15 incline treadmill (benefits, calories burned and workouts)

It's FREE! Share With Friends!

What advantage is a 15 incline treadmill to you body? How many calories can you burn climbing or hiking at 15 incline on treadmill deck at normal pace? And what workouts can you do on a treadmill with 15 incline levels? We will answer all these questions in this article.

15 incline treadmill makes a great workout for those looking for a challenge. With the ability to go up to 15 incline, these treadmills can help improve your overall fitness level, as well as tone and strengthen your legs and glutes.

Incline treadmill overview

A Treadmill has been a more convenient machine widely used by health experts to improve patients cardiovascular functions and for rehabilitation programs including gait recovery therapy, especially after stroke.

A Report shows that treadmill training with anterior inclination, makes patients with stroke get improved exercise capacity, reduced blood pressure, increased gait speed, muscle torque, and a good quality of life.

Would working out consistently on a 15% incline treadmill give simlar benefits or something more than that?

15 incline treadmill meaning

To make a treadmill workout more intense, fitness experts often advice users to set an incline, so that the deck gives an uphill running experience, much like running on a steep hill on the outdoor. But the meaning is not clear to everyone.

First, What is incline on treadmill?

An incline percentage is the the gradient or treadmill elevation grading which measures how much height distance is there for every 100-horizontal distance.
Think about elevation of your floor. The incline is the slope of the elevation from the ground.

What does 15 incline on a treadmill mean and how steep is a 15% incline?

If you walk on a 15 Incline Treadmill that is like walking on an uphill (very steep hill ) surface raised by 15 meters for every 100 m horizontal distance.

That means 15% incline is an elevation on a 100 meters long treadmill running surface, by 15-meter, from the floor level.

Mathematically,

If 1 incline is a one-in-100 gradient = 1% grade, this means that 15 incline treadmill means a 15-in-100 gradient called 15% grade.

A 15 incline on a treadmill is also called 15% grade. Another name for 15 Percent incline is slope or a tangential index written as 0.15 from the ground level.

Whatever way you call it, the 15 incline on a treadmill is equivalent to 15m increase in height for every 100-meter horizontal distance.

What purpose is 15 incline on a treadmill?

The overall objective of setting a full inclination or 15% incline on treadmill is to make treadmill exercises tough and challenging to your muscles, heart and body.

Most of the today’s home and gym treadmills come with built-in incline settings that ranges between 0% and 15% (max). Some powerful treadmill brands like Technogym make Treadmills with as high as 40% inclination setting.

Your muscles and shape will look ridiculous if you set your treadmill incline to 15 and hang on to it for a week or more.

Most treadmill users have average fitness levels and they are a lot more familiar with setting their treadmills to lower inclination (under 7% incline), for moderate fitness exercises. A 5-8 percentage treadmill incline index is enough to simulate a sweaty outdoor uphill running experience.

Most people set over 5% incline to curb more calories and lose weight. On the extreme case, machines with higher incline levels from 10% to 15% are often used by marathon and die-hard runners for High intensity treadmill running training.

There are lot of little known high treadmill incline benefits you got to know instead of dreading. It looks frightening to climb the steepest of treadmill deck, but no worries, If you have a treadmill with 15 incline, there is a lot you could get from doing maximum treadmill incline exercises.

I will outline some treadmill incline workouts that produce visible results. So, Keep reading, let us go find out sooner. Don’t miss out please!

What Can you Get From using 15 Incline Treadmill?

I must say this, because many people don’t seem to know it. You will work, tine and train your muscles from quadriceps to the glutes with 15 incline walking or running exercises. The high incline settings strengthen your muscles, give you better athletic form, and makes you to build quick running speed and endurance.

Unfortunately, Running on a 15 percent incline treadmill can take a toll on your body as well. Working out on a treadmill 15 incline level is equivalent to running on a very steep hill outdoor.

