The term “power walking” might make you think of days past, but I’ll say it: It’s so back. Walking in general is beyond popular right now because this low-impact exercise has a bunch of benefits—both mental and physical. And while walking is great for you in general, some walking speeds and styles are more beneficial for your health than others. One way to power up your next walk? You guessed it: Turn your walk into a power walk. Here’s how.
Meet the experts: Alexander Rothstein, CSCS, ACSM-EP, is an exercise physiologist and instructor for the Exercise Science program at New York Institute of Technology. Laura A. Richardson, PhD, a professor of Applied Exercise Science and Movement Science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology.
What constitutes a power walk?
A power walk is more than a leisurely stroll, experts say. “You’re putting in effort beyond what would normally be a comfortable walking pace,” says Alexander Rothstein, CSCS, an exercise physiologist.
In fact, while the actual miles per hour will be different for everyone, a power walk should be done at your maximum walking pace. Basically, in addition to a few other form techniques (more on that in a sec), the key to power walking is simply walking as fast as you can.
How do you know if you’re in a power-walking zone? If you think about your effort on a scale from one to 10 (also known as the rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, scale), you should be at a seven, says Laura A. Richardson, PhD, a professor of applied exercise science at the University of Michigan. While the workout should be challenging, you *won’t* be at an eight or higher on the RPE scale just because that’s not sustainable for long-term exercise—and you want to sustain your power walk for at least 30 minutes to get all the cardiovascular benefits. Physically, you’ll feel your heart rate increase and start to breathe heavier—and you might notice your calves feel more engaged.
Proper Power Walking Form, Explained
Beyond walking at a brisk pace, a key part of power walking is bending and swinging your arms to propel yourself forward and keeping your core engaged. “It should really be a full-body exercise,” Richardson says. (If you feel like your movement is a little dramatic or exaggerated, you’re probably doing a power walk right.)
Since you’ll be walking pretty fast, it’s important to keep an eye on your posture. You shouldn’t be leaning forward, says Rothstein. Instead, keep your head over your chest and shoulders, careful not to round at your spine or hinge at your hips. In terms of your stride, you’re going to want to take more, rather than longer steps.
Where you walk also matters, both experts agree. Incorporating hills and inclined terrain is ideal and will make sure you’re really able to keep your power walk challenging, they say. And, if you’re not quite able to go as fast as you want to yet, try incorporating intervals to your walk to build up to a sustained faster pace.
Power walking form tips:
- Bend and swing arms for momentum
- Engage core
- Maintain a tall posture
- Take smaller steps versus long strides
A 20-Minute Power Walking Workout To Try
Any aerobic exercise, power walking included, should start with a warm-up to slowly transition your heart into exercise mode, says Richardson. With power walking, that just means walking at a slower pace at first. When venturing on your own power walk, anywhere from three to five minutes at a slower pace will suffice.
If you’re someone who is already active, try sustaining your power walk for 30 to 40 minutes to make sure you’re getting full cardiorespiratory benefits, and if you’re a beginner, good news: You’ll see benefits with as few as 10 minutes, says Richardson.
Each week you can increase your walks by 10 minutes, with the goal of hitting the CDC-recommended 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week.
Sample Power Walk Routine For Beginners
Warm-up (five minutes): Before you start power walking, it’s important to do a warm-up, says Richardson. All that entails is walking at your natural, slower pace before kicking it up a gear.
Power walk (10 minutes): Now that your body is moving and blood is flowing, increase your pace to your maximum walking pace, making sure you engage arms and core and ideally varying your incline.
Cooldown (five minutes): Return to your natural walking pace.
Why Power Walking Is So Good For You
Power walking gives you all of the benefits of walking like boosting your mood, conditioning your heart, and strengthening your muscles, but turned up a notch. This is because power walking increases the intensity of a walk and therefore demands more of your heart and body, says Rothstein.
A more intense walk taxes your cardiorespiratory system more, turns over more oxygen, and burns more calories. It also should help improve blood pressure and blood glucose levels, says Richardson. All in all, a power walk is a more efficient way to get the benefits of walking.
Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health where she covers health and fitness. She previously wrote for The Cut, POPSUGAR, and Salon and has written about everything from New York Fashion Week to dating app trends to the United States Women’s National Soccer team (a.k.a. her heroes). When she isn’t writing, Olivia is likely catching up on Bravo shows or running late to barre class.
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