Treadmill Incline Workouts For Mountaineers

Today, we are exploring eight treadmill incline workouts a mountaineer can use to improve fitness and endurance for the mountains.

This topic has been coming up a lot lately with my mountaineers.

Depending on where you live, this time of year, many people are dealing with two tricky situations:

• A very hot summer where long hikes and runs outdoors feel borderline impossible
• A very cold, snowy winter where getting outdoors for sessions is just not enjoyable (or safe) ​

Because of that, a lot of mountaineers are looking for indoor options to keep their training moving forward.

That is where the treadmill comes in.

While treadmills often get a bad rap, they can be really useful to help work around both weather and for convenience.

For example:

• If the weather makes outdoor training miserable or unsafe, treadmill work can be a very practical option.
• If you are tight on time, and have easy access to a treadmill at home, at the gym or at work, it can save a lot of time and logistics.

So treadmill work can be a great option for many mountaineers. And today, we are sharing a range of different workouts you can use on them.

However, before we go any further, we need to be clear on something from the start:

No mountaineer should be doing all of their cardio training on a treadmill.

Treadmill work will never be as good as outdoor hikes, trail runs, real hills, or real stairs.

But when it is more practical, more convenient, or simply safer, it can absolutely be leveraged.​

So with that being said, let's explore the workouts.

Workout #1: Long Steady Incline Walk

This is the most basic treadmill workout. This is a long-duration, low-intensity session designed to replace a long walk or hike when getting outside is not realistic.

It is not a perfect replacement; it will not replicate the uneven, undulating and unpredictable nature of the trail. But if you need something indoors, this can do the job.

The main goals for this workout is to develop aerobic capacity and pack tolerance.

Workout Instructions

• Put on a moderately weighted pack
• Choose a duration you can realistically tolerate
• Set the incline anywhere from about 7 to 10 per cent (or higher if wanted)
• Walk at low intensity, sticking to nose-breathing/Zone 2
  
  

Important Tips

1) Choose A Realistic Duration

In these sessions, it is not realistic to try to replicate your outdoor hiking duration.

While hiking 4-8 hours is perfectly fine for many people, trying to do 4 hours on the treadmill is the most boring thing in the world...

Instead, ask yourself one question"

"How long can you realistically last before boredom becomes unbearable?"

That is your time cap for the session.

2) Leverage Distraction

Even with a 'realistic' timeframe, these sessions can still be very dull. With that in mind, it can often be a good tactic to watch a TV show or movie while you walk.

You don't need much thinking during this workout, so this can be a great option.

3) Vary Incline Throughout

Staying on the same incline for hours on end can often end up being a bit uncomfortable on the feet and calves.

A good idea is to vary the incline slightly every five minutes or so (or, if your treadmill has a preset 'hiking' or 'hill' workout, this can work well).

Progression​

Each week, either:

• Add some more pack weight
• Increase the average incline of the workout

Workout #2: Heavy Slow Incline Climb

This workout is meant to replicate an overloaded pack-loaded hill session when you cannot access real hills or stairs.

It is not perfect, but it can be effective.

The goal here is muscular endurance in the legs and the practice of sustaining output and resistance fatigue on long climbs.

Workout Instruction

• Load a heavy pack (this should be a challenge)
• Set the treadmill to max incline
• Walk for 40 to 90 minutes
• Maintain nose breathing or Zone 2 heart rate
  
  

Important Tips

1) Working Around Incline Limitations

Most commercial treadmills only go up to about 15 per cent incline.
That can be a challenge, but it can often fall a bit short (compared to doing a truly steep hill or stair session outdoors).

Some mountaineers are lucky enough to have access to a treadmill which can go higher (some can get up to 30 per cent) - but if you don't, you just need to work with what you have.

If you feel the workout is a bit 'easy' (even when you load up the pack heavy), one strategy that can be useful is doing some 'pre-fatiguing.

Before getting on the treadmill, you do a few exercises to deliberately fatigue the legs.

For example.

• 20x 1+1/4 squats
• 20 x reverse lunges (each leg)
• 20x 1+1/4 squats (again)​

And then hop on the treadmill for the session.

