As a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Founder and CEO of The Difference App, I work with individuals every day who are trying to build sustainable, realistic habits around movement and weight management. One of the most effective and often overlooked strategies is simply walking. But if you are trying to get the most out of walking, you can add a variety of exercises to achieve even greater results (1). Before implementing additional exercises on your walks, you may want to add some additional stretching beforehand.
Here are some to consider:
- Intervals
- Arm Circles
- Alternating Overhead Reach
- Arm Claps or Swings
- High Knees
Intervals – Change It Up
When doing cardiovascular exercise like walking, interval training involves alternating your speed during specific periods. You can change your speed in two ways. Either modify your stride length or adjust the frequency of each step (also called cadence), or both. It can be represented by this simple equation: Stride Length x Cadence = Walking Speed.
A good implementation of interval training for walking is alternating between a resting pace of around 3 miles per hour (mph), a medium pace of about 3.5 mph, and a fast pace of 4 mph or even greater. Challenge yourself to walk at a medium or fast pace for 1 minute at first and then increase the duration to 2-3 minutes. Between the faster intervals, you should give yourself time to recover by walking at your resting pace for 30-60 seconds. You can do these intervals for the entire duration of your walk, or just a portion. Interval training will improve your overall cardiovascular health and endurance. Soon enough, you might feel ready to incorporate a little jogging into your interval training!
How to:
- Use the timer on your mobile phone or your watch.
- Start your walk at a resting, normal pace to warm up.
- When ready, switch to a medium pace for the desired length of time (1-3 minutes).
- Return to your resting, normal pace for at least 30 seconds.
- When ready, switch to a medium or fast pace for the desired length of time.
- Make sure to end your walk at your resting, normal pace for at least 3 minutes.
Arm Circles – Get in the Swing
This exercise involves rotating your arms in either wide sweeping arcs or smaller, narrower circles. Move your arms 360 degrees, getting as much shoulder rotation as possible. This is a bodyweight exercise, meaning you use your own physique to provide resistance without additional equipment. However, you can also opt to hold light dumbbells in your hands or attach weighted wrist cuffs weighing one to five pounds if you want an additional challenge. Arm circles primarily strengthen your deltoids, or front, side, and rear shoulder muscles.
For a beginner, a good starting point for this exercise is to do 3 sets of 10 repetitions (“reps”), for a total of 30 reps, with 30-second rests between sets. As you become stronger, you can increase the number of reps in each set from 10 to 20, or even 30. You can alternate the direction of arm circles from backward to forward for each set.
How to:
- For wide arm circles, start with your hands at your side. For narrow arm circles, start with them straight out.
- Decide which direction you will rotate, backward or forward.
- Begin your circles in wide sweeping arcs or smaller, narrow motions, depending on your preference.
- Let your arms move naturally during your rest periods.
- Repeat.
Alternating Overhead Reach
Another arm exercise you can do is to reach straight up with each hand, slightly over your head. At the same time, drop your other hand to the side of your thigh. This is not only a bodyweight resistance exercise, but when you hold your hand at its apex for 2-3 seconds, it is also an excellent dynamic stretch. Like arm circles, you can increase the difficulty of this bodyweight exercise by adding dumbbells or wrist weights. When this exercise is performed while standing still, the raised hand moves further over the head, and you bend further at the waist. However, when walking, it is more natural to reach your hand over and bend less at the waist. The timing can be a little tricky to match your steps, so watch your balance.
This exercise strengthens muscles in the core and trunk, including your obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae, as well as your deltoids, or shoulder muscles. This exercise also stretches certain muscles, including the latissimus dorsi (lats), or your big back and side muscles, obliques (side waist muscles), and intercostals (the muscles between your ribs).
For a beginner, a good starting point for this exercise is again 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating so each side gets 5 reps per set, for a total of 30 reps, with 30-second rests between sets. As you become stronger, you can increase the number of reps in each set from 10 to 20, or even 30.
How to:
- Start with your hands by your side.
- Reach one hand up and then slightly over your head while at the same time reaching down the outside of your thigh with the other hand.
- Alternate sides until your set is complete.
- Let your arms move naturally during your rest periods.
- Repeat.
Arm Claps or Swings
This is another bodyweight exercise that can be made more challenging with dumbbells or wrist weights. Stretch your arms parallel to the ground, as wide and then as far behind you as possible, then bring them forward. You can finish the exercise by either clapping your hands or allowing them to cross over each other in front of you.
Like the alternating overhead reach, you also stretch certain muscles, including the pectorals (chest) and anterior deltoids. This exercise is often a warm-up exercise, but it works just as well during a walk. You can time each swing to match your cadence in a rhythmic fashion. This exercise primarily strengthens the front and rear deltoids (shoulders), pectoralis major (chest), and trapezius (upper back stabilizer).
For a beginner, a good starting point for this exercise is to do 3 sets of 10 reps, for a total of 30 reps, with 30-second rests between sets. As you become stronger, you can increase the number of reps in each set from 10 to 20, or even 30.
How to:
- Start with your arms and hands pointing straight out to your sides.
- Reach your arms backward, as far as they can go comfortably.
- Swing your arms forward and either clap your hands or allow your arms to cross over each other, alternating which arm goes above and which below each time.
- Continue this motion until your set is complete.
- Let your arms move naturally during your rest periods.
- Repeat.
High Knees
It can be hard to incorporate lower-body and core exercises into walking while maintaining an erect posture. However, we can borrow an exercise from track and field training, a favorite of hurdlers called high knees. This exercise involves bringing your knees up as high as you can with each step, exaggeratedly. This exercise strengthens your iliopsoas muscles (hip flexors), which are the main drivers you use to lift your knees, your quadriceps (main thigh muscles), your gluteus maximus (posterior), and your rectus abdominis (front abs). High knees are also great for stabilization, as they require balance on the planted leg, resisting rotation, and proper hip alignment. This is also a bodyweight exercise, but you can make it more challenging by adding 1-5-pound ankle weights, which would affect your entire walk.
For a beginner, a good starting point for this exercise is again 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating so each side gets 5 reps per set, for a total of 30 reps, with 30-second rests between sets. As you become stronger, you can increase the number of reps in each set from 10 to 20, or even 30.
How to:
- Raise your knee as high as possible during each rep.
- You can hold your hand out to gauge how your knee is coming and challenge yourself to get your thigh high enough, so it hits your palm.
- Alternate sides until your set is complete.
- Walk naturally during your rest periods
- Repeat.
Walking Workouts add a New Dimension to Your Exercise
Walking is already a wonderful form of exercise for the mind, body, and spirit. Adding additional exercises to your walks can add a new dimension that is both challenging and fun. These exercises can also help you reach weight goals more quickly if you have them. Adding dumbbells, wrist, or ankle weights is not necessary, but can make your walk and these exercises even more difficult.
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