The Benefits of Incline Walking vs. Running on a Treadmill

Many of us compare incline walking vs running when we're looking for the most effective way to burn fat and lose weight sustainably. Incline walking and running both help increase your heart rate, burn energy, and boost your metabolism; the essential ingredients for sustainable, long-lasting fat loss. But as it turns out, there are some benefits to incline walking that running just can’t cut.

To understand the advantages of incline walking versus running and what you’ll gain from adding hills to your routine, we’ll explain what you need to know about incline advantages. So before you lace up your running shoes, read on…

Both incline walking and running are staple cardio exercises. Per the American Heart Association, each activity gets your heart rate up and improves cardiorespiratory fitness. In general, running is more intense than walking when you perform them on the same terrain. But once you start walking quickly uphill at a low gradient, resistance is added and your heart and lungs have to work harder to supply your muscles with blood and oxygen. “Running on relatively flat ground involves more horizontal movement, whereas walking uphill takes more vertical movement, and moving vertically against gravity is definitely going to be harder than moving horizontally,” says Canada-based exercise physiologist, Dean Somerset, C.S.C.S. “What’s more, the impact and push off of the ground you do when running creates an almost elastic propulsion from the muscles and tendons, which can be really beneficial for producing forward movement more efficiently,” Somerset says. “You don’t get that same benefit of forward momentum while walking a hill, so your heart works harder, offering a cardiovascular benefit comparable to running on flat ground. And, for every incline gradient on the treadmill, your body has to expend on average 4% more energy – boosting the calorie burn significantly. Walking on an incline will place you into a heart rate zone where the body can utilize fats for energy most effectively.

Both activities require strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, shins, and abdominals. However, compared to running on level ground, taking your stride to a steep incline at a lower speed, recruits even more of the quads, glutes, shins, and calves. “Walking uphill changes the activation of the muscles you use because of the wider range of angles at which your hips, knees, and ankles are working,” says Todd Buckingham, Ph.D., a triathlete and visiting professor of exercise science in the Department of Movement Science at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. The result? Strong, toned thighs and glutes.

Both are aerobic activities that can burn many calories quickly. Because both feet come off the ground when running, it’s considered a high-impact activity, and generally, higher-intensity workouts burn more energy than lower-intensity options. However, incline walking recruits the muscles in your legs to such an extent that the overall calorie burn is similar, according to Somerset.

There are many benefits of walking uphill than running on the flats. But the bottom line is that you can’t go wrong with either. So why choose? Both are great and can have a place in a well-balanced program. If you have special considerations like joint pain, click on the button below for a complimentary consultation with a Success Studio personal trainer. We can help you to determine which treadmill activity is better for you.