Last week, I decided to undertake an incline interval workout routine during which I voluntarily jogged, sprinted, and butt-kicked my way up and
Which brings me to my apology: I’m sorry that this post is a bit belated; I was too busy nursing my legs back to the amount of strength it takes to hobble to my computer.
Wondering why I decided to run incline intervals five days in a row? For starters, I get easily motivated sitting at a desk all day. I’m bombarded with fitness stuff all day, from my twitter feed to press releases, and I get this mid-morning itch to move. I’ll see a new squat variation or a unique circuit combo and just have to try it, and it just so happened that last week I felt that way about intervals.
Second, I figured if I wore myself out enough before I got to the office, I’d have less of an issue with that fact that I sit all day. Don’t get me wrong, being newsy for eight hours is fabulous—from the research to the headline writing to the beauty product reviews, my job rocks—but seeing as a treadmill desk doesn’t exactly fit in my budget right now, I’ve started planning new workouts as a way to combat this sitting syndrome.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that I like to run—just not outside. I’ve heard a lot of noise recently about how running outside is better for you for reasons x, y, and z, but unless I’m on vacation sans gym or taking a scenic hike, you will more likely than not see me opt for the treadmill instead of the great outdoors. As it is, I wake up at 4 a.m. to go running—but flash forward to a blustery winter day, and I will never be that person who wakes up at 4 a.m. to gear up in layers on layers on layers of clothing to go running in the snow. I will never be that person who schedules her runs around the rain. I would rather not make a science project out of seeing how many of my fitness belongings I can cram into a sports bra, and I’m pretty sure no one wants to witness the amount of snot that drains from my nose during allergy season.
People who faithfully run outside are right about one thing in particular: the resistance factor. The naturally uneven terrain, the wind in your face, the unexpected stops or slowdowns. Most people forget that treadmills have two levels of adjustment and simply stick to speed changes, but incorporating both speed and incline changes forces your body to work all kinds of other muscles. Changing the incline percentage on a treadmill can compensate for the natural resistance factors that outdoor runners experience. And for those cardio enthusiasts who don’t strength-train regularly, incline intervals can help work muscles that might normally get left out.
Below are the five incline interval routines I did last week. You may need to adjust speeds to fit your skill level—for me, anything below 4.0 is a warm-up, 4.0 is a speed walk, 4.5 is a slow jog, 5.0 to 6.0 is a comfortable run, and anything above 6.0 is a sprint, with varying degrees of difficulty. Constantly changing your speed and incline means your mind must stay engaged the entire time, which helps you stay focused on your fitness goals and prevents your thoughts from wandering. I can honestly say these are all energizing workouts—when I finished each run, I found I actually had more energy than I normally do after a standard run. If you feel extra pumped-up post-run, follow up with some basic lifts, these yoga poses for runners, and a protein-filled smoothie.
Here we go! Prepare to get sweaty, people.
The Gradual Change
3.34 miles // 440 calories // 42 minutes
At first this run almost feels easy, but as you switch from jogging at a high incline to sprinting at no incline, you’ll start to feel some serious burn. I could definitely feel my heart pumping and my blood moving! By the time I was finished, I knew I had completed an intense workout, but I didn’t feel like keeling over and passing out.
TimeSpeed (mph)Incline (%)
0 – 2 3.0 1
2 – 3:30 3.5 4
3:30 – 5 4.0 6
5 – 6:30 5.0 8
6:30 – 7:30 4.0 8
7:30 – 9 5.2 7
9 – 10 4.0 7
10 – 11:30 5.4 6
11:30 – 12:30 4.0 6
12:30 – 14 5.6 5
14 – 16 4.0 5
16 – 17 5.8 5
17 – 18 4.5 5
18 – 19 6.0 4
19 – 20 4.5 4
20 – 21 6.2 3
21 – 22 4.0 3
22 – 23 6.4 2
23 – 24 4.5 2
24 – 25 6.6 1
25 – 26 4.5 1
26 – 27 6.8 0
27 – 29 4.0 0
29 – 29:30 7.0 0
29:30 – 30:30 4.5 0
30:30 – 31 7.2 0
31 – 32 5.0 0
32 – 32:30 7.4 0
32:30 – 33:30 4.5 0
33:30 – 34 7.6 0
34 – 35 5.0 0
35 – 35:30 7.8 0
35:30 – 36:30 5.5 0
36:30 – 37 8.0 0
37 – 38 4.5 0
38 – 39 4.0 0
39 – 40 3.5 0
40 – 42 3.0 0
Burning Thighs
2.86 miles // 446 calories // 40 minutes
The name of this run says it all—it’s great for toning and firming the entire thigh (hamstrings, quads, outer thighs, and those hard-to-work inner thighs), plus calves and core (most notably the side abdominals). Because you run at a slower pace, this routine looks easy on paper; however, the hills really make you work.
