down with a 5 minute job at 1% for 5 minutes. I burn around 300 calories doing this. Once this routine becomes too comfortable then I will increase both speed and incline to keep the body working.
  • kbmoose
    kbmoose Posts: 3
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    Well, your girlfriend probably burns less calories because she is female. My boyfriend and I go out running together sometimes and he burns around 500 whereas I settle in somewhere in the 300s. However, it is good to run on a slight incline (around 1% or so) simply to offset the ease of running on a moving surface, which is doing part of the work for you (compared with outdoors, where you are doing all the work yourself). You should encourage her to step it up a notch. ;)

    I agree. I see better and quicker results when I run outside, as opposed to on the treadmill. This is not to say that the treadmill is bad, but the incline helps take care of the difference. I always run at least at a 1.0 incline when I use a treadmill.
  • kbmoose
    kbmoose Posts: 3
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    I break up my runs on the treadmill with intervals of walk at 6kmh for 1 minute at 3% Incline then run at 12kmh at 1% incline for a total of 10 minutes then walk at 6kmh at 3% incline then jog at 9kmh at 5% incline for another 10 minutes then cool down with a 5 minute job at 1% for 5 minutes. I burn around 300 calories doing this. Once this routine becomes too comfortable then I will increase both speed and incline to keep the body working.

    I like this. I have found many different types of intervals to do on a treadmill. I usually do sprints, 30-60's or 60-120's. The first number is the seconds I sprint, usually at 11.0 mph and the second number is the seconds I walk, usually at 3.5 mph. My wife does 2 & 2's. She will run fast (almost a sprint) for 2 minutes and run slow (closer to a jog) for two minutes, rinse and repeat. I also enjoy the "Random" setting on the treadmills that I use. Once in a while, I will run on random level 6 for 30 minutes or so. "Variety is the spice of life." --P90X Instructor
  • momof3and3
    momof3and3 Posts: 656 Member
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    ...... However, it is good to run on a slight incline (around 1% or so) simply to offset the ease of running on a moving surface, which is doing part of the work for you (compared with outdoors, where you are doing all the work yourself). .....
    That's NOT the reason you should run a little incline in the treadmill. The incline is to offset small road inclines and some wind resistance that might happen outside.

    As far as the body is concerned, running on a treadmill and running outside (if there's no road inclines and 0 wind) is identical.

    I read in article that you set the incline at 1% to mimick "real" flat road ...a 0% inlcine on the treadmill is actually slightly downhill...
  • joeygirl72
    joeygirl72 Posts: 5
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    I walk at 6.5kph and at a 6.5% incline I burn around 100cal per 10mins I've seen people next to me jogging/running at 10kph with no incline who a) don't run for as long as I walk and b) don't burn cals at the same rate. Each to their own though.
    Kudos to people who can manage to run I say!
  • pasqui
    pasqui Posts: 7
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    Thanks everyone for your comments, so I can easily say that the fact that incline is there, it increases the calories burn than someone doing a flat run. :-)
  • jfinnivan
    jfinnivan Posts: 360 Member
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    Running on a treadmill is very different from running on a road. On a road, you are moving the weight of your body forward. On a treadmill, you're legs are keeping up with the belt, not moving your body. If you try both, you can feel the different muscles coming into play for each. Adding the incline mimics road running somewhat.
  • pasqui
    pasqui Posts: 7
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    Running on a treadmill is very different from running on a road. On a road, you are moving the weight of your body forward. On a treadmill, you're legs are keeping up with the belt, not moving your body. If you try both, you can feel the different muscles coming into play for each. Adding the incline mimics road running somewhat.


    Yeah I do road runs and machine training and they are 2 very different things altogether. I prefer to jog in the gym, will be doing road running again when I can be bothered. lol.. sounds like i don't care, i do, just have my own preffered method of training.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    Here's a small article to educate some of you treadmill naysayers;

    http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The-Pros-and-Cons-of-Treadmill-Training.htm

    BTW, I do 80% of my running outside, but I love my NordicTrack C 1750 with iFit and 3% decline feature to mimic running downhill, especially to do some intervals, and when it's cold and pouring rain out.
  • juandatsg
    juandatsg Posts: 11
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    Ok, so I have a dumb question.... I understand that there is a difference between running on the treadmill flat/inclined/declined, but an HRM doesn't know the difference right? If I jog at 6.0 MPH with 0% incline and my heart rate averages 150 over a 30 minute period or if I walk @ 4.6 MPH with a 15% incline and my heart rate averages 150 over a 30 minute period, am I not buring the same amount of calories?
  • jfinnivan
    jfinnivan Posts: 360 Member
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    Ok, so I have a dumb question.... I understand that there is a difference between running on the treadmill flat/inclined/declined, but an HRM doesn't know the difference right? If I jog at 6.0 MPH with 0% incline and my heart rate averages 150 over a 30 minute period or if I walk @ 4.6 MPH with a 15% incline and my heart rate averages 150 over a 30 minute period, am I not buring the same amount of calories?
    You will burn the same number of calories, but you are using your leg muscles in a different way. I suppose there might be a miniscule difference in muscle build-up, which technically could give you a longer lasting calorie burn, much like weight lifting. I suspect the difference is tiny.

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