Both running and incline walking are great forms of cardio that can torch calories and fat, but is one more effective than the other? Not necessarily, according to Elizabeth Gardner, MD, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Yale School of Medicine. “Neither is better,” she said. “It really depends on the goal and the circumstances.”
If you’re looking for a higher calorie burn per minute, running may be the way to go, Gardner pointed out. It’s also “better at improving cardiovascular endurance, as it is a higher intensity and strain on the body,” she said.
A small 2025 study compared the 12-3-30 treadmill walking routine—which calls for walking at a 12% include at 3 mph for 30 minutes—with treadmill running. The walk took longer than running to burn the same number of calories (though incline walking burned more fat).
Incline walking, meanwhile, earns extra points for being lower impact than running. It’s easier on the joints, which makes it a more accessible exercise, especially for people with certain health conditions or those recovering from injury.
“If we’re talking about somebody who’s a little bit older, maybe even arthritic, or we’re just talking about sustainability of exercise…running is going to be more taxing on the body,” Kyle Krupa, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist and founder of KRU PT + Performance Lab in Miami, told Health.
Not only is incline walking lower impact, but a small 2024 study suggested that it could actually improve older adults’ joint health, at least in the knee, by strengthening leg muscles and improving range of motion.
Furthermore, while running might help build better cardiovascular endurance than incline walking, that doesn’t mean it has the edge when it comes to reducing the risk of heart problems, said John Higgins, MD, a cardiologist and director of exercise physiology at Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Medicine Institute. For that, “there is no universal winner,” he said.
Instead, what matters most—aside from risk profile—is that you’re able to do it consistently, Higgins said.
Both exercises work the muscles of the lower body—namely, the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, hip stabilizers, and core, Higgins said.
But incline walking—especially moderate to steep grades—requires more from the posterior chain, which includes the glutes and hamstrings. That’s because walking uphill requires greater hip extension against gravity than walking or running on a flat surface.
“This can be useful for people who want a strong glute-hamstring stimulus with less impact,” Higgins said.
Running, however, works the quadriceps more, Krupa said. Unless you’re approaching sprinting speed, the glutes won’t be engaged as much.
If you’re new to either exercise, start with shorter, less intense workouts to avoid injury.
For incline walking, Higgins recommended starting with three to five days a week, 20 to 30 minutes each, at mostly moderate intensity. Progress one variable at a time—either speed or workout length.
“Shin splints can be common in incline walking, particularly for newbies,” Gardner said. “It is important to ease into this workout, and to stretch before exercise. Wearing good footwear is also important, as this is a quite intensive workout.”
If you’re starting a running routine, use run–walk intervals to reduce injury risk while building capacity, Higgins said.
“Start at a comfortable pace and a comfortable time limit,” Krupa said. “I call it ‘conversational cardio,’ where I could have a discussion.”
Notice how you feel in the days following your run or incline walk to gauge whether you’re pushing too hard.
“If you’re sore for more than 24 hours after a run or any kind of walk, you probably overdid it,” Krupa said. “It’s more about what you don’t do. Don’t start at an hour and then totally cook yourself to where you need two, three, four days to recover.”
