Content sponsored and written by Freemotion.
A continuing trend in the fitness industry – with continuing results – is incline training. Experts say incline training targets muscles in the lower body more efficiently than just logging time on a flat treadmill. In fact, when walking at a 30 percent incline, the lower body muscles are activated 2.74 times greater than at 0 percent, according to a recent research study. (The study was of 25 participants, ages 21-39, weighing 115-200 pounds, walking at self-selected speed.) Walking or running on different degrees of incline forces the body to adapt and overcome by firing off muscles that may be ignored in a zero-incline workout. And, if you’ve ever walked up a hill, you already know that walking at an incline pulls in a new level of aerobic ability to grow endurance and cardiovascular strength.
This is good news on more than one front. A full-out run on a zero-inclined treadmill is great, but there’s always the chance of foot, joint, knee or ankle injury. With incline training, the focus is on the incline, not the speed. For people with past injuries or those recovering from surgery, walking at an incline can be a safer way to rebuild muscle with a decreased chance of re-injury.
And because it takes more energy for a person to walk uphill than on a flat surface, increased calorie burn and greater muscle gain are popular side effects. In fact, walking at 30 percent incline burns 3.61 times more calories than walking at 0 percent, according to a research study of participants with an average weight of 164.3 pounds walking at 2 mph.
The Best Machine, the Best Result
Functional training continues to be one of the most popular training methods for gym members today. With an impressive +30 percent incline and -3 percent decline, the Incline Trainer by Freemotion brings the cardio of incline training into a functional training environment with welcome workout variety. When you offer your members the ability to do incline training, you offer them a way to increase the variety of their functional training. They can run at an incline for an amazing cardio blast. Put the machine at a decline and balance and core strength come into play. Side shuffle, hop or carioca on the Freemotion Incline Trainer to create a workout based on everyday movement and to build better muscle memory.
1-STEP™ Controls make this the ideal machine for HIIT workouts and functional training. With speed increments on one side, incline on the other, responding to commands in a high-energy class setting takes seconds, without taking time away from the workout.
Do More with Less
Having a machine that does more than one thing maximizes square footage and your budget. Freemotion machines are known to have multiple functionality – and the Incline Trainer is no different. When the user keeps the walking deck flat, it’s a straightforward treadmill. Increase the incline to 30 percent, and it’s a functional trainer that combines cardio and strength building, all in one solid machine. At 30 percent incline, users can get a 72-minute workout in just 20-minutes, according to a research study where the average weight of the participants was 163.96 pounds.
Thanks to a minimal hood, users love running on the Incline Trainer because they aren’t losing inches to hardware. But when the incline is launched, there is truly nothing like it.
Learn more about the bestselling Incline Trainer to find what our gyms, sports teams and trainers are saying about this multi-use training machine. Visit FreemotionFitness.com or request a personal presentation by a Freemotion sales consultant.