Depending on your overall health and fitness level, if you’re not a serious athlete, setting the incline grade to higher than 8% can put so much pressure, drive your heart rates up and impose excessive strain on your back, pelvis, and legs. Moreover, a wrong, or too much use of treadmills with 15 incline gradient can tear your muscle tissues harmfully.

 Hills or inclines  walking workout can increase your calories burn, heart rate, and muscle activation including hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles.

Related: benefit of using an anti-gravity treadmill

Amazing 15 incline treadmill benefits

Fast weight loss

Does walking high incline on a treadmill help you lose weight faster? Yes, A 15 incline treadmill workout produces the Biggest calories burning effect, and creates a high calorie deficiency that leads to quick weight loss.

A Moderate Treadmill walking at 3 mph let’s you burn around 232 calories per hour. And walking uphill at 15-percent incline, at the same speed burns even over 140 more calories with a 60-percent increase in your effort. The more calories burn, the more fat is burnt off.

The 12-3-30 workout is a treadmill exercise with elevation level set at 12%, at a pace of 3mph and for a duration of 30minutes. If Giraldo on TikTok used 12-3-30 treadmill workout in late 2020 to lose 30 pounds body weight, and kept it off for two years, how much weight loss would she get setting the incline to 15 Percent, at same 3 mph pace for 30 minutes, consistently? About 35 lbs to 45 lbs right?

Also, if you do 15 incline at 3.5 miles per hour for 45 minutes everyday 600-800 cals and you’ll shed many pounds in a short time. It all depends on your weight and what you eat. Consistency is the key to weight loss Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommends half an hour of physical activity everyday (source)

The science behind high incline treadmill workouts like the 12-3-30 or 15-3-30 workout, is weight loss. According to Nicole Rodriguez (NASM certified personal trainer) “Caloric deficit is key to weight loss” a steep treadmill walking or running at 15 Percent gradient forces your body to work hardest and burns excessively more calories that fat surface.

Muscle activation and strengthening

A steep-incline treadmill workout strengthens lower limb muscles including glutes, calves and shint which holds the tibialis anterior, peroneals, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles.

It has been shown  that exercises on a medial incline ramp helps to activate even the peroneal muscles more than a flat surface.

Numerous findings also support the use of incline to strengthen the peroneals especially for those adult people who live with weak ankles.

Overall,  muscle activity in medial gastrocnemius muscles around your calves will increased if you change your treadmill incline levels to higher grade, say from 3% to 15% incline.

Muscle activation from walking uphill  also improves your muscle mass around the thighs, and creates a big chance of burning more calories and losing several pounds of weight.

Rehabilitation

Besides the acceleration of calorie consumption in muscles and the burning of weighty fat tissue, treadmill incline walking according to studies, have positive effects on knee joint health.

Higher inclines, as high as 10-15 percent reduces cartilage degeneration of the knee joint, limit knee pains, and decreased rate of medial tibiofemoral – osteoarthritis.

Another interesting work was set to train patients with stroke to walk on a 10% inclined treadmill in 20-min. The results showed an improvement in the recovery rate in the stroke survivors, as they saw increments in their walking velocity, as well a step length for both the paretic leg and non-paretic leg.

Reduced risk of injury

A research in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine suggests that, increasing treadmill incline by 3%  reduces the impact that the legs must absorb by about 24%. A higher incline walking helps rehabilitation. Also, raising treadmill gradient reduces the risk of development of knee osteoarthritis.

One benefits of using a cushioned treadmill is the relief of pains( plus Reduced Injury Risk) to the knees and hips. health experts have hinted that increasing the treadmill’s incline raises the intensity level of the physical activity, without adding stress on joints. Running on a treadmill 15 incline level provides stretches to the tendons and calves, which relieves foot pain like plantar fasciitis.

Other benefits of incline treadmill include Improved Cardiovascular health, muscle strengthening, especially the calves, glutes, hamstring, and overall lower body muscles. For more advantages of using treadmill incline, see this article – benefits of incline treadmill.

