Treadmill elevation gain calculator

How to use the calculator

1. Enter the distance of your treadmill workout in either miles or kilometers.
2. Input the incline percentage of your treadmill. This is the incline setting you used during your workout.
3. The optional grade field (in degrees) can be used for more precise elevation calculations if you have this information.
4. Click the "Calculate" button to compute your estimated elevation gain.
5. The result will be displayed in feet if you entered miles, or in meters if you entered kilometers.

Understanding elevation gain

Elevation gain is the total vertical distance you climbed during your workout. It's an important metric for understanding the intensity and difficulty of your treadmill workout.

The calculator uses the formula: Elevation Gain = (Distance × Incline) / 100 when only incline is provided, and Elevation Gain = (Distance × Grade) × sin(Grade in radians) when both grade and distance are provided for more accurate results.

Why is elevation gain important?

Elevation gain affects your workout intensity, calories burned, and overall cardiovascular challenge. Workouts with higher elevation gain typically burn more calories and provide a greater workout intensity compared to flat or low-incline workouts.

Example calculation

If you run 5 miles on a treadmill with an incline of 5%, your estimated elevation gain would be:

5 miles × 5% = 0.25 miles of elevation gain, which is approximately 1312 feet (0.25 × 5280 feet).