UPLIFT Inclining Walking Pad

Before anything else, the disclosure: UPLIFT Desk sent me this walking pad free to try, test, and review. They saw nothing before this published and get no say in any rating. Here is how that happened. I was lucky enough to partner up with UPLIFT Desk after one of my reviews here on Every Dad Carry. They said make a wish list of what you are looking for and send it over, and by the way, we do not just do standing desks. We have walking pads, chairs, and everything you could want for your home office setup.

The funny part is the timing. I was just about to purchase a walking pad from MERACH, because I have their T12 treadmill, which goes up to 7.5 miles an hour, and I loved it. Affordable, easy entry point. UPLIFT made the decision easier by saying, hey, we will send you one. It has been my daily driver ever since. I honestly did not know UPLIFT Desk even made a walking pad, but the Inclining Walking Pad is an obvious, natural fit for a standing desk company, and among the other products in the UPLIFT Desk lineup, this one also does not disappoint.

I do not know how many miles I have logged on this thing, but I am writing this review while walking on it at my desk right now.

An hour and change into today's walk, writing this exact review.

The Coach Case for Walking

I know there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about losing weight and cutting weight. The caloric deficit is number one. But number two: you do not have to do crazy, intense exercise to lose body fat. Just increasing your total daily energy expenditure with things like walking throughout the day makes a massive difference, and these little things add up a lot more than you think.

Right now I am about an hour, maybe a little over, into walking, a little over two miles at a 2 mile per hour pace, and I have a good light sweat going. It is easy on the body. As someone with a bad back, bad knees at times, a bad everything at times, being a disabled vet, this is how I take what would normally be a rest day and stay in that recovery zone while still increasing my overall fitness and improving my body composition. By walking. That is it.

The 2.0 cruise. Easy on the body, and it adds up a lot more than you think.

The Incline Is the Whole Point

Walking at an incline has a dramatic effect on the calories you burn compared to walking on the flat. The data does not lie. The energy cost of gradient walking has been measured for decades: Minetti and colleagues quantified it across slopes in the Journal of Applied Physiology back in 2002, and the ACSM's own metabolic equation for graded walking builds the incline term directly into the math. More grade, more work, same speed.

That is what makes this pad different from most walking pads: the motorized incline. It adjusts through 12 levels, topping out at a 7 percent grade, and I walk at level 12. It is just the right amount of challenging. I have been on some higher-incline walking pads, and there are definitely diminishing returns at some point. Too steep and you lose sustainability, or you climb out of that zone 2 heart rate where a lot of fat oxidation happens, where we are actually turning fat into energy. This max is a sweet spot. If you are starting off, just walking is fantastic. If you want to kick it up, take small steps and build up to the max. The max is not nearly as high or hard as you might think, but it is just enough. Any steeper at a standing desk would honestly be a little silly and a little awkward.

Living With It

Everything about this thing is built for the daily. It sneaks under my desk when I am not using it and pulls out easily. The remote means I never have to bend down to turn it on or off, speed up, or change the incline, and I can pause it without losing my progress.

Sneaks under the desk when I am done, pulls out in seconds.

The remote deserves its own sentence. It is a rubber material with a little lanyard you can put on your wrist while you are walking, so if you need to adjust quickly, you can. And as you sweat and work, it is not soaking that sweat up. I know it is something small, but these little things definitely add up, and I was happy to see it. Nice touch, UPLIFT.

The rubber remote on its wrist lanyard. It does not soak up sweat, and I never bend down.

There is nothing you need to hold on to. And honestly, I do not think a walking pad needs any features outside of turning on, holding a consistent pace, being comfortable and easy to use, and having that incline you can adjust from the remote. This one has all of them.

Speed, incline, pause. Everything you need, nothing you do not.

One more thing worth knowing about, because it is a pain point on any walking pad as the miles add up: the belt itself can heat up and stretch out a little over time, so you may eventually need to adjust the tension or balance it. On this one, the adjustment points are right on the back, it comes with the Allen wrenches you need, and there is a sticker right there: righty tighty, lefty loosey. You can adjust both sides to balance or tighten the belt overall. Super easy, and having the tools and the instructions on the machine itself is another one of those small touches.

Righty tighty, lefty loosey, printed right on the machine. Allen wrenches included.

The Honest Math

This is priced pretty fairly across the board. There are walking pads out there cheaper and more expensive, but here is my take: if you are trying to go high end on a walking pad, you are just wandering into treadmill territory, and you have kind of missed the mark. This one does the job, disappears under the desk after, and hands you the controls on your wrist.

It is one of the easiest ways to improve your total daily energy expenditure, which creates an easier deficit without starving yourself. It is a great entry point for anybody looking to start moving. Walking is always the best place to start. Eventually you will jog. Eventually you will run. Eventually you will squat and jump and do all the other fun things. And if you want to visit Black Iron Athletics in Frisco, Texas, come by and I will show you how to do all of them.

In the meantime, just walk. A little bit goes a long way, and you would be surprised how much can change with a little nutrition and a little walking.

Every Dad Carry is reader-supported. UPLIFT Desk sent me this walking pad free to review; they saw nothing before publish and get no say in any rating. Links go through our UPLIFT affiliate account at no extra cost to you.