Walk it up!

Hey guys! I have some awesome info on incline walking at the end of this post, but some pics from the weekend! It was a nice, relaxing weekend. It was another Jewish Holiday (one where you fast all day saturday!) so not much exciting foodies pics going on there, obviously! I got to spend time with some of my best friends I haven’t seen in a while which was SO nice (Hi, friends!!!!!)
This morning, I had some of this
And then went to some of this

With some tupperware of food for after class of course. I Went to the CSF studios for Sunday morning class and posing afterwards! Class was awesome! I was a sweaty mess. We do lots of exercises across the floor, sprints, jumps, plyometrics, circuits. It is all body weight exercises, no bands, balls or weights, so we work extra hard! The posing today ROCKED. I  really learned so much. I was critiqued and I really was “in the moment” It was great

I ate some of this for lunch! (with tuna for my protein)
Some of these fresh strawberries


And FINALLY got new kicks! I have needed new sneaks for about 3 months and just haven’t gotten around to getting a new pair. These Nike Lunarfly’s are awesome and I love the color!!
——-
Lets talk incline walking. Melissa asked me to do a post on incline walking so I figured not only would i give some treadmill routines, but I also wanted to talk about the benefits of this amazing cardio workout! Many people shun incline walking because “it isn’t as difficult as running. The truth is that incline walking is actually very challenging and can have the same, if not better benefits when done correctly. For incline walking to me the most effective, it is important to be walking at a brisk pace, and of course NEVER holding onto the treadmill with your hands. 

Walking 3.0 MPH an hour on an incline of 0% is very easy to most, but bring that incline up to a 10.0% and it can be a grueling, sweaty task! Incline walking causes increased motion at the hip knees and ankles which means your lower body works twice as hard. 

Let go of the handrails. Most people tend to overestimate the speed and incline that they can walk so they resort to holding onto the machine. By holding onto the machine, you are only cheating yourself. Start off at a pace and incline that you think you could handle and work up from there. 

Find what works for YOU. We all are different and have different abilities, so I would never say “go walk at 10% incline at 3.8 speed” This could be very easy for one person and very challenging for another. Instead of doing this, it is important to always listen to your body and continuously gauge how you feel.  If you find yourself overexerted after a few minutes, either tone down the speed or incline until you feel more comfortable.

Intermediate Routine

Time
Speed
Incline
0-3
3.5-4.0
3% (Warm up)
3-5
3.5-4.0
10%
5-7
3.8-4.0
4%
7-9
3.5-3.8
10%
9-11
3.8-4.0
5%
11-13
3.5-3.8
10%
13-15
3.5-4.0
6%
15-17
3.5-3.8
10%
17-19
3.5-3.8
7%
19-21
3.5-3.8
10%
21-25
3.0-3.5%
12%
25-27
3.5-3.8
5%
27-30
3.8
0% (cool down)


Walk it up Routine

  • Set the treadmill at 3.5-3.8 the whole time. Start on an incline of 0% and every 2 minutes increase the incline 1%. Keep doing this until you hit 15% and cool down. 
HIIT Walking Routine

Time
Speed
Incline
0-3
3.5-4.0
3% (Warm up)
3-4
3.5-3.8%
12%
4-5
3.0
4.0%

  • Repeat this 5-10 times for a HIIT incline walking routine
Turn it around Treadmill Routine : This routine utilizes some side shuffling and backwards walking on the treadmill. It is a bit of a more advanced routine so take some time and practice first!

Time
Speed
Incline
0-3
3.5-4.0
3% (Warm up)
3-4
3.5-3.8%
10%
4-5
1.0-3.0
9% (LEFT SIDE SHUFFLE)
5-6
1.0-3.0
9% (RIGHT SIDE SHUFFLE)
6-7
1.0-3.0
9% (BACKWARDS JOG)
7-8
3.0
4.0 (REGULAR WALK)

Repeat 4-10 times
—-
  • Have you ever inclined walked before? Thoughts?
  • What did you do this weekend?
  • Have you ever felt support from people who you don’t even really know but what brings you together is your passion for the same hobby? I feel this way with CSF, the ladies are AMAZING, even ones I haven’t met in person, but I have spoken with either on the phone, through email or through twitter. It is just an amazing feeling to have so much support! (you know who you are!!)