In this video Eric Roberts debunks the popular claim that walking on an inclined treadmill is a magic fat‑burning solution. He explains that while low‑intensity exercise (incline walking) does burn fat as a fuel source during the workout, it does not automatically translate into loss of stored body fat. The decisive factor for fat loss is a sustained calorie deficit, which is primarily achieved through nutrition. Roberts illustrates how heart‑rate zones dictate whether the body uses carbs or fat for energy, and how high‑intensity cardio can deplete carb stores, trigger hunger, and sabotage a deficit. In contrast, low‑heart‑rate incline walking burns calories without provoking appetite, making it a useful tool when paired with a proper deficit and resistance training. He provides practical programming recommendations (2‑4 sessions per week, 15‑20 min post‑lifting or 30‑60 min on rest days, 60‑70 % max HR, conversational breathing) and example treadmill settings for beginners versus advanced users. A client case study (Zion) demonstrates that adding nutrition tracking to the walking routine produced visible results. The video also promotes a free calorie‑deficit calculator, his online coaching service, and a follow‑up video on early signs of belly‑fat loss.
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You can incline treadmill walk every day and not lose a single pound of body fat. After coaching over 25,000 people with their fat loss, I can tell you incline treadmill walking got sold to you as a fat burner, and that label is the exact reason why it's not working. So here's the truth. You've probably seen a video like this on the internet before. Telling you running doesn't burn fat and incline treadmill walking is what you should do to burn fat. Here's how this actually works. When you exercise, your body can burn 2 things for energy: carbs or fat. And which one it picks isn't random. It's decided by one thing: your heart rate. When you exercise with a high heart rate, you burn carbs. for energy. When you exercise with a low heart rate, you burn fat for energy. So when you're running and your heart's pounding, your body is using carbs for energy. And when you're incline treadmill walking, your heart rate is lower, you're burning fat for energy. So yes, incline treadmill walking literally burns fat as you're doing it. That isn't a lie. But here's the problem and where the scam actually lies. Burning fat from that fat tank and losing the fat off of your stomach are 2 completely different things. And almost nobody knows the difference because burning fat during a workout has no correlation to losing the fat off of your body. You can burn fat for energy the entire workout and still not lose a single pound of stored body fat. How is that possible? Think about it like trying to save money. If you go to buy groceries, it doesn't matter whether you pay with a card or cash, because if you're spending more money than you make, you're not going to save any money. Burning fat for energy is just how you paid for that one workout. Your total calorie deficit is whether you spent more money than you made For the entire month. And a perfect example of this is one of our clients, Zion. He was someone who was doing the incline treadmill walking religiously but not seeing his body change, and he was confused as to why, because he wasn't getting the results that were promised to him on social media. And that's when we educated him on not just doing the incline treadmill walking but actually making sure he was in a calorie deficit Mainly via his nutrition, and we got him tracking his food, and for the first time, he was actually seeing a difference in his body. The treadmill on its own is never going to work because no one exercise burns stored body fat. Only a calorie deficit does. And by the way, if you need to know what your calorie deficit is, you can use my free calorie deficit calculator in the description below of this video. It's the same one we use with our clients. And now, before you think, okay then, the incline treadmill walk is pointless, I'll just stop doing it— no, do not quit it. Because once you fix your calorie deficit, incline treadmill walking actually can become one of your biggest weapons for losing stored body fat. And the reason why is something almost nobody talks about. The real value of incline treadmill walking has nothing to do with the fat it burns while you do it. It's something completely different, and once you understand this, it will make a lot of sense. When you do that hard cardio— running, spinning, burpees— you burn through your carb tank. And when your carb tank runs low, your body panics. It flips a switch to try to get that carb tank refueled, and that switch is increasing your hunger, your appetite, and your cravings, especially for sugary junk food. Because what is the quickest way to refuel your carb tank? Sugar. And so suddenly you're starving, you can't get full, you want to eat everything, especially sugar. And then what happens? You end up eating more food, blowing through your calorie deficit, And that's why high-intensity cardio can end up backfiring for weight loss. But the incline treadmill walking, because you're keeping the low heart rate and you're using the fat tank for energy, that hunger, those cravings, the appetite increase, that never switches on. So now you get the benefit of burning extra calories from the incline treadmill walk to help with your calorie deficit, And you do not increase hunger, appetite, cravings, which would then increase your calories consumed. And it makes it easier to create and stick to your calorie deficit. And that really is the secret behind the incline treadmill walk. You get the calorie burn without messing up your nutrition. And so now, when should you incline treadmill walk? How long should you do it for? How many days per week? Well, first I wanna say you don't need to do it every single day. Remember, too much of anything, even if it's good, can backfire. So typically what we program for our online coaching clients is 2 to 4 days a week you will incline treadmill walk. When do you do it? This is typically either after you lift weights or on a rest day from lifting weights. How long do you do it for? If it's after a workout, 15 to 20 minutes is more than enough. If it's on a rest day, 30 to 60 minutes is more than enough. What should the settings be for your incline treadmill? Well, this is going to depend on your current fitness and cardiovascular level. For example, somebody who's a complete beginner and has 70 pounds they want to lose, their settings might be a 5 incline on a 2 speed, because that is what will allow them to get the benefits of the incline treadmill without getting their heart rate up too high. Versus somebody who's maybe a bit more advanced— I'll use myself as the example— I will go on a 12 incline at a 3 speed, and that's a good range for me to get into that lower heart rate zone. So pick whatever treadmill settings allow you to keep that low heart rate. And how do you know if it's a low heart rate? If you're tracking your heart rate, it should be 60 to 70% of your max target heart rate. Or if you want an even more simple way, you should be able to still breathe through your nose and maintain a conversation while you're doing the cardio. So you shouldn't be breathing like this. And if you do that combined with your calorie deficit and lifting weights, you will lose more body fat and transform your body faster and easier than you ever have before. And speaking of transforming your body, this is exactly what we do with our online coaching clients. We build you a personalized plan, take out all the guesswork, and hold you accountable every single day. You can click the link in the description of this video to learn more. And if you're like, okay Eric, I got the incline treadmill for fat loss, but Here's the cool part. Your body actually starts sending you signals that let you know your belly fat is about to come off. Most people miss them and they quit right before it happens. I made a video on the 7 strange signs you're about to lose your belly fat. You can click here and watch that coming up next.
