| Wellness
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💡 TLDR
Here’s the deal: You’ve been slaying those hot girl walks, but have you tried power walking? It’s time to switch things up and get your grandma’s walking crew vibes on! Power walking is the real deal …
Here’s the deal: You’ve been slaying those hot girl walks, but have you tried power walking? It’s time to switch things up and get your grandma’s walking crew vibes on! Power walking is the real deal when it comes to cardio workouts, offering some amazing health benefits that deserve a place in your routine.
Jojo Kelly, ACE-Certified Personal Trainer and Tone House Head Coach, knows her stuff. According to Jojo, power walking means strutting at a challenging pace for you, with shorter, quicker strides than regular walking, and more body engagement due to the faster speed and arm swings. You’re doing it right if you can talk but not sing—that’s the moderate-intensity workout zone, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Power walking conditions the heart, improving endurance and cardiovascular function. A meta-analysis in the Iranian Journal of Public Health found that brisk walking (walking at a minimum of three miles per hour or 20 minutes per mile) can help lower blood pressure for those with hypertension. Plus, it’s great for your mood!
Anyone can benefit from this low-impact workout, especially beginners, older adults, and those looking to take their workouts up a notch without high-impact activities. It’s even beneficial for cyclists and runners as it allows them to build mileage without adding extra stress to the body.
💫 Burn fat, build muscle, and get in shape with our exclusive 4-week walking plan.
Ready to power walk? Jojo has designed some killer walking workouts perfect for fitness beginners and pros alike. Burn fat, build muscle, and get in shape with our exclusive 4-week walking plan!
This interval workout is distance-based, making it a slightly amped-up version of the interval-based power walk. Complete on a track or treadmill where you can easily measure your distances. When to progress these workouts? Base your efforts on how you’re recovering. If you’re feeling achy and tired, hold off on increasing your pace. But once you feel you’re recovering quickly from each workout and your body feels ready for more, increase your pace by about 10 percent each week.
The difference between power walking and regular walking lies in hitting that moderate-intensity cardio level. To monitor your effort, use rate of perceived exertion (RPE), a scale from 1 to 10 that helps determine how hard you’re working. Power walking workouts typically fall within the 4 to 6 RPE range, which should feel hard but not extremely difficult—you should still be able to hold a conversation.
There are five zones used in traditional heart rate training methods to help reach different cardio goals. First, calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Power walking typically falls in zone 2 (60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate) and sometimes zone 3 (70 to 80 percent). Check your tracker intermittently during the walk to make sure you’re falling within those zones.
💫 The CDC recommends everyone get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, and you can hit that goal through brisk walking.
For runners or triathletes, power walking on a hill or using an incline on the treadmill may help reach that moderate effort level. The CDC recommends everyone get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, and you can hit that goal through brisk walking! Give one of these workouts a try, and you’ll see why power walking is a worthy addition to your fitness routine.
So, what do you think? Ready to slay those power walks like the boss babe you are? Let us know in the comments if you’re giving it a go!
❓ People Also Ask
What power walking workouts does the trainer recommend for a workout routine?
The trainer suggests incorporating interval training, hills, and incline walks into a power walking workout routine.
How can I increase intensity in my power walking workouts?
To increase intensity in power walking workouts, you can add intervals of fast-paced walking or jogging, use hilly terrain, or walk on an incline treadmill.
💬 What do you think? Let us know in the comments! 👇