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Because there’s a lot more to walking uphill at pace than just walking up a hill at pace
If you’re struggling to make strides in your fitness and feel ready to flip the switch on your routine, there are plenty of ways to ensure you’re moving closer to your goals. Very few methods, however, are as tried-and-tested as incline walking.
From TikTok’s ‘For You’ page to fitness forums and health publications to scientific journals, everyone’s talking about it. Whether you’re sweating it out on a treadmill or tackling your local rolling hills, incline walking provides the ideal one-two punch of both boosting fitness and burning fat. But does incline walking burn fat or build muscle? And how does incline walking for fat loss compare to running? We’ve broken it all down right here, because gassy 5K efforts can jog on.
As the name suggests, it’s walking up an incline. Any slope will do, be it the artificially endless hills of your treadmill or the less predictable type in the real world. Beyond that, options abound. You can vary your pace, your load, your intervals, and your incline to get different results, target different muscles, and maximize the benefits of walking at an incline.
“Generally, you can split incline walks up into five percent, 10 percent, and 15 percent inclines,” explains Third Space Elite Trainer and Education Coordinator Tom Hall. “Once we’re getting near 10 per cent, compared to the same speed [on a flat surface], you’re probably doubling the calories you’re burning during that session. It’s also incredibly easy to maintain a heart rate because you haven’t got to think, as the machine is doing the pace for you.”
For those wondering, *does incline walking burn fat?* The answer is yes—it’s an effective way to torch calories and support weight loss while also strengthening key muscle groups.
If you’re struggling with your running but want to keep cardio in your training split, incline walking is a safe way to shake things up without risking an injury. As Hall explains, “the treadmill is a happy medium between walking on grass and walking on concrete. Instead of beating your knees and hips through a firm surface, it’s the best substitute for the consequences of walking up a hill for a long time.”
Similarly, the low-impact nature of incline walking—as opposed to running, where “there’s always weight on the ground,” says Hall—helps you load your musculature instead of your tendons. Translation: lots of punishment to your cardiovascular system, very little punishment on your knees and back. This makes it a great alternative in the incline walking vs running debate, especially for those with joint concerns.
By not being a hero. “Pick a five percent incline, walk for five minutes, then pick a 10 percent incline, walk for five minutes and then bring it down again,” says Hall. By gradually increasing time on the treadmill and recognizing the feelings of different inclines, you’ll be steadily getting your body ready for the demands the exercise brings.
Once you’re there, there are a few ways to begin progressing your incline walking, but you have to stay consistent with these first steps. “Get your heart rate at 60 to 70 per cent, see what you can maintain for 20 minutes and progress from there, whether that’s increasing speed, incline, or time.”
Once you’re comfortable consistently walking at an incline for 20 minutes, you’ll want to start making some changes in order to keep progressing. Now is the time to consider why you started. Was it to increase tendon strength? To burn fat? Just to feel fitter, perhaps?
If your goal is fat loss, incline walking for fat loss can be highly effective, particularly when combined with a balanced diet and strength training. If you want to build strength in your lower body, adjusting the slope will help target key muscles, while increasing speed will ramp up your calorie burn.
Similarly, “if you’re moving to a fitness-based goal,” says Hall, “move to a higher incline, making sure it doesn’t turn into a run.”
For something so simple, there are a surprising number of pitfalls to avoid during an incline walk (literally, if you’re doing it up an actual mountain). Before we get into the form of the exercise, Hall is keen to disprove one popular myth: incline walking will not increase your metabolism—it just burns more calories.
If you’re using a treadmill, Hall warns that he’s seen plenty of people “using their hands to hold onto the treadmill” and that they’re “losing the point” of the exercise. Rather than leaning forward, “your torso angle should be perpendicular to the floor, not to the treadmill.” Also, Hall advises to “strike with the ball of your foot and avoid any kind of valgus effect”—that’s your knees buckling in—“keeping a nice stride length.” Lastly, people tend to “go too hard, too soon,” he says. “It’s a normal thing, but they’ll burn out after two minutes.”
Get these right, however, and you’ll unlock a host of benefits of walking incline, including accessible fitness, a higher calorie burn, stronger cardiovascular fitness, and an effective warm-up routine. “It’s accessible to all,” says Hall. “If running is sore on your joints and you want that kind of effect, it’s a great option.”
Words by Ed Cooper
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