15 incline treadmill calories burned

How much is 15 incline treadmill calories burned walking? Let the truth be told. Walking or running one mile on a maximum or fully inclined treadmill is an extremely rigorous treadmill exercise than walking or running a mile on a flat (0% incline) Treadmill.

Although walking uphill happens at reduced speed, If you walk up a hill on a treadmill with a 15 percent incline, you’ll burns about 67% more calories than walking on a flat treadmill – according to “The complete guide to walking for health, weightloss and fitness”

So if you want to burn more calories faster, walk or run on ascending treadmills. Walking uphill on a treadmill demands you put in more effort and those who try harder experience faster heart beat, as it pumps more oxygen to the activated muscles.

According to Dave Wavey – a famous fitness instructor Dave Wavey, your effort when working out on incline treadmill rises by 4% for every 1% increase in the treadmill’s incline level.

How Many Calories Get Burnt in a 15% Incline Treadmill machine?

If a 150-pound treadmill user walks leisurely at 2 mph, for a time up to 60 minutes on a 15 Percent incline treadmill, she will burn 448 calories of energy. This is much, as compared to 354 calories burned walking on a 10% incline treadmill. According to “Discovery Health” newsletter.

However, the calories burned for a 15% incline on treadmill also depend on your weight, how long you exercise time, and your treadmill workout speed. How many calories a 130lbs runner burns working out on incline treadmill for 30 minutes is different from calories burned by a 200 pounds runner exercising at same place and time.

If you want to lose weight, increase the incline on the treadmill and burn more calories than you consume. Fitness coaches have confirmed that a treadmill that is set to 15 percent incline or “full incline” is a perfect tool to cause calorie deficit and get quick weight loss.

How Many Calories does 15% Incline Treadmill burn?

1) 15 incline 2 mph 30 minutes calories burned on treadmill

A 200 lbs runner using a 15 Percent incline home treadmill at a leisurely pace of 2 miles per hour( 30mins per mile) for up 30 minutes, burns about 300 calories. Other factors like users body weight, speed and time affect the number of calories burnet uphill.

2) 15 incline 2.5 mph 30 minutes calories burned on a treadmill

Let us go Find out how many calories you can burn on a Treadmill with 15% Incline, at 2.5 mph (24 minutes per mile) in half an hour. Remember that the number of calories burn at 15 incline treadmill workouts dependent on your weight, and time spent doing the exercise.

A calories burned calculator suggest a 200 pound person working out on a 15 incline treadmill 2.5mph(4km/h) for 30 minutes burns 360 calories. With a weight of 129 lb, you will burn 204 cals walking at same 15% gradient and same 4km/h pace.

3) Calories Burned in a Treadmill with 15% Incline, 3 mph for 30 minutes.

Although it varies by weight, intensity and time, Doing uphill workout at 3mph (20 minutes per mile), in a treadmill set to 15% incline for 30 minutes burns a number of calories equal to 498 calories.

15-percent incline treadmill workouts

15 incline treadmill exercise is a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness and burn more calories. They are easy to use, low-impact and provide a great way to get a full body workout. They can be used for running, walking and interval training. They are also great for people who are just getting started with a fitness routine.

A 15 incline 3 mph 30 minute workout to tone muscles

When you start walking uphill forward, it works your glutes and calves.

• Set uphill incline at 15 and treadmill speed at 3mph.
• Walk forward for 2 minutes.
• The LOWER speed to 2mph.
• while steadying yourself on the handles, turn around.
• then Walk uphill backwards  to work your quads
• Do this for 2 minutes or walk up to 100 steps,
• While holding the handles, turn back to take the forward position
• Repeat the faster forward uphill walk and switch to a slower backwards uphill walk.

Make sure you jerk your feet up high to avoid tripping and falling. Also, I encourage you to start at a lower walking pace and increasing the speed or the incline as you get ready for more of a challenge. don’t turn your neck around, else you lose balance and fall.

