Power Walking

As far as workouts go, you can’t get any simpler than walking. All you need are your own two feet. Power Walking can be done just about anywhere. It's easy. It's fun. It’s doctor-recommended, and hundreds of studies have shown its effectiveness. Power Walking, when done correctly, can even get rid of fat just as effectively as jogging. Plus, Power Walking is easier on your body because you use less force when you walk than when you jog. Power Walking also helps decrease the risk of injury.

Power Walking is different from your average, everyday stroll around the mall. It requires you to develop an athlete’s pace. Power Walking is not difficult to learn, but in order to do it right and be able to burn the most calories, it does require some practice.

Let’s Get Walking:

What will I need before I start?

The Right Shoes – Before you begin Power Walking, you will want to invest in some really good shoes. You will want walking shoes that are not too heavy, are roomy, and have some give. When you bend the shoe, it should give easily at the ball of the foot, and when it is on your foot, make sure there is a thumb’s width of space from the front of the shoe to your big toe. Shoes that are too tight or firm will make it hard for you to walk comfortably for very long.

Comfortable clothes are also a good idea. Cotton shirts and socks will help absorb any excess perspiration.

Keeping Up the Pace!

Developing a good pace is the key to burning the most calories. Walking approximately 4.5 miles per hour (mph) will help you burn the optimal number of calories. Fitness scientists have found that walking at this pace will help you burn the same amount of calories as a person who is jogging at the same pace. This is due to the fact that you are expending the same amount of energy to stay in motion. Walking 4.5 mph is difficult, and if you are not used to walking then it will take you a while to be able to reach that pace. Don’t let that discourage you; you can get there with practice!

How can I measure how fast I am going?

Go to a local running track or perhaps a park with a marked path measuring a mile or part of a mile. Walk for a mile while timing yourself, and use the chart below to calculate your pace:

• 20 minutes – 3 mph
  
• 15 minutes – 4 mph
  
• 13 minutes – 1 ½ mph
  
• 12 minutes – 5 mph
  

Of course the faster you walk, the more calories you will burn, but do not give up if all you can do is a 20-minute mile. If you keep Power Walking, your pace will increase in a few weeks.

How Often Should I Walk?

Of course this is up to you, but a good goal would be 4 to 6 Power Walks per week. If you are just starting out, plan to walk for 20-30 minutes at a time. After you’ve gotten comfortable with this then move up to 45-60 minute Power Walks. A good rule to follow is to step up your work out by 10% each week, including your warm-up and cool down.

Tips and Techniques

Walking is walking, right? Wrong, if you want to lose weight easily, you’ll need to change your daily step, into a powerful, muscle-building gait. Here’s how!

Walking the Walk – When most people try to quicken their gate, they will take longer steps. However, when Power Walking, this is actually counterproductive because it is less efficient and it makes you tired more easily than quick steps that start with your heel, move to the ball of your foot, and then end at the toe. To do this correctly, you will want to think about finishing on your heels, continuing through your instep and then pushing off with your toes. You’ll be amazed at how swift these small steps can be.

Hold your head high – Keeping track of where your feet are going and making sure that you are walking on safe, level ground is very important, but you do not want to constantly stare at your feet. Keep your head held high, lift your chin, and direct your focus about 10 feet in front of you. This will give you enough side-line vision to see the ground while still keeping your head and neck in the right position.

Swing your fists – Swinging your arms will help you to burn more calories, walk faster, work the muscles in your upper body, and prevent your fingers from swelling like they can after walking a while with your hands hanging down. What you’ll want to do instead, is learn to swing your arms properly. To do this start by bending your elbows to form a 90 degree angle, form loose fists with your hands. Then swing your arms forming an semicircle that goes down to your waist, up to your chest and back again, remembering to keep your arms close to your body.

Keep your abs tight – to get a more powerful gait, you’ll want to keep your abs sucked in as you walk. This will help to keep your spine straight and give you good posture as you walk, and it will also help tighten your tummy!

Tighten your butt – The muscles in your rear are very important in developing a powerful stride. To make your butt really work for you, keep them tight as you walk. This will also help firm up your fanny, too!

Act like you're late – To help you really pick up the pace, just go back to those days when you were late for a class in High School. Remember, the rules are no running in the halls, so you have to walk as fast as you can but stop just before a jog. If this doesn’t do it for you, then pretend like you can win $1,000,000 if you can just finish your Power Walk by your goal time.

Mix it up a little with intervals – Intervals are for those of us who cannot keep up a quick pace for very long. It means adding quick spurts of hustle to your Power Walk. You can even do this on just a few days a week (skip a day in-between your Interval Power Walks) and walk at your normal pace on the other days. Here are some sample Interval Power Walks. Each sample session is designed to last 30 minutes.

Exertion is measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being standing still and 10 being on the verge of exhaustion.

Classic Pyramid: This is a very straightforward interval session that gradually builds in difficulty and then comes back down.


Peaks and Valleys: This workout mixes big blasts of speed with slower segments that let you catch your breath.


Crazy 8: This workout is exciting because it is a mixture of medium to high intensity intervals.