TimeSpeed (mph)Incline (%)
0 – 5 3.5 2
5 – 7 4.0 4
7 – 8 4.5 2
8 – 10 5.0 6
10 – 11 5.5 4
11 – 12 5.0 2
12 – 14 5.0 8
14 – 15 4.0 2
15 – 17 5.0 8
17 – 18 4.5 10
18 – 19 5.0 2
19 – 20 4.0 2
20 – 22 4.5 8
22 – 23 4.0 6
23 – 24 4.5 2
24 – 25 4.0 2
25 – 27 4.0 10
27 – 28 5.0 8
28 – 29 4.5 2
29 – 30 4.0 2
30 – 32 4.5 8
32 – 33 5.0 6
33 – 35 4.5 4
35 – 37 4.0 2
37 – 39 3.5 0
39 – 40 3.0 0
Two-Minute Times
2.12 miles // 281 calories // 27 minutes
This is a great warm-up for days you also want to do upper body weight-lifting. I lifted chest immediately after my run, and I felt like I got in a total-body workout because of the effect the treadmill incline had on my legs and core. The middle of this run is the hardest—you are right at that point where you want to take a break, but if you push through it, the end result feels amazing! If you’re a TV-watcher while you run, it’s easy to stay on track with this routine because you don’t have to stare at the paper constantly to figure out your next incline/speed switch—changes generally come every two minutes, and sometimes it’s only one variable that changes, so it’s not too hard to keep up.
Time Speed (mph) Incline (%)
0 – 2 4.0 3
2 – 4 5.0 3
4 – 6 4.0 4.5
6 – 8 5.5 4.5
8 – 10 4.5 4.5
10 – 12 6.0 6
12 – 14 5.0 5
14 – 16 4.0 6
16 – 18 5.5 4.5
18 – 20 7.0 4.5
20 – 24 4.0 8
24 – 25 4.0 6
25 – 26 3.5 0
26 – 27 3.0 0
Steep Sprints
2.89 miles // 414 calories // 37 minutes
The middle of this run will really tone your thighs, but you’ll have to push through the burn. I did lift legs after this routine, but I only did a portion of my normal lower-body workout—leg press, deadlifts, hip abductors, and calf raises—which was just enough to make those muscles work a little harder. This run is great for those who aim to spend about an hour in the gym; it’s a fast calorie-burner but still allows time for some basic lifts—even just three subsequent lifts that target a muscle group is a great goal (arms, chest, legs, abs, etc.).
Time Speed (mph) Incline (%)
0 – 2 3.5 0
2 – 5 5.5 2
5 – 6 4.0 5
6 – 7 4.5 6
7 – 8 4.5 7
8 – 8:30 5.0 8
8:30 – 10 5.0 2
10 – 13 6.0 5
13 – 14 5.0 5
14 – 15 7.0 7
15 – 16 5.0 5
16 – 17 7.0 7
17 – 18 5.0 5
18 – 19 7.0 7
19 – 20 5.0 5
20 – 21 7.0 7
21 – 23 2.8 2
23 – 24 4.0 2
24 – 25 6.5 5
25 – 27 4.0 2
27 – 28 6.8 6
28 – 29 4.0 2
29 – 30 7.1 7
30 – 31 4.0 2
31 – 32 7.4 2
32 – 33 5.0 0
33 – 35 4.5 0
35 – 36 3.7 0
36 – 36:30 3.5 0
36:30 – 37 3.0 0
The 7-5-7
2.58 miles // 363 calories // 30 minutes
You probably won’t feel a burn until you get to the sprinting part—when it sneaks up on you in sets of 7-5-7 mph intervals for an immediate burn. I noticed this run particularly worked my outer and back thighs (right under my butt), calves (that initial start at 15 percent incline probably accounted for this), and front/deep abdominals (which are normally fairly hard to reach). I followed this run with biceps/triceps lifts and a few core exercises—although I did notice I didn’t have to do as many ab exercises as usual because of the effect this run had on my deep abdominal muscles. Win-win!
Time Speed (mph) Incline (%)
0 – 1 2.5 15 – Hold front rail, perform butt kicks
1 – 2 2.5 15 – Hold front rail, perform calf raises
2 – 3 2.5 15 – Walk sideways 30 seconds, switch sides, repeat
3 – 5 4.5 1
5 – 6 7.0 1
6 – 7 5.0 1
7 – 8 7.0 1
8 – 9 5.0 1
9 – 10 7.0 1
10 – 11 5.0 1
11 – 11:30 5.5 6
11:30 – 12 5.5 0
12 – 12:30 5.5 8
12:30 – 13 5.5 0
13 – 13:30 5.5 10
13:30 – 16 5.5 0
16 – 17 7.0 1
17 – 18 5.0 1
18 – 19 7.0 1
19 – 20 5.0 1
20 – 21 7.0 1
21 – 22 5.0 1
22 – 26 6.0 1
26 – 27 4.5 0
27 – 28 3.7 0
28 – 29 3.5 0
29 – 30 3.0 0
If you aren’t yet sold on intervals or are just beginning a running regimen, try adding an incline to what you already do. For example, a flat, 1 hour, 5-ish mile workout (this is my standard go-to: a walk-run combo of 2 minutes walking and 8 minutes running, repeated 6 times) usually burns about 500 calories. But when I add just a 1 percent incline to my entire run (minus the warm-up and cool-down) I torch an extra 100 calories. And, I’ll be honest with you—a 1 percent incline doesn’t even feel like much. The more you do it the less you’ll notice it, and you can work your way up to steeper hills.
**Erica Tasto is an editor for Natural Solutions and Alternative Medicine and the author of "The Natural Suite" blog. Follow her on Twitter @editorerica.
