Walking is the most important form of physical activity for a good reason. It’s easy to do, requires no special equipment, and it is something that comes naturally to most of us. And that’s great news since research has found that by simply walking regularly, you can reduce your risk of disease and increase life expectancy.
But the benefits of walking don’t stop there. You can transform your walking workout into ones that tones muscle and burns fat with a few simple adjustments. Try heading to a local trail or park to try these out.
Walking for fat loss
Although many people walk to improve fitness, others can walk with a goal of improving body composition by reducing excess body fat and increasing muscle mass. When combined with a healthful diet, walking can have a direct impact on body composition, especially when it comes to stubborn belly fat.
One study that compared two groups of women found that those who combined dietary changes with walking one to two miles daily, were able to shrink belly fat ells by as much as 18% over a 4-month period whereas the women who make dietary changes without walking saw no change in their waistline.
The reason behind this may have to do with how the body responds to consistent walking. We burn fat during a walk but what’s even better is that walking consistently primes our bodies to be better at using fat for fuel, meaning that we become better fat burners even at rest.
But you can’t tone or build muscle by walking alone. To do that, you need to take your walking routine to the next level.
Take your walking workout to the next level
Going for a brisk walk at a consistent pace certainly offers health benefits. But if you really want to maximize fat loss and tone muscles, you’ll want to step up your walking game. And to do that, you’ll want to add high intensity interval training (HIIT) into your walking workout. Adding in a HIIT workout to your walking routine is a wonderful way to increase metabolic burn while incorporating strength training into your workouts.
HIIT involves pairing short bouts of high intensity exercise with low intensity ‘rest’ periods to maximize your fitness results. Incorporating short intervals such as HIIT and body weight exercises will not only speed fat loss, but also help you release growth hormone which allows us to build muscle, and stimulates fat burning.
How to incorporate HIIT into your workout
To create an effective HIIT walking workout, you don’t need special equipment. You can implement an effective routine that strengthens and tones muscles while burning fat by simply using your own body weight. Whether you use the outside terrain to your benefit, such as walking briskly uphill in set intervals, or incorporate a variety of body weight workouts throughout your walk, you can achieve effective results.
For example, you can include a mix of bodyweight exercises such as burpees, pushups, lunges, and squats.
So, what does this formula look like when put into practice?
Start by incorporating these bodyweight exercises in 3 sets of 2-3 exercises for 8-10 repetitions each.
Interval #1:
20 minutes of walking at a brisk place
Stop and complete two of the following exercises: 8 burpees, 8 pushups, 8 lunges, or 8 squats.
Interval #2:
20 minutes of walking at a brisk place
Stop and complete two of the following exercises: 8 burpees, 8 pushups, 8 lunges, or 8 squats.
Interval #3:
20 minutes of walking at a brisk place
Stop and complete two of the following exercises: 8 burpees, 8 pushups, 8 lunges, or 8 squats.
As your fitness level improves, begin to incorporate more reps and exercises until you work your way up to all 4 exercises every 20 minutes.
By incorporating HIIT along with body weight exercises, you can transform your standard walk into a workout that helps to tone your muscles while burning fat. But as with any exercise, always talk to your physician before starting or changing an exercise routine to make sure it is safe for you.