The goal is to fatigue the legs a bit before you start climbing, which can make the workout a better challenge.

It isn't perfect, but it can do the job if needed.

2) Managing Fatigue

On the flip side, if the workout is too challenging, and fatigue builds up too quickly to sustain for the entire session, you can either:

• Keep moving through, but slightly reduce the incline (and alternate between the max incline and slightly lower incline through the session)
• Break the session up into intervals (e.g. eight minutes of climbing/2 minutes of rest).

Progression

Each week, add some pack weight.

If you reach the limit of this, then add some extra time climbing or add some more 'pre-fatigue' work.

Workout #3: Breathing Control Incline Walking

This workout introduces moderate intensity while teaching breathing control.

It can be useful to help practice sustaining slightly higher outputs while climbing, as well as practising the skill of regulating your breathing while climbing (if it gets a bit too quick for comfort).

Workout Instruction

• Set the incline between 10 and 15 per cent
• Walk three minutes at nose breathing
• Walk three minutes at a quicker pace (aiming to get a bit out of breath and sustaining this)
• Repeat

Important Tips

1) Managing Speed And Intensity

The fast section should get you out of breath, and require effort and concentration to sustain for the three minutes - but it is not maximal intensity (and doesn't need to be a run).

The slow section is all about regaining control of your breathing, so reduce the speed as necessary (but avoid ever coming to a complete stop).

2) Expectations

During the slow intervals, you will not instantly be able to return to calm breathing (so the workout will not be quite as neat as 3 minutes nosebreathing/3 minutes quicker breathing).

Your goal is to focus on bringing the breathing back down under control as quickly as possible (and ideally, each time you do this, you will get quicker and quicker to do this).

3) Use Diaphragmatic Breathing

Through this session, practice diaphragmatic breathing during the slower intervals.

As you breathe in, focus on feeling your belly expand (and not having too much movement through the chest/shoulders).

Progression Plan​

Each week, either:

• Increase speed on the fast intervals
• Add more intervals
• Introduce/add some pack weight

Workout #4: Backwards Incline Walking

This works well as a warm-up or finisher, especially for people with knee discomfort.

You may have seen this workout recommended on social media before. To be clear, most of what you read online about this type of training is overhyped (it became the 'trendy' exercise recommendation for a while).

The main benefit we can get from this as a mountaineer is to challenge the quadriceps and calves in a unique way while recruiting stressthrough the knees and calves.

Workout Instructions

• Set the inline to about five to ten per cent
• Face backwards
• Work slowly

​
Important Tips

1) Use In Small Doses

I would never recommend this as a full workout for mountaineers.

Instead, this can be good to use for 10-15 minutes at the start or end of other sessions.

2) Achilles Stress

While this approach can take stress out of the knees and ankles, it can add extra stress to the Achilles.

So if you have a history of Achilles issues or discomfort, keep that in mind.

3) This Does Not Replicate Descents

Some people recommend this workout as a way to train for descents.

This workout can improve endurance in the quads and calves, which will definitely help with descents.

But it is not something that will replicate the mechanics of going downhill (so don't consider this a replacement for real hills or stairs).

Progression

Each week, either:​

• Add a few minutes
• Increase the incline slightly

Workout #5: Long Treadmill Run

This treadmill can be used to replace outdoor long runs when needed.

The goal for this workout is to build aerobic capacity.

Workout Instructions:

• Set the incline to about 2 to 6 per cent
• Run at a steady pace at nose-breathing or zone 2
  ​

Important Tips

1) Boredom

Similar to the long walk, boredom will be your biggest enemy here. So use a movie or TV shows to make that a bit easier (if needed).

2) Vary The Incline

Varying the incline a couple of degrees every 5 minutes or two is a good tip to stop the legs getting too uncomfortable, sustaining the same incline.

Progression​

Each week, either:

• Add a small amount of time each week (until you reach your limit of boredom)
• Then add some average incline or some short 'pick-ups' each week (brief, 10-15 second periods of slightly quicker speed)

Workout #6: Aerobic Power Intervals

One of my favourite interval structures for mountaineers. This is great for building the ability to sustain and tolerate higher outputs on steep ascents.

