Excessive Inclined Treadmill Walking
Walking is a functional activity which provides many benefits for the mind and body. The human body has evolved to be a very efficient vehicle built to cover great distance with a built-in economy of motion. As a weight-bearing activity, walking strengthens the bones and keeps joints healthy. It is a great form of aerobic exercise that provides effective metabolic training. Walking is the perfect low-intensity exercise needed to create a fat-burning metabolism. The average American takes about 5,000 steps per day, and research has shown that if we focus on merely doubling that number, obesity and the lifestyle diseases that plague our population would be reduced to minimal levels.

The rhythmic nature of walking is good for the brain and helps with stress management by easing the brain into a meditative state and releasing endorphins. Walking also increases levels of endotropic brain growth factor, which is required for learning via the creation new synapses in the brain.

Problem: We have seen many tendon and joint injuries from walking continuously at inclines greater than 8-10 degrees as people look to make the workout more strenuous. Walking at extreme inclines overtaxes the muscles and tendons of the ankle, including the Achilles tendon. In addition, when the incline is severe it becomes difficult to maintain good body position and creates undue stress on the hips and lower back. Furthermore, steep incline walking is counterproductive to permanent weight loss as the higher intensity effort favors carbohydrate metabolism, as opposed to creating a metabolism which favors fat as the primary energy source.

Solution: Add inclined walking to your workouts only after developing a foundation of aerobic fitness and musculoskeletal conditioning. Four to six weeks of flat walking, at least twice a week for 30 minutes, will lay the foundation of fitness and "harden" bones, tendons, and ligaments and protect you against injury. After developing this foundation, you should be progressive with inclined walking to help your body adapt to the stress of this activity. 

At first, only perform the inclined workouts once per week for at least two weeks before adding a second inclined workout per week. After a warm-up of at least ten minutes of flat walking, elevate the machine to no more than a 4-5 degree incline and perform inclined intervals for two minutes at a time, before returning to level walking for two minutes of recovery. Perform just five two-minute intervals, once per week the first two weeks. Do these to allow for musculoskeletal adaptation before progressing to two times per week on the third week.

Always stretch BEFORE and AFTER each workout to stay injury-free.