15 minutes incline treadmill workout running

You want a 15 minute session hill workout that touches your upper hamstrings and glutes?Here is a 15-minute treadmill hill running workout you can practice at home. You may need to put in about 60% effort if the 15 minute looks like a long run or if the incline is higher or if you have set to run at a marathon pace.

Steps how to give your body the hell out of your treadmill hill workout running.

First, Warmup with a 2 minute incline treadmill walk.

Interval 1:

• 2 minute with 60% effort, run 2% incline
• 1 minute with 60% effort, run on the 4% incline
• 1 minute take a recovery by walking.

Interval 2:

• 2 minute with 60% effort, run in the 3% incline.
• 1 minute with 60% effort, run at 5% incline.
• 1 minute recovery walk

Interval 3:

• 2 minute put 60% effort and run at 6% incline.
• 2 minute recovery.

15% incline treadmill fat fat burning exercise

 Treadmill 15 incline, 2 mph fat burning workout

Trust me, you can burn excess fat from your waistline, thighs and hips at a pace of 2mph and 15 incline percentage. I observed that to many adults, 2mph is pretty a slow walking pace, but you will burn way more fat from your belly if you put hands off the treadmill handles. All you need to do is set your incline treadmill to 15% and work out at 2 miles per hour, while swinging your arms freely and naturally.

Not a lot of adult men and women have the courage to exercise at 2 mph at the highest (full) incline without falling. If you really want to shed to heavy fat around your mid section, just don’t cling to Treadmill support bars.

Is 15 incline on treadmill good to burn belly fat at 2mph?

You know that large muscles burn more fat than thin muscles and if you hold onto the machine safety bars, you are indirectly taking significant load off your legs, thighs and butts muscles.

Don’t think that 2mph at 15% incline on the treadmill is too slow. Try it out for 3-5 minutes only without holding on to handrails for body support and you will thank me later because you will discover that you can workout for 10 minutes too.

How to get flat tummy on 15 incline treadmill at 2mph

Try this treadmill workout and burn your stomach fat at a pace of 2mph at 15 Percent incline level.

• Warmup : walk at 2-3 mph at 3% incline
• Do 15 incline treadmill workout at 2mph for 5 minutes.
• Lower the incline to 5% and exercise at same speed 2mph for energy recover.
• Then finally lower the incline treadmill to flat (zero incline) while maintaining the 2mph pace for 2-3 minutes.
• Raise back the incline to 15 Percent and keep exercising at 2mph for 3-5 minutes.

Tip !

Alternate this fat burning treadmill interval training forth and back for up to 30 minutes, without holding onto the treadmill handrails. The next day, you can huff and puff at 4mph at the full incline (15% grade). Keep it consistent for 5 days a week and check your belly fat percentage.

Hanging on to the treadmill reduces activation that has to go on your leg muscles, which finally defeats the purpose of incline treadmill workouts.

Use the comments form below and share if it worked for you. What is your experience?

What incline treadmill exercise should you do to Increase your stamina and endurance?

If you want a reward like improving your agility, stamina and endurance with elevation exercises at home, try this.

• Set your machine to 2% inclination
• Do your endurance workout at pace of 3.5 to 4.5 mph (5.5km/h to 7 km/h)
• Do it for 20-30 minutes without holding onto the machine.
• Just flex your arms swinging naturally and Keep your belly stuck inside and the spine straight.

Related: Can you be too heavy to workout on a treadmill?

What incline treadmill exercise to improve cardiovascular health?

Burning fat can accelerate fitness, by improving on your cardiovascular health. A perfect calories burning exercise is treadmill incline training.

• Adjust the treadmill elevation to 2% inclination.
• walking normally at a pace of 3.5 mph or 5.5 km/h for 3 mins.
• Gradually raise the workout pace by 0.5mph or 1 km/h or the increase the treadmill deck elevation by 2 degrees.
• Maintain it for about 2 mins and take 1 minute rest.
• Speed up the initial 3.5mph pace or raise the treadmill inclination another 2% and maintain it for another 2 mins.
• Repeat the incline treadmill cardio workout for 15 to 20 mins.
• Rest when you feel shortness of breath.

