If you are running up a hill in the real world, it’s harder than running on a flat surface because you need to do all the work required to lift your body mass vertically. The work is based on the force (your weight) times the distance travelled (the vertical distance).
But if you are on a treadmill, no matter what “incline” setting you put it at, your body mass isn’t going anywhere. I don’t see how there’s any more work being done than just running normally on a treadmill. Is running at a 3% incline on a treadmill calorically equivalent to running up a 3% hill?
In: Engineering
I can see where the confusion arises because you stay more or less in the same place. However, think about what would happen if you stopped running on a treadmill: it would move you downhill. When running on the treadmill you are constantly counteracting that which requires energy; the same as running up an similar incline at the same speed. However you aren’t fighting air resistance or dealing with things like slippage so an outside run is still a bit harder.
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