Treadmills are a cornerstone of effective cardio training. Two of the most powerful adjustments you can make on a treadmill are speed and incline, and each plays a unique role in helping you reach your fitness goals. Whether you’re focused on burning calories, building endurance, toning muscle or simply improving your overall fitness, knowing when and how to use speed and incline can take your workouts to the next level.
The Benefits of Increasing Speed
Increasing the speed on a treadmill closely mirrors picking up the pace on a track. When you run or jog faster, your cardiovascular system works harder, demanding more oxygen and fuel. This elevates your heart rate, improves cardiovascular efficiency and stimulates muscle fibres associated with speed and endurance. Faster pacing also increases calorie burn, making it a solid choice if your goals include weight management or performance improvements.
Speed training is particularly effective when you include intervals, alternating between higher-speed bursts and slower recovery periods. These high-intensity sessions help elevate your metabolic rate both during and after your workout, boosting overall fitness and endurance.
The Benefits of Increasing Incline
Instead of focusing solely on speed, adjusting the incline on a treadmill changes the terrain you’re working against simulating hills and slopes. Walking or running uphill forces your body to work harder against gravity, engaging your lower-body muscles more deeply. Your glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads take on more responsibility, resulting in greater strength gains and muscle activation.
Incline training also significantly increases calorie burn without requiring high speed, making it a fantastic option if you want a more intense workout that’s easier on your joints. Even at a moderate pace, raising the treadmill grade improves cardiovascular demand while keeping impact lower than traditional flat running.
Which Is Better for Your Goals?
Both speed and incline have their place, and choosing the right one depends on what you want to achieve:
Weight Loss & Calorie Burn
Both speed and incline can increase calorie expenditure. Higher speeds burn more calories per minute, while hill work recruits larger muscle groups and increases heart rate without pounding on joints. For many people, combining speed and incline, such as in interval workouts, delivers strong results.
Muscle Toning & Lower Body Strength
Incline training is especially effective for toning and strengthening the lower body because it simulates uphill movement and works your glutes, hamstrings and calves more than flat treadmill workouts.
Performance & Race Preparation
If you’re training for a running event or want to improve your speed and endurance, treadmill speed work is invaluable. It allows you to precisely control pace and progress your workouts week by week.
Tips for Safer and More Effective Treadmill Training
To get the most out of your treadmill sessions while staying safe:
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Warm up first: Spend 5–10 minutes walking or jogging before increasing speed or incline.
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Progress gradually: Increase intensity slowly to avoid injury.
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Use incline for variety: Even small grade changes (3–5%) make workouts more challenging and effective.
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Mix it up: Combine speed and incline in interval formats to keep calories burning and muscles adapting.
Incorporating these strategies keeps treadmill training engaging and helps prevent plateaus.
Finding the Right Treadmill for Your Training
Every treadmill, whether you prefer a simple walk/jog machine or a powerful incline trainer, allows you to manipulate speed and incline in ways that support your goals. Check out our range of treadmills that suit walking, jogging, interval sessions and more. Explore the collection to find the model that fits your space, training style and fitness objectives.
Making Treadmills Training Part of Your Routine
Treadmill workouts are versatile and adaptable. You can use speed and incline to shape your sessions based on what you want to improve, whether that’s cardiovascular health, lower-body strength, fat loss or race preparation.
The key is consistency and choosing the approach that motivates you to keep showing up. Over time, even small adjustments in speed and incline can lead to big improvements in fitness and performance.
Need help? Drop us a message or visit us in-store. We’ll help you build a setup that fits your space, your goals and your life or check out our ready-to-go Home Gym Packages to get training straight away.