What incline treadmill workout to build up your lower muscles?

To Build up your muscles including glutes, quads around the leg region, try out this incline exercise.

• First configure your treadmill deck’s elevation to 2%
• exercise at 3-4mph or 5.5 to 7 km/h pace for for 5 minutes.
• Increase the gradient on the treadmill the by 1 degree every 3 minutes, for up to 15 mins.
• lower the treadmill running pace to 2.5 or 3 km/h and set the incline flat (zero percent).
• stay at the frontal bar for 60 seconds and perform lunges. Switch between right and left legs.

Tips on doing high inclined treadmill exercises

My experience is walking or running uphill at home on a treadmill has a different impact on your body than running at a flat treadmill. So you must know how to adjust your form to match the increase in your treadmill incline.

Lean into the treadmill hill from your waist and hinge around your ankles.

keep your chest upright or tall open. If there are handlebars, hold on to them if you have hard time balancing.

Make sure to Look straight ahead. Don’t stare at the treadmill console screen.

Also Rise yourself up to the ball of your foot. Don’t stand on your hills. Running close to the ball of your foot reduces injury.

You should take short strides because inclined treadmill deck look shortened and with walking with long stride on a treadmill, you may step out of the belt and get injured.

When resting for Recovery, you should Walk or do a comfortable jog.

Avoid holding onto he treadmill stability bars and that will take the load off your legs and much fat.

Note:

You leaning on and holding on the stabilizer bar is serious cheating on your performance.

Drawbacks of an 15 incline treadmill exercises disadvantages

We have seen the many pros of working out on treadmill incline incline, but there are some downsides.

switching from flat surface(zero incline) to an incline, can create stress is placed on your lower legs( front and back) muscles like the tibialis anterior, peroneals, gastrocnemius, and soleus.

Wrong posture or bad use of highly inclined treadmill machines can result in increased painful soreness in the lower leg muscles too.  Some people even suffer shin splints.

Too much cardio can drive heart rate beyong what you can handle, leading to heart failure, possible death from stroke.

Seek the help of a healthcare provider or a physical therapist if you experienced shortness of breath.

Incline treadmill calculator

An incline percentage is the angle of the base of the treadmill to the height gained. If you have a 42-foot base treadmills in your apartment and you set the belt to gain 10 feet, here is how to get the gradient.

How to calculate incline by elevation

The incline percentage is = 100*(height /base) = 100*(rise/run)

Incline percentage = 10X64/42= 15.2 percent =  0.152 in decimal form

15 incline treadmill for sale.

For those who want a bit more challenge, a 15-incline treadmill is a great option. It’s important to understand the differences between the different types of treadmills and how they can benefit your workout before you make a purchase.

There are lots of heavy machines for uphill running and walking exercises. Amongs them are these  15-incline treadmills for sale on Amazon.

Bowflex Treadmill BXT216 (Discontinued)- foldable – max elevation: 15% Incline, too speed:12mph

Bowflex TreadClimber machine BXT216 uses motorized incline up to 15 percentage so that you can vary your workout intensity. There are more features here, It has a large 20″x60″ running surface plus JRNY, the personalized coaching technology that integrates interesting workout programs.

FreeMotion i11.9 Incline Trainer – max treadmill elevation: 30% Incline, max speed : 12mph

Freemotion incline trainer had as high as 30% gradient which is more than treadmills with 15 incline gradient. This is perfect for elevation training like hiking and climbing. Marathon runners go for this equipment when they want to challenge their muscles, and heart.

