Not a fan of cardio? Burn calories and get a good workout by adding incline walking into your arsenal of exercises when you’re not sure what cardio to do! Learn about how adding the extra incline to your treadmill exercise can have health benefits. See a chiropractor near you to safely avoid injury while intensifying your cardio.
What is incline walking?
When walking on an incline you are walking uphill instead of on level ground. You can accomplish this by walking on hilly terrain or by setting up your incline on a treadmill. Most treadmills work on a zero percent incline to a max of fifteen percent incline.
When first starting out on your incline walking journey, a small incline should be used in order for your body to get used to this new exercise. The higher your incline is, the harder it will be. For beginners, anywhere from a one to four percent incline is suggested. Start with short increments, and move up the incline once a fifteen-minute workout can be completed. When you get comfortable with your current incline, it’s time to move it up! A five to ten percent incline is the next recommendation for a moderate and high-intensity workout.
Benefits
Boosts heart rate
Increasing your heart rate from its resting state to your maximum heart rate is a good way to tell the intensity of your workout. Incline walking is a great source of exercise to boost your heart rate. In between your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate is a range that is the most ideal for aerobic exercises like incline walking. When you raise your incline, your heart rate is more likely to go up due to the difficulty.
Builds muscle
Lower body muscles are working hard during this cardio exercise! Glutes, calves and hamstrings are all being used to help you get to the top of the hill. Your strength will increase over time and as you increase the incline.
Burns calories
Walking on an incline in comparison to ground level burns more calories. If you’re looking for an easy solution to increasing your cardio, adding an incline is a great way to add more intensity to your routine. Metabolic cost is increased by 17% by adding a 5% incline to your treadmill.
Chiropractor near you
Upgrade your normal cardio routine by adding an incline to your treadmill workouts! To avoid and treat injuries while meeting your fitness goals, meet with a chiropractor near you! Schedule an appointment at Wisniewski Chiropractic in Omaha, NE. Contact us today!
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