09/29/2025                                                                            
                                    
                                                                            
                                            Fitness / Fat burn hack for those of you that donโt want to, or canโt run! I walk on a high incline on a treadmill at the gym after my resistance training a few times per week. At 55 I prefer this for my knee health. If I run - my left knee swells and hurts for a few days so I had to look for alternatives that would deliver! One study I read from the International Journal of Exercose Science compared treadmill incline walking on a 12% incline at 3 MPH for 30 minutes to self paced jogging for 30 min. They found the incline walkers burned 40% of their calories from fat. While the joggers burned 33% from fat.
Here is what chat GPT had to say:
Both incline treadmill walking and jogging offer significant health benefits, but they engage the body differently. Here's a science-backed comparison focusing on cardiovascular health, muscle activation, calorie burn, joint impact, and fat loss:
๐งฌ 1. CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS
โข Incline Walking: Increases heart rate to moderate levels, especially at steeper inclines (10โ15%). It improves aerobic endurance and cardiovascular fitness without high impact.
โข Jogging: Generally induces a higher heart rate, improving VOโ max more efficiently due to the sustained higher intensity.
โ
 Winner for Cardio: Jogging, but incline walking is a great low-impact alternative.
๐ฅ 2. CALORIE BURN
According to a 160-lb (73 kg) person estimate:
โข Jogging (5 mph): ~480โ600 calories/hour
โข Walking at 3.5 mph @ 12% incline: ~430โ550 calories/hour
Incline walking burns calories similar to jogging with less impact, especially at higher inclines and brisk pace.
โ
 Almost Equal, depending on incline and speed.
๐ฆต 3. MUSCLE ACTIVATION
โข Incline Walking:
โฆ More glute, hamstring, and calf activation due to upward resistance.
โฆ Strengthens posterior chain (backside muscles).
โข Jogging:
โฆ Balanced activation, but quads and calves dominate more.
โฆ Less glute engagement unless sprinting or running uphill.
โ
 Winner for Glute & Hamstring Activation: Incline Walking
๐ฆด 4. JOINT & IMPACT STRESS
โข Incline Walking: Low impact on knees, hips, and ankles. Great for people recovering from injury or with joint concerns.
โข Jogging: Higher impact forces (~2โ3x body weight), which may increase risk of joint issues over time.
โ
 Winner for Joint Health: Incline Walking
๐ง  5. FAT LOSS & METABOLISM
โข Both can support fat loss, but incline walking may be better for sustainable, long-duration fat burning due to its lower impact and maintainability.
โข Walking on an incline shifts energy use toward fat oxidation, especially in fasted or zone 2 cardio sessions.
โ
 For steady-state fat burn and adherence: Incline Walking
โ
 For overall energy burn & intensity: Jogging