Power walking: just three walks a week will burn calories and build muscle

Men's Fitness, March, 2003 by Bob Cooper

Power walkers. You see them on treadmills and sidewalks everywhere, pumping their arms like Tiger Woods after sinking a 30-footer at Augusta. And maybe you roll your eyes just a bit. Power walking may be fine for granddads and soccer moms, but what's that got to do with a guy like you, right?

Time to smooth out that smirk. Time to bury those biases. A growing number of men are discovering the fat-loss merits of power walking, that is, walking briskly with a high arm swing (not to be confused with the hip-swiveling Olympic sport of race walking). In fact, the number of male fitness walkers in the U.S. who walk at least 100 times a year has risen from 4.6 million to 6 million since 1996.

"Even the hardbodies at the gym now admit that walking has a place in a well-rounded fitness regimen," says Mark Fenton, author of The Complete Guide to Walking and host of PBS' America's Walking. "They know it's low-impact and can provide a vigorous aerobic workout." Plus, it crunches calories and puts the hurt on body fat.

"Power walking significantly speeds up your metabolism and boosts calorie burning," says Steven LoDEr, C.S.C.S., a longtime personal trainer and owner of EnduraFit in Bloomfield, N.J.

But fat loss is just one of the benefits you'll see when you put on your walkin' shoes--you'll improve your endurance, increase your energy and boost your heart health, among other dividends (see "Walking Benefits," previous page). Perhaps those soccer moms are on to something.

BASIC POWER

If you fell out of the cardio habit over the winter, basic power walking is a low-intensity way to get back in the swing. Obtain clearance from your doctor if you've been inactive for six months or more; otherwise you can step right into this eight-week program.

Start with a 20-minute walk, three days a week, always allowing 48 to 72 hours between walks. Use the gym treadmill or stroll right out your front door. Set the treadmill on a 1-percent incline to neutralize its "pulling" effect. On outdoor walks, follow a level, out-and-back route so you can avoid the hassle of plotting a new loop every time you want to add distance.

Add three to five minutes a week to each walk and gradually pick up the pace. At Week 8, you'll be up to 45-minute treks. Adding time will build endurance; adding speed will boost intensity. To add speed, increase your pace gradually on the treadmill; on outdoor walks, regularly clock your time at an intermediate point to track improvement.

The Payoff. The calorie burn for each walk will increase from about 150 to 175 for 20 minutes to 350 to 450 for 45 minutes. In eight weeks, especially if you weight-train and watch your caloric intake, you can lose five to 10 pounds. After that, you should be set to move up to the higher intensity of our "Triple-Power Program," but if you're not sure whether you're ready for it, have a professional assess your fitness,

TRIPLE POWER

If you kept your cardio going through the winter, here's how to raise the bar. "Triple Power" means doing three kinds of power walks, indoors or out, each week: a walk with weights, a walk with hills and a steady walk. Do each one for 20 minutes on nonconsecutive days the first week. As you get fitter, you can gradually add to the time walked, amount of weight held, number of hill reps, or degree of hill steepness--but don't increase them too much all at once.

Day 1: Weight-Added Walk Here are three ways to add weight. (Don't walk with weights, however, if you're prone to back, shoulder, wrist or knee injuries.)

The Payoff: Carrying or wearing extra weight enables you to burn more calories (about 175 to 200 in 20 minutes) and tone more muscle.

* Hand weights: Holding light dumbbells while power walking will improve the strength and endurance of your shoulder muscles, but don't use weights that exceed two pounds.

"Any more than that inflicts too much stress on your shoulders and can throw off your stride," says Loder. "Consider that in a 20-minute walk you'll lift a two-pound weight 2,000 times, so that's 2,000 reps and 4,000 pounds of work." Hold the weights with a firm grip, but not too tightly, which can cause the shoulders to tighten and blood pressure to rise to potentially dangerous levels.

* Weighted gloves: At $10 and up a pair, these offer several advantages: 1) You don't have to grip them, allowing your shoulders and arms to relax; 2) they're safer because you can't drop them; and 3) some models have slots for adding weight.

* Weight vests: This is the priciest option ($30 to $150), but in Loder's opinion, the best. "First, they give you the most calorie burn because you have to move more mass," he says. "Second, the added weight strengthens both lower-body and upper-body muscles. Third, by adding weight to your core, vests don't expose you to joint injury as much as hand weights do." Weight is progressively added in pockets; start at 10 pounds and add a pound a week to a maximum of 20.

Day 2: Hill-Interval Walk In the middle of this walk, incorporate three hills of one or two minutes each, separated by one or two minutes of flat walking. On a treadmill, use a 3-percent incline the first time and raise it up 1 percent each week to a maximum of 6 percent at four weeks. You can't be as precise on outdoor walks, but start with short, mild hills and switch to steeper ascents after a few weeks. In both cases, maintain the same speed from the beginning to end of each walk. If you can't get to any hills, substitute stair climbs at the nearest tall building or football stadium. The steeper angle allows you to climb for 20 to 30 seconds and work just as hard, or harder, as you would flat walking for a minute.