Training indoors at home or at the gym is great when you can’t get outside because of weather or lack of access to suitable terrain.
Being on a treadmill isn’t very challenging, can cause you to get bored rapidly and doesn’t prepare you for real-world terrain. So, what’s the alternative? If you’re looking for a tough workout that will prepare you for real-world terrain, try incline training.
What Is Incline Training?
As we many do not have time or even access to an area where we can do incline training, many treadmills have the capability to go on an incline and change the angle of the incline as you go, some models of treadmills such as the FreeMotion i22.9 Incline Trainer can simulate the inclines you might find when running out in the real world and have programs that mimic real runs with changing inclines built in. The latest models allow you to interact by video link with a real trainer and show you real-world terrain on the screen, letting you feel as though you’re out for a real run — without the inconvenience of bad weather!
The Benefits of Incline Training
As soon as you begin incline training, you’ll realize that it’s a much tougher workout than running on a standard treadmill. What are the specific benefits? Here’s a quick rundown:
- Increased cardiovascular fitness. The key to cardiovascular fitness training is getting your heart rate up quickly and maintaining it at 60-80% of your maximum rate. Adding an incline will allow you to reach that sweet spot for heart rate faster and keep it there.
- Balanced growth in leg muscles. Running on the flat benefits your front leg muscles more than the rear ones. When you add an incline. you will immediately feel your glutes, hamstrings and calves begin to take the strain.
- Burn more fat. Any cardio workout burns fat and, as an incline workout is more intense, it will do more to burn fat than a simple flat treadmill workout.
- Increased stamina. An incline workout gets your lungs and heart going and pushes your diaphragm hard. This will lower your resting heart rate and condition your lungs. After a few sessions, you may notice that you don’t get out of breath as much as you used to when performing day-to-day tasks.
- Preparation for sports. A regular flat treadmill makes your body expect constant strain on certain muscle groups. Unfortunately, when playing sports, this isn’t how things work. You tend to have periods of low extortion followed by intense bursts of activity. Running in the real world isn’t all on flat surfaces either! The changing angles on an incline trainer prepare your body for all sorts of challenges.
- Injury prevention. Flat treadmills tend to be pretty hard — especially older designs — which can stress your joints. Incline trainers are designed to have more give, lowering your risk of injury.
Get the Most Out of Incline Training
Choosing the right incline trainer for your home or business is a challenging decision. You need a model that suits your individual needs, based on how much you plan to use it, whether you like to train solo or with a remote trainer and your base fitness level. At Balance Fitness, our experts can advise you and get you the best deal possible on the perfect piece of equipment. So contact us today to find out more and start on the road to improved fitness and stamina.
