This 30-minute indoor walking workout guarantees you'll feel the burn
Picture this: It’s frigid outside, and your motivation to lace up your trainers is as low as the thermostat on this winter morning. Well, this indoor walking workout is about to warm up your body (and attitude).
The treadmill session is low-impact, beginner-friendly, and perfect for all fitness levels. It’s especially great for women over 50 looking for a gentle way to stay active without putting unnecessary stress on their joints. And if you’re a runner looking to mimic the motion of running without the impact, walking workouts fit the bill. 'It's a great form of training for somebody who's maybe a runner and wants to move the body in a similar way, but without the impact,' says Corky Corkum, CPT, a Precision Run coach at Equinox and owner of Coach Corky Runs.
Walking on a treadmill is also an ideal primary aerobic workout for any exerciser who can safely use the cardio machine, says Corkum. 'I think most people walk up to a treadmill and are like, "I don't know what to do with this thing. How do I make a tread workout effective or not boring?",' she says. But by walking on an incline—almost like hiking—you can turn a simple stroll into an incredibly efficient and impactful workout.
Not only can indoor walking workouts boost your heart rate, torch calories, and build endurance, but they’re also accessible year-round, rain or shine. 'It can be an incredibly impactful workout as long as we're leaning into the intensity—it’s all about the elevation.' Ready to take the first step (literally)? Let’s get moving.
Meet the expert: Corky Corkum, CPT, is a Precision Run coach at Equinox and owner of Coach Corky Runs.
Try this 30-minute indoor walking workout to maximise your burn
This walking sequence is designed to get your heart pumping while keeping things low-impact and scalable. Adjust the speed and incline based on your fitness level, and feel free to tweak the workout to suit your needs (stay tuned for Corkum’s tips on how to do that right after the workout).
Warm-up (5 minutes)
Walk at a slow, comfortable pace on a flat surface or a 3 to 5 percent incline. Focus on steady breathing and getting into the rhythm of your movement.
During the warm-up, perform 1 minute of shoulder rolls to loosen up your upper body. 'If you're going up to a 12 or 15 percent incline, you want to prep your body for that range of motion,' says Corkum. 'To warm up the upper body, things like shoulder stretches, reaching up towards the ceiling, and opening up the ribs are great to help you maintain good posture.'
Do 1 minute of exaggerated high-knee marches with flexed ankles to activate your ankles, knees, and hips. 'During the warm-up, I love doing things like high knee marches, really over exaggerating the movements and pulling those knees and toes up to the ceiling to warm up the ankles,' she says.
Incline intervals (21 minutes)
2 minutes: Walk at a moderate pace on a double-digit incline (10 percent or higher).
1 minute: Decrease the incline to 3 to 5 percent and maintain a steady pace.
Repeat this interval 6 more times.
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Cooldown (5 minutes)
Indoor walking can be a really intense workout, so it’s important to bring everything back down progressively, just like you do with most intense workouts. 'It's very possible that if you're pushing yourself really hard on a big incline, your heart rate's going to be really high, breathing is going to be laboured, and muscles are going to be burning,' says Corkum.
1 minute: Slow down your pace slightly while walking on a 3 to 5 percent incline.
2 minutes: Gradually lower the incline to flat, walking at a leisurely pace.
2 minutes: Continue to slow down, walking on a flat incline.
'If somebody's really new to this, be mindful that the amount of soreness they might feel after this workout might be surprising, because it's very different than just walking on a flat surface or outside,' says Corkum. 'Even if you walk a lot, this workout is going to be working different muscle groups and your aerobic system in a more intense way than walking outdoors.'
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