Increasing gradient and speed when walking

[Speicher]

I have recently started to improve my fitness. Can anyone offer some guidance about increasing my stamina and uphill walking ability using a treadmill.

Yesterday I was walking on the treadmill at an incline of 10%. I easily maintained this for five minutes, having warmed up and increased the incline gradually to 4% and then 7%.

Please bear with me, as I am extremely unfit and not a cyclist.

My calculations indicate that at 10% I would climb approximately 450 feet in 1500 yards, ie slightly less than a mile, which should take about 20 minutes.

At 12% 450 feet of climb is 1200 yards, or three quarters of a mile, and should take about 15mins.

For 15% this would be half a mile. but with a steeper incline, it would probably still take about 15mins.

My question is this: What combination of incline and time/distance would be best to increase stamina and strength in my legs and lungs.

My short term aim is to be able to do a twenty minute session, perhaps

2 min flat
2 min 7%
4 min 10%
4 min 12%
4 min 10%
2 min 7%
2 min "warm down"


I think I am benefiting from using the treadmill as I can concentrate on walking and breathing, and keeping going. Whereas on the Malvern Hills where I prefer to walk, I have to watch the path, cope with obstacles and unevenness of the path. Yes, I know that walking and breathing should be easy, but as I have asthma, if an attack starts, I find it very difficult to continue, so then I do a lot of stopping, starting again, which it can be counterproductive.

Should I try to maintain, for example 7% for longer, or increase the incline, while walking more slowly.

The speed and incline are very easy to alter on the treadmill. Lots of people might say that the treadmill is boring, but it is helping me to increase stamina, and the treadmill faces trees, the park and the river bank, which is good.

Apologies if the question is very complex, but people on here are very helpful. It is the first thread that I have started in this part of the forum, so please be gentle with me.

 

[buddha]

If its working, stick to what your doing, too many people looking to change up to quickly but if your looking for a change here something similar ti what your doing. ....

Step 1......Treadmill Flat, walk for 2 minutes
Step 2......Up the speed to fast walk (enough to cause heavier breathing) for 1 minute
Reduce speed, steady walk 2 minutes (step 1)
Repeat step 2 and so on. ...
This is called hiit training, great for weight loss and over all fitness...

The good thing about this after a while you'll need to substiute step 2 for slow jog, and in no time you'll be jogging ...

Keep up the work, .....

This is how I 'managed' to start jogging, and then running, again.

Good advice and if you persevere it does work!

 

[Crackle]

Do you feel you need to lower the % towards the end? I would just build it to triangle an then warm down on the flat at the end, no need to taper back down. Apart from that it's very personal what you should do. If you are using it with an HR monitor, then you should see your HR begin to drop on the harder inclines over time. That's the point to increase the incline again or when your breathing becomes even and steady. Both show your body has adapted and is ready to take a bit more.

 

[albion]

I'd suggest you forget 'do's and don'ts' and just get your priority right.That is to just concentrate on your breathing so that no inflammation occurs.So I'd stay with 'near flat' for a good long while. At least until you control the breathing and the breathing does not control you.

 

[ColinJ]

I wouldn't worry too much about trying to find 'the best' combination of gradient and speed since they interact and you can get pretty much the same kind of training effect from walking quickly on the flat as more slowly uphill.

Obviously there is a limit to how quickly you can comfortably walk. Those Olympic speed walkers always look to me like they are on the verge of running and it seems stupid to not actually run when going that quickly; those exaggerated hip movements can't be good for the joints!

If you don't actually want to run, and you get so fit that flat walking at a manageable speed isn't giving you enough exercise, then increases in gradient could be used to increase your workload.

With your asthma in mind, I'd say make 'comfortably hard' efforts. They would probably be hard enough to make it difficult to hold a conversation, but not so hard that you couldn't say a few words here and there.

I think regular 20-30 minute power-walks either on the Malvern hills or in the gym would make a big difference to your fitness. I didn't do a lot of cycling last year, but I was power-walking up a big hill at the back of my house 2 or 3 times a week and that really helped me.

After a month or two, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much fitter you feel and at how much harder you have to work to get tired!

Keep it up!

 

[Speicher]

Thank you all for your advice. I am trying to improve my ability to walk uphill. I have guesstimated the gradient of the various paths over the Malverns. To join guided walks I would like to be able to climb 1500 feet, but that would be gradient spread out over the day, not in one great climb. Being able to climb 1500 to 2000 feet in one hit would be great, and would be a long term goal.

I am surprised Crackle about not needing to taper down the gradient. When I adjust the gradient on the treadmill, it adjusts gradually, so yes, I could spend more time on the gradient, and warm down on the flat.

I was comfortable at 10%. What from people are saying, I should stay within a pace/incline comfortable with regards to breathing. If I start to get out of puff on the treadmill, I can lower the incline. If I get out of puff on a hill, getting started again is difficult.

My asthma tends not to start when walking at a moderate pace on the flat.

In addition to the treadmill, I have been using the rower, the recumbent bike, and the hand bike. I had an Induction Session at the gym. He suggested I try the "Cross Trainer" but my left knee quickly told me that it was not happy with that action.

I am also getting guidance from a Personal Trainer who accompanies me outside the gym, in the park. We have been doing very brisk walking, and more recently short bursts of jogging. This is what Buddha and Iotcb have suggested, I think. When you have not jogged for many years, it is very difficult to start again. There is a football pitch to use for jogging running round. We also do knee lifts, side "lunges" (?) and press-ups against the trees.

Currently we are jogging short distances using trees as markers. My aim would be to run half the length of the football pitch, then the full length, gradually increasing the distance.

There is also a farm track within easy reach of my home, which I think is an incline of 7%, slightly more in places.
When I have been power walking on that, I have tried jogging short distances up hill, when breathing gets uncomfortable I have been slowing to a walk, not stopping.

There is a huge benefit for me exercising out of doors, because when the asthma starts I can quickly get over-heated, or is it vice versa.

As I am so unfit, I decided to avoid the weight training, and strength training equipment in the gym. I might add that gently over the next few weeks.

Thanks again for your contributions. Please add anything else you would like to suggest.