We all walk to some extent every day, even around the house where we do housework. But if you want to use walking as a form of exercise, not just a means of transportation, there are various ways to approach it to enjoy more benefits.
As a health and fitness coach, you are often asked about the difference between power walking and regular walking in terms of muscle conditioning and heart health benefits.
Studies have shown that increasing the number of steps per minute, as in power walking, helps with insulin levels and the classification of obesity index. Power walking is a good way to burn calories, but it doesn’t mean that your routine doesn’t have room for regular, moderately paced walks. Here’s what you need to know to determine when to increase strength and when to decrease speed.
What is power walking?
So what exactly is a power walk? Power walking involves moving at high speeds and involving the arms. To get the most out of this workout, move your foot from heel to toe at each step and move as fast as possible. To maintain momentum, keep your arms bent at a 90 degree angle and pump your arms. Remember to engage your core throughout to build your body strength and improve balance. Power walking works on the whole body, burns more calories and raises the heart rate.
What are the benefits of toning power walking and normal walking?
Both power walking and normal walking work on the quadriceps, hamstrings, calf muscles, and hip abductor muscles, while power walking also tones the gluteal muscles, shoulders, and upper back. Regular walking is still a lower body workout, but above all it tends to help burn calories.
Power walking, on the other hand, helps to burn calories while toning muscles more than regular walking. More intense arm movements during power walking move the whole body, challenging balance and stability, while moving the shoulders and upper back. This acts as the core.
What are the cardiovascular benefits of power walking and regular walking?
You can set a comfortable pace by walking regularly. Therefore, if you are new to workouts, starting with regular walks can help you move and improve your endurance without pressing hard. If you’re worried that you’re not working hard enough, don’t. Walking at any pace helps you burn calories and improve your cardiovascular health — and you can always gradually increase your pace.
Power walking demands more from our cardiovascular system. Power walking has more steps per minute, so your heart rate is higher than normal walking. This makes power walking a more intense aerobic exercise that burns more calories than regular walking.
What’s good for me: power walking or regular walking?
There are certain situations where you will benefit from a power walk over normal walking, or vice versa. If you have a short time to squeeze your workout, choose PowerWalk. With this walking style, you can burn more calories and tone your muscles in less time.
However, if you spend a lot of time exercising, taking regular walks can help you burn calories and relieve stress. Whenever you are stressed or anxious, it is advisable to walk at a moderate pace. Walking at a moderate pace is still moving. In addition, you will be able to clear your mind and focus on yourself.
Try the power walking interval
If you want to take a walk in the neighborhood casually, but want to take a higher-grade walk, try alternating between regular walking and power walking. This means walking on a regular basis, but add a power walk for a block or minute. Pump your arms and take quicker steps. You will walk faster and cover more ground. After a minute or block, slow down and return to normal walking. You can add as many power walking intervals as you like. Ultimately, this technique helps build a faster walking pace over time.
