Trainers Say Walking Like This Is Hotter And More Energizing Than Running
I’ve started running lately after being a long-distance runner for years (womp), so I’m looking to train less these days. My daily exercise is to walk three miles, briskly, on the treadmill—usually with hand weights. Let me tell you: I’m drenched in sweat by the end, even if I joke that it’s a total granny workout.
For many years, cardio enthusiasts have fed the idea that running or running is always hotter than walking. But not so fast: Walking exercises have received a lot of attention * recently, due to their approachability and mutual friendliness. And, with this little tweak, walking can be a more effective exercise than running: increasing lean.
Tonyael Miller, CPT, is also a big proponent of treadmill walking because of the way it forces your heart to beat faster and recruits more muscles than running on a flat track for the same amount of time.
“Walking is good cardiovascular exercise,” says Neel Anand, MD, a spine surgeon and director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles.
In advance, learn all the possible benefits of walking and jogging. Be with me, will you?
Meet the experts: Tonyael Miller, CPT, is a certified trainer based in Chicago and a member of Women’s Health/Men’s Health Strength in Diversity class of 2024. Neel Anand, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgeon and director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles. Bert Mandelbaum, MD, is a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Center and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
You can burn more calories when you are uphill and running on a flat road.
How many calories can you burn walking versus jogging? This question does not have a hard answer, as it ultimately depends on your genetics, size, build and exercise time. But let’s imagine that we are comparing two people with the same height and physical strength, one of them walking 30 minutes uphill, and the other running on a flat road for the same amount of time.
A 150-pound person jogging for 30 minutes will burn about 238 calories, according to the American Council on Exercise fitness calculator. When I did this test myself, I burned 400 calories at 11 percent in 30 minutes.
If you were to try an advanced workout of walking at 12 percent, three miles per hour, for 30 minutes (The viral TikTok 12-3-30 Workout), you could but anywhere from 300 to 800 calories (depending on the factors mentioned above), such as WH previously reported.
Remember, going downhill and walking fast will make a difference in how your calorie burn compares. Miller maintains that, as long as you make sure your walking is still challenging for you, regular walking “requires more energy than regular running and can raise your heart rate.” more.”
You can build muscle strength and more definition.
Hey, exercise beats calories, right? Let’s talk about muscle gains. “You can work more muscles when you walk,” says Miller. “You’ll work your glutes, hamstrings, and calves” as you walk more aggressively. [compared to] running flat, he says.
In one early study that compared metabolic rate and muscle activity of walking at 0 percent, 5 percent, and 10 percent in a small group of people, most of the muscle activity was occurred when participants walked in a larger direction.
Walking is also easier.
Going horizontal captures this space, Miller says. “Walking on a incline is often a low-impact exercise compared to running or jogging,” he says, “which is why it’s his favorite form of exercise.” Low-impact exercise tends to reduce the risk of injury and is good for people who are pre-exercise. existing joint problems, such as knee problems and pain.
In other words: When researchers had a small group of volunteers walk on a treadmill in different directions, they found that walking less often reduced stress on the joint when they they’re strengthening leg muscles at the same time, according to the study Walking and standing. In one study, walking at an incline reduced knee pain and increased strength in adults who walked at an incline of at least 10 percent.
Walking can also be beneficial for people with a history of back problems, because there is less impact and force on your back, Dr. Anand adds.
Here’s how to get the most out of walking exercise.
Miller suggests starting with 8 to 10 turns and going at a pace that’s “strong, but not so strong that you’re locked up and holding onto the rail.” (Holding onto the train means you’re not working as hard or as efficiently as you should, as it puts your weight in your upper body instead of your core and lower body.) below, also not in good shape, Miller says.) Aim to write for 30 minutes, if you can, but Miller also says it’s best to start small and build up.
“Walk straight, with your back up,” says Miller. He suggests starting at 2.5 miles per hour and increasing your speed from there as you get stronger.
If you want to kick things up a notch, Miller suggests increasing your incline and/or speed. You can check yourself every 5 to 10 minutes to see if it’s time to step things up. You can add arm weights to do heavy walking sessions once you get this exercise down, he says.
Be sure to stretch after you walk, says Bert Mandelbaum, MD, a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Center and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at the Medical Center. of Cedars-Sinai Los Angeles. “Stretching helps lengthen the muscles and can help prevent pain down the road,” she says.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general health, sexual and relationship health, and lifestyle, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. He has a master’s degree from American University, lives on the beach, and hopes to own a tea truck and a taco truck one day.
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