Workout Instructions

• Warm up with a slow, steady run for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Set the incline to anywhere from 2 to 5 per cent
• Run quickly for 3 minutes
• Walk very slowly for 90 seconds
• Repeat

Important Tips

1) Managing Intensity

For this workout, we want to push the speed, so it should be challenging (and you should be tired by the end of each interval).

However, if you are fatiguing too early (and cannot sustain the full three minutes), you need to reduce your pace.

2) Manage Incline

If your legs are the limiting factor of this workout (and are 'burning out' early during the intervals or workout), then reduce the incline (just try not to do it on complete flat).

3) Rest Properly

The rest period is for proper recovery. So have a very slow walk or even a complete rest.

Don't be tempted to keep on jogging, as we want to recover as much as you can so you can push the working intervals.

Progression​

Each week, either:

• Run slightly faster in each interval
• Add an extra interval

Workout #7: Incline Running Intervals

This is a replacement for any outdoor hill running you might do, or it can just be a way to add a bit more intensity if you have been doing the steady state runs for a while.

This workout is mainly aimed at challenging leg endurance.

Workout Instructions

• Warm up with a 5 to 10-minute casual run
• Put the incline anywhere from 6 to 10 per cent
• Run for 8 minutes at a moderate hard pace
• Walk for 2 minutes
• Repeat

Important Tips

1) Get The Right Challenge

For this workout, we are chasing leg burn. If you feel like the breathing is the limiting factor, then you may need to reduce the speed of your running (and maybe the incline as well).

2) Be Aware

This workout can be great for leg endurance, but it is not a direct replacement for loaded (walking) hill, stair or incline climbing.

Use this as a progression from steady state running sessions, or use it in conjunction with your pack-based training.

Progression​

Each week, either:

• Increase incline
• Extend the running intervals 

Workout #8: Circuit Training

This is not a workout I would get most mountaineers using... but it can be useful for someone who is on a longer-term training program and needs a bit of extra variation in their workouts.

The incline treadmill can be a great 'station' used in circuit training. 

Workout Example

• 4 min running at 6 per cent incline
• 1 minute rest
• 4-minute suitcase carries (alternating arms each minute)
• 1 minute rest
• 4 minutes box step-ups
• 2-minute rest
• Repeat

Important Tips
​
1) Use Long Intervals

The typical approach to circuit training in the fitness industry (e.g. using circuit structures of 45 sec quick/15 sec rest, or 20 sec quick/10 sec rest) is not incredibly relevant for the needs of a mountaineer.

Instead, using longer intervals of 3-6 minutes can be much more effective.

2) Be Prepared For The Treadmill

One thing you will notice quickly is that incline treadmills can be annoying during circuits.

Because if you are turning them on and off in between stations, they can take a long time to adjust to the right incline (and, if not planned for, it can take a lot of time away from your working intervals).

To combat this, when you are getting ready for a treadmill station, get on the treadmill straight away (during your rest period) and start getting the incline sorted.​

Or (if it is safe to do so and no one else is in the area), some people will leave the treadmill running on a low speed (though be careful with this).

Final Thoughts

Treadmill incline workouts can be extremely useful when needed for mountaineers. And while they often get talked down to, they can be a great addition to a plan when used appropriately.

But always remember:

Treadmill workouts should never entirely replace your outdoor hiking (and as you get closer to your climb, you need to get some exposure to real trail - no matter what the weather).

Treadmill workouts will not prepare you for descents (so make sure you are getting some real hills or stairs as you get closer to your expedition).

Treadmill workouts are usually not steep enough on their own to properly prepare you for ascents (so complement them with real stairs/hills, the stairmaster or box step workouts).
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If you are a mountaineer who needs help with your training over the winter or summer months...

Or are you just interested in seeing what a personalised strength and conditioning plan can do for your climbing...

Then you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

Online Personal Training For Mountaineers

Yours in adventure,

Rowan​