How To Use Incline Walking & Strength Training for Weight Loss
No matter how you approach it, weight loss is a challenging journey. It involves many highs and lows, and at times, you may feel stuck in a rut, making no progress. The good news is that ETNT is here to offer assistance. We had a conversation with Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, an exercise physiologist and Fitness and Nutrition Advisor for Fortune Recommends, who provides insights on how to effectively combine incline walking and strength training for faster weight loss.
Adding incline walking and strength training to your workout routine can significantly increase calorie burn and muscle growth, helping you shed those extra pounds and maintain your weight loss. Incline walking is a low-impact exercise that raises your heart rate and improves cardiovascular health. Studies suggest that walking on an incline can be as beneficial as running because it intensifies your workout by engaging more leg and core muscles. This increased effort allows you to burn more calories than walking on a flat surface.
Strength training is equally important for building lean muscle mass, which is essential for boosting your metabolism and burning calories. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns even at rest. When you combine incline walking and strength training, you enhance the benefits of each, leading to quicker weight loss results.
How To Combine Incline Walking and Strength Training
An effective way to merge incline walking and strength training is to allocate specific days of the week for each type of exercise. For instance, you could designate Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for incline walking, scheduling sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes on a steep treadmill or a hike on a hilly trail. On alternate days like Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, concentrate on strength training, focusing on different body parts in each workout. This structure helps maintain variety in your workouts, preventing boredom and overuse injuries.
"Consistency and variety are key to successful weight loss," explains Mohr. This entails mixing up your incline walking sessions with different terrains or speeds and incorporating various strength exercises like dumbbell movements, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises. "By regularly changing your routine, you engage different muscle groups and keep your body guessing," he adds.
The Benefits of Incline Walking and Strength Training
Mohr explains, "Incline walking is great for cardiovascular health and endurance, as it's more challenging than walking on a flat surface. For a more intense workout, you can start with a brisk 10-minute incline walk to warm up. Then, transition to your strength training routine before finishing with another short incline walk as a cool-down. This combination helps maintain a higher heart rate throughout your workout, increasing calorie expenditure."
Incline walking reduces the risk of overuse injuries by engaging different muscle groups and adds variety to your workouts. Strength training complements this by increasing lean muscle mass and bone density, which boosts metabolism and calorie burning during workouts and at rest.
"Incorporating cardio and strength training ensures you're approaching your fitness from multiple angles, which is crucial for effective weight management," says Mohr.
Who Should Avoid Combining Incline Walking and Strength Training?
