Treadmill Elevation Gain Calculator

Multiply your distance by the sine of the arctangent of your grade percentage divided by 100. For a quick estimate, multiply your distance (in miles) by the grade as a decimal, then by 5,280 to get feet. For example, 1 mile at 5% ≈ 1 × 0.05 × 5,280 = 264 feet. Use the calculator on this page for exact trigonometric results at any grade and distance.

To get 100 feet of elevation gain per mile, you need approximately a 1.9% incline — so set your treadmill to 2%, the closest setting on most machines (which adjust in 0.5% increments). At 2%, you'll gain about 106 feet per mile, just slightly over the 100 ft target. This simulates a gentle rolling hill, similar to what you'd find on many outdoor running paths.

Yes. Treadmill incline settings display grade percentage, not degrees. A 10% incline means the belt rises 10 feet for every 100 feet of horizontal distance. This is equivalent to approximately 5.7 degrees. At 10% grade, you gain about 526 feet of elevation per mile — a serious climb that builds significant strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Yes, a 12 incline setting means a 12% grade — the treadmill rises 12 feet for every 100 feet of horizontal distance. This is the incline used in the popular 12-3-30 workout (12% incline, 3 mph, 30 minutes). At 12%, you gain about 630 feet of elevation per mile, making it a challenging but effective low-impact cardio workout.

A 2% incline means the treadmill rises 2 feet for every 100 feet of horizontal distance. At this setting, you gain about 106 feet of elevation per mile. Many runners use a 1-2% incline to simulate outdoor running conditions, since treadmills lack wind resistance and a slight grade compensates for the easier belt movement.

This calculator uses the exact trigonometric formula: Elevation = Distance × sin(arctan(Grade/100)). This is more accurate than the "rule of thumb" (Distance × Grade) especially at steeper inclines often used by hikers or on specialized incline trainers (like NordicTrack or Bowflex).

Running on a treadmill lacks wind resistance. A common rule of thumb is to set the incline to 1% to simulate the effort of outdoor running on flat ground. For hill training, 5-15% grades are excellent for building strength without the high impact of downhill running.

Uphill treadmill training has become a staple for elite ultrarunners and coaches. David Roche and Dr. Megan Roche, the coaching duo behind the Some Work, All Play (SWAP) podcast and coaching service, helped popularize uphill treadmill doubles: 20-30 minute sessions at 15% grade done as a second workout of the day. The key benefit is that a 2005 study in the Journal of Biomechanics (Gottschall & Kram) showed uphill running at 9° grade eliminates normal impact force peaks, allowing athletes to accumulate more training volume with less pounding on the body.

Even Kilian Jornet incorporates treadmill sessions into his training, using them for controlled testing and maintaining his running base during ski-heavy winter months. Jason Koop, head ultrarunning coach at CTS and author of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning, recommends uphill intervals (on any terrain) because the incline helps athletes reach 90% of VO2max more consistently than flat running.

Popularized by David Roche and Dr. Megan Roche, MD, PhD, the uphill treadmill (treadhill) method involves hiking or running at steep inclines (typically 15% grade) for 20-30 minutes. Most athletes start with a hike at 2.5-3.5 mph, targeting upper Zone 2 heart rate with drift into low Zone 3. Advanced athletes may run at 4-5 mph on the same grade.

A key finding from their coaching: one athlete doing their first treadhill session averaged 160 bpm at 4 mph. After just 3 sessions, their heart rate dropped to the 130s at the same output, demonstrating rapid efficiency gains. David and Megan discuss these methods regularly on the Some Work, All Play podcast.

Uphill treadmill threshold sessions have become popular among ultrarunners. David Roche, two-time Leadville 100 champion and course record holder, uses these workouts in his own training, often accumulating 60 minutes of intervals at 10% grade, starting at threshold and progressing harder. A common starting workout is 4 x 5 minutes at moderate effort with 1-2 minutes recovery on a 10% incline, building to 8-12 intervals for advanced runners.

The uphill treadmill makes threshold training more accessible because it's slower by design, putting emphasis on the aerobic system and helping athletes develop a more precise understanding of their threshold effort.

Yes, and the research is compelling. A 2013 randomized controlled trial found that 6 weeks of uphill interval training improved running economy by 2.4% and 5K time trial performance by 2.0% in well-trained runners. The researchers concluded that uphill running may be "more sport-specific" than other resistance training methods like plyometrics or weightlifting.

A 2019 study (Breiner, Ortiz & Kram) found that running economy across level, uphill, and downhill terrain is strongly correlated (r = 0.83–0.91), meaning efficient runners on inclines tend to be efficient on all gradients. However, a 2021 follow-up study noted this correlation breaks down at very steep grades (±20%), where different biomechanics come into play, another reason to train specifically on inclines if your goal race includes significant climbing.

Absolutely, this may be one of the biggest hidden benefits. With less jostling from impact, uphill treadmill sessions are ideal for testing nutrition strategies and gut training. You can push fluid and carb intake higher and work on gastric tolerance in a controlled environment. Whatever fueling strategies you can handle on the incline treadmill, you can typically transfer to outdoor running with practice.

To convert treadmill speed to running pace, divide 60 by the speed in mph (or km/h). For example, 6.0 mph = 10:00 per mile, and 10 km/h = 6:00 per km. Here are some common conversions: 5.0 mph = 12:00/mi, 7.0 mph = 8:34/mi, 8.0 mph = 7:30/mi, and 9.0 mph = 6:40/mi.

For a full conversion tool, try the Running Pace Calculator.

The calculation is the same whether you're walking or running — it depends only on distance and incline. Multiply your distance by sin(arctan(grade/100)) to get elevation gain. For example, walking 2 miles at 10% incline gives about 1,052 feet of elevation gain. At a typical walking pace of 3.0 mph, that takes 40 minutes. Use the calculator above for exact results at any incline and distance.

For general fitness walking, 3–6% incline adds a moderate challenge without excessive strain. For the popular 12-3-30 workout, walk at 12% incline and 3.0 mph for 30 minutes (about 945 feet of elevation gain). For serious hill training, 10–15% at 2.5–3.5 mph builds climbing-specific strength with low impact. Start at a lower incline and increase gradually as your fitness improves. Use our Treadmill Workout Calculator to plan multi-segment walking workouts with different inclines.

Incline increases effort significantly, so you need to slow down to stay in zone 2. A common approach is to reduce your speed by about 0.5–1.0 mph for every 2–3% of incline added. For example, if your flat zone 2 pace is 6.0 mph, try 5.0–5.5 mph at 5% grade. The most reliable method is to use a heart rate monitor and adjust speed to keep your heart rate in the zone 2 range (typically 60–70% of max heart rate) regardless of incline. Many coaches, including David Roche, recommend uphill treadmill sessions specifically as zone 2 workouts — hiking at 15% grade naturally keeps most athletes in the right heart rate zone. Calculate your exact zone 2 range with our heart rate zone calculator.