NordicTrack X22i Incline Trainer – max treadmill gradient: -6 to 40% Incline

Nordictrack commercial X22i smart treadmill has both decline rating of 6% and amazing incline level up to 40%.
Best suited for those who want to introduce incline and decline training cardio routine to engage differen muscle groups and get in shape quickly. The Commercial X22i treadmill is equiped with iFIT and 22 inches large HD touchscreen where to stream Netflix, YouTube, Disney and Amazon prime with a little tweak. NordicTrack X11i is also another 40- percentage incline treadmill.

Sunny Health & Fitness Asuna treadmill with 40% incline

Sunny Health & Fitness Asuna is an elevated performance treadmill workstation desk with Auto Incline at 40% Max. The 7mph top speed, 15% gradient plus large belt accommodate climbing/hiking intensive workouts for fat burning.

GYMAX 3.75HP Folding Treadmill, 1-15% Automatic Incline Treadmill

Gymax folding treadmill had maximum 15% Automatic Incline, 12 Preset & 3 Custom Programs, Heart Rate Monitor. Great machine for home Gym Cardio Training.

LifeSpan Fitness Folding Treadmill – maximum incline – 15 Percent

This TR2000iT folding treadmill comes with 15% grade incline, 21 easy-to-use exercise programs, 7 inches touchscreen display, 8 compression shock absorbers, so it’s gentler on your  bad knees, hips, back, and joints.

ProForm Pro-9000 Treadmill – max treadmill inclination: 15% grade

The treadmill has 15% automatic incline and 3% automatic decline – enough to make an equivalence outdoor mountain side or hilly road, a smart HD touchscreen display and powered by a 4.25 Mach Z commercial motor.

The 15 Treadmill Incline FAQs

Which Treadmill Has over 15% Incline gradient?

Fitness experts’s top choice of a good incline trainers with over 0.15 incline, is the NordicTrack Commercial X11i. The treadmill model boosts of a grade incline of up to 40% which is incredible for climbing the highest or steepest of hills.

Is Walking On An Incline Good For Weight Loss?

Yes . Treadmill with as high as 15 % incline is a great machine to help you lose weight fast. You know, walking or running on an incline is a high intensity workout, even more than HIIT and makes your body work even harder to burn more calories. Higher speed and higher incline treadmill exercises are the ultimate ways for obese and verweight people to get in shape pretty quickly.

What Is A Good Incline Setting On A Treadmill?

On average, beginners can get optimal results starting at 2% – 3% incline. Serious mountain climbers, marathon runners and competitive athletes can handle running comfortably at 12-15 incline. When I have to run to keep fit, I maintain my treadmill hill climbing to max 5% incline for short sessions, because am not in any compensation. You will see that the best treadmill Incline settings for you, depends on your fitness level and health status. The technique is to listen more tobyour body and heart performance, and where there is improvement, you can gradually increase the incline and match it with more efforts.

Is incline treadmill safe?

Walking on an inclined treadmill is an excellent way to keep your heart rate in the targeted range.

Wrap up : 15% incline on treadmill exercises

The truth is that 15 incline treadmill setting is an incredible elevation yield visible results if you keep it consistent with proper form. most serious athletes or runners workout at full incline of 15 degrees. Beginners need proper training guide from fitness coaches else, one wrong move can make the 15 incline treadmill a living “hell” to your body. 15 incline walks or run might be Too much cardio for your level and would definitely harm your muscles, joints and body. Take a long rest when you feel shortness of breath on steeper treadmill incline.

Hope this article was helpful to you! Share with Getfit Smartly community your incline treadmill workout experiences.

Gearon

Gearon is undergraduate (BSC in Physics), co-founder at TASI GYM, a runner, and a hands-on web developer . He is so passionate about getting fit.

His Science background, unbreakable zeal for fitness and value driven mindset, gives him an unusual discernment to determine if a treadmill meets expections of customers with varying fitness levels and health status or not. He tracks innovative changes in fitness world and uses customer feedback, manufacturer data, running experience, experts/coach interviews  to make insightful reviews that uncovers value that guides Getfitsmartly community make right Personal fitness decisions with visible results.

It's FREE! Share With Friends!