This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Explore three expert walking workouts for weight loss that use incline and intervals to increase intensity to tone and sculpt your body.
If your daily walk has started to feel a little too routine, it’s time to shake things up and take your walking workout to the next level.
These three workouts are short but intense. They are designed for a treadmill but you could take them outside and find terrain to simulate the incline.
Upping the intensity of your walk can do wonders for boosting your calorie burn and helping you on your weight loss journey. And for even more of a calorie burn, check out my 7 proven strategies to burn more fat while walking, or a weighted vest to your workout.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive into three walking workouts that are sure to elevate your heart rate and maximize your results!
Save This Article To Read Later
Enter your email below and we’ll email you the post right to your inbox to read later! 📥
1. Intensity Interval Walk
If you are looking to get in shape quickly, hill walking is one of best ways to make it happen. Using the incline on your treadmill or finding actual hills outside adds the element of a steeper gravitational pull, forcing you to work harder and increase your intensity. Simply put, this helps you burns more calories!
For this workout your speed will remain the same but you’ll change the incline for an interval effect. If you want to take this walk outdoors, look for a nearby hill or staircase that you can use to go up and down instead.
Anytime you see the incline increase on the chart, use your hill or stairs to go up and down during that time.
Trainer Tip:
Remember, speed is relative to your fitness level. Slow it down a bit if you are a beginner or speed it up just a touch if you don’t find it challenging enough.
Your “RPE” is your Rate of Perceived Exertion, used to measure the intensity of your workout on a scale from 0 to 10; 0 being nothing at all and 10 being very intense.
2. Walk and Sculpt
Walking will help you build your cardiovascular endurance and burn calories for weight loss. But incorporating a bit of resistance training during your walk is another way to increase your metabolism and look more toned by building the muscle in your body.
You don’t need equipment to make this happen. In fact, body weight has been shown to be one of the most effective strength training tools available!
This workout can be done anywhere, either inside or outdoors.
Training Tips:
When doing this workout, you will alternate short bursts of brisk walking with bodyweight sculpting exercises. You can walk at your own brisk pace (4.0 mph suggested) on a treadmill and step off for the strength move.
If you decide to take it outside, walk at an intense pace, pumping your arms and breathing through your mouth, stopping in a safe place to perform the strength move.
3. Power Pyramid Walk
This workout will challenge you with intervals that increase your intensity and encourage your body to take in more oxygen and burn more calories.
The pyramid-style format will continue to increase the pace each time you get to the next interval. Not only does this give you better results instantly, but it raises your metabolism to work for a longer time after your walking is done.
Use the chart below for a great treadmill walking workout that increases your speed for short but challenging intervals.
Training Tip:
Make sure to modify the speed to fit your level of fitness. Feel free to go a bit slower or a bit faster to suit your needs.
If you prefer to walk outdoors, you won’t have a speed measurement, so pay closer attention to the “RPE,” or “Rate of Perceived Exertion”.
More Low-Impact Workouts To Try
Power Walking For Beginners
With countless studies proving the effectiveness of power walking in benefitting your health, learning how to power walk will keep you moving well into your future as you age. Power walking is one of the most maintainable workouts a person can add to their life.
A Low-Impact, High-Results Workout To Do At Home
Nothing is more frustrating than trying to do something with your body when your body doesn’t cooperate. Perhaps you used to run marathons and now it hurts to finish a 5k. Or maybe plyometrics and jumping used to be a staple in your workout life and now you wouldn’t dream of it. The fact is
6 BEST Bodyweight Exercises for your Low Impact HIIT Workout
Try these 6 best bodyweight exercises for your next low-impact HIIT workout. You can stay low-impact while doing a HIIT workout! These bodyweight exercises will build strength, staying low impact.
Walking For Weight Loss | Your 14-Day Plan
Guess what, my friends, walking works. Studies prove that people who walk regularly stay more youthful, stronger, and happier in old age. To get started, try my free 14-day challenge and get walking for a weight loss plan. Whether you like to walk on a machine, around your workplace, or in your neighborhood,
Low-Impact Workouts and Why They Work!
This low-impact workout stays low impact on the joint but creates a high heart rate response. Not only will this feel good on the body, but it will have you sweating in no time, using your body weight.
Like the different articles. Not all apply of course, but lot of them are very informative. Also does the drinking vinegar & lemon juice work for loosing weight??
Hi Jan – happy to hear. We have a blog post all about apple cider vinegar if you want to check it out: https://gethealthyu.com/benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar/.
Hi i’m 77 and in decent shape i have walked from age 16 and danced socially forever! my knee was injured and i did see a dr, i cannot walk like I did. what do you suggest to get cardio? could I do chair exercises (that would help my heart but what about my muscles and body weight loss – help as i’m frustrated. thank you. Love your info
Sorry about your knee. If your doctor has told you to walk, I would continue to walk as much as possible without pain. Walking will strengthen the muscles around the knee – we hae lots of indoor walking workouts at Get Healthy U TV> Also we have chair workouts and knee friendly workouts. The videos are all bewteen 20-40 minutes long. Not sure if you are a member or not?
Hello everyone. First…I want to say a BIG thank you for Chris who helped me a lot with her advice and support me to lose my weight. Second…Did someone try to walk extremely slow for a long distance? I did…and trust me it was an interesting experience…you must to have patience to do this…because you must to keep your body straight and to push back your belly all the time.