Cardio exercise
Incline Treadmill WalkHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Calves
- Equipment
- Cardio machine
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Incline Treadmill Walk?
- Clip the safety key on, set the incline and start at an easy walking speed.
- Stand in the middle of the belt with your hands off the rails.
- Lean forward slightly from your ankles and walk with your whole foot landing each step.
- Swing your arms and keep a steady, brisk pace.
Cues
- Hands off the rails.
- Lean slightly forward, stand tall.
- Swing your arms to drive forward.
Common mistakes
- Hanging on to the rails: lower the incline or speed until you can walk hands-free.
- Bending at the waist: lean from your ankles and keep your chest up.
- Short, choppy steps on your toes: let each heel come down and push off through your toes.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Brisk walking hands-free at 12% incline and 4.8 km/h (3 mph), the "12-3-30" settings Cleveland Clinic describes, with a slight forward lean from the ankles and a strong arm swing. 5% is the starting option for beginners.
Starting position
Set-up: treadmill at 12% incline (belt about 7° from level), speed 4.8 km/h. Safety key clipped to the clothing. Stand in the middle of the belt, about one stride behind the console, feet hip width apart. Hands off the rails; touch them only for balance if needed. Body: standing tall in the middle of the belt, whole body leaning forward slightly from the ankles as one line (not bending at the waist), chest up, eyes forward. Elbows bent about 90°.
The movement
Walk with a natural heel-to-toe step: the heel or mid-foot lands just ahead of the body, the foot rolls through, and the toes push off behind. Because of the slope, the knee lifts a little higher than on the flat. Arms swing forward and back from the shoulders in opposition to the legs. The torso keeps the same slight lean; the head stays level; the body stays in the middle of the belt.
Breathing
Steady, deep breathing; you should still be able to speak in short sentences.
Tempo
About 0.52 s per step (115 steps a minute).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Arms: elbows held at about 90°; hands swing from beside the hip to about chest height.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Incline Treadmill Walk is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
