How to Walk for Cardio

Training
1

I have been loving the articles on TNation about the benefits of walking and I want to start a thread on how to get the best benefits from walking. When I started walking with a purpose I’ve found a few things I really wasn’t expecting:

I can be glute-ham dominant when I walk! I’m a runner and naturally pretty quad dominant.

I can get a real sweat going if I walk like I mean it.

I can stretch while walking.

I can walk when it’s stupid cold outside, or hot for that matter.

It actually does amp my metabolism for a extended period.

It’s almost deliberately inefficient, and that’s a great thing.

I know power walking seems lame to most guys but I’ve found it’s amazing as a low-impact method of getting my blood pumping without taxing my muscles. And anyone can do it. I’m going to round up the TNation articles on walking and link them all in this thread if I can.

I’m curious of other’s experiences, tips and tricks. My favorite walk is a quick jaunt over a hill and back with the dog, maybe with a pack on.

2

This^ is pretty funny.

I like walking where I’ll go left-left, then right-right, then do a complete 360, head back in the other direction, and go right-right, left-left.

3

I like walking on my hands

4
5
6

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:

Ah you beat me by a few seconds :frowning:

I do love walking though

7

Pg…i walk everywhere.

I did get criticised last week by coach CT about the amount of walking i do compared to the amount of explosive/high intensity stuff but walking is a way of life for me.

I don’t really think of it as training unless i am either :
1.Doing long distance at speed eg a 20 mile + fast speed walk.
2.walking with high load or over rough terrain.

A lot of my outdoors work does require the ability to do either one or both so i do regard it as essential functional training.

8

[quote]big nurse wrote:
Pg…i walk everywhere.

I did get criticised last week by coach CT about the amount of walking i do compared to the amount of explosive/high intensity stuff but walking is a way of life for me.

I don’t really think of it as training unless i am either :
1.Doing long distance at speed eg a 20 mile + fast speed walk.
2.walking with high load or over rough terrain.

A lot of my outdoors work does require the ability to do either one or both so i do regard it as essential functional training.[/quote]

What do you do for work? Forestry? also do you do lots of hiking? “walking with high loads or over rough terrain”

In my opinion, in the game of life, surely walking is more important than explosive/ high intensity stuff in the grand scheme of things, although I love high intensity stuff aswell.

9

Running is mostly hamstrings. You use your quads mostly if you run downhill. Ask anyone that has done the Boston Marathon.

I can get a sweat going standing in the sun… your point?

You cannot stretch your legs while walking.

You dress for the weather. That’s common sense.

It’s exercise, of course is amps your metabolism.

I’m stopping there, this was stupid.

Put foot in front of the other, alternate, keep going.

10

[quote]pgtips wrote:

[quote]big nurse wrote:
Pg…i walk everywhere.

I did get criticised last week by coach CT about the amount of walking i do compared to the amount of explosive/high intensity stuff but walking is a way of life for me.

I don’t really think of it as training unless i am either :
1.Doing long distance at speed eg a 20 mile + fast speed walk.
2.walking with high load or over rough terrain.

A lot of my outdoors work does require the ability to do either one or both so i do regard it as essential functional training.[/quote]

What do you do for work? Forestry? also do you do lots of hiking? “walking with high loads or over rough terrain”

In my opinion, in the game of life, surely walking is more important than explosive/ high intensity stuff in the grand scheme of things, although I love high intensity stuff aswell.
[/quote]

I used to be a bushcraft instructor .

I have done a lot of mountain hiking here, in california and in new zealand.

I try to keep in regular training for all of my outdoor stuff and both doing distance and high loads all count.

11

I’ll bite…

I prefer treadmill walking for the most part because it forces me to keep up the pace. I try to really walk with a purpose when I do it. Monday through Friday I alternate 4.0 incline @ 4.3 MPH and 8.0 incline @ 4.0 MPH. Usually do 30-35 minutes which is somewhere between 2 and 2.5 miles. Always a really good sweat (for whatever that’s worth) I’ll do longer and bit slower walks on the weekend and get outside for those walks when it’s nice out.

I do zero other cardio and have really leaned out nicely doing this. I rarely if ever take off days from weight training and I feel like this cardio doesn’t eat into my recovery ability.

12

[quote]linguistbreaker wrote:
I have been loving the articles on TNation about the benefits of walking and I want to start a thread on how to get the best benefits from walking. When I started walking with a purpose I’ve found a few things I really wasn’t expecting:

I can be glute-ham dominant when I walk! I’m a runner and naturally pretty quad dominant.

I can get a real sweat going if I walk like I mean it.

I can stretch while walking.

I can walk when it’s stupid cold outside, or hot for that matter.

It actually does amp my metabolism for a extended period.

It’s almost deliberately inefficient, and that’s a great thing.

I know power walking seems lame to most guys but I’ve found it’s amazing as a low-impact method of getting my blood pumping without taxing my muscles. And anyone can do it. I’m going to round up the TNation articles on walking and link them all in this thread if I can.

I’m curious of other’s experiences, tips and tricks. My favorite walk is a quick jaunt over a hill and back with the dog, maybe with a pack on.[/quote]

Make sure not to walk too often.Twice a week is plenty enough.Otherwise you may burn your CNS!
And also take ZMA to better your sleep.
Everyone wants to walk,but no one wants to work on the recovery part of the equation!

13

[quote]big nurse wrote:

[quote]pgtips wrote:

[quote]big nurse wrote:
Pg…i walk everywhere.

I did get criticised last week by coach CT about the amount of walking i do compared to the amount of explosive/high intensity stuff but walking is a way of life for me.

I don’t really think of it as training unless i am either :
1.Doing long distance at speed eg a 20 mile + fast speed walk.
2.walking with high load or over rough terrain.

A lot of my outdoors work does require the ability to do either one or both so i do regard it as essential functional training.[/quote]

What do you do for work? Forestry? also do you do lots of hiking? “walking with high loads or over rough terrain”

In my opinion, in the game of life, surely walking is more important than explosive/ high intensity stuff in the grand scheme of things, although I love high intensity stuff aswell.
[/quote]

I used to be a bushcraft instructor .

I have done a lot of mountain hiking here, in california and in new zealand.

I try to keep in regular training for all of my outdoor stuff and both doing distance and high loads all count.[/quote]

Nice, sounds like a quality job.

I was going to save to do this http://www.woodsmoke.uk.com/ soemtime this year - depending on circumstances. do you know of the company or if its any good?

That sounds really good. I’m gonna have to take some breaks from work this summer and go do some wandering nefore I go uni.

14

[quote]pgtips wrote:

[quote]big nurse wrote:

[quote]pgtips wrote:

[quote]big nurse wrote:
Pg…i walk everywhere.

I did get criticised last week by coach CT about the amount of walking i do compared to the amount of explosive/high intensity stuff but walking is a way of life for me.

I don’t really think of it as training unless i am either :
1.Doing long distance at speed eg a 20 mile + fast speed walk.
2.walking with high load or over rough terrain.

A lot of my outdoors work does require the ability to do either one or both so i do regard it as essential functional training.[/quote]

What do you do for work? Forestry? also do you do lots of hiking? “walking with high loads or over rough terrain”

In my opinion, in the game of life, surely walking is more important than explosive/ high intensity stuff in the grand scheme of things, although I love high intensity stuff aswell.
[/quote]

I used to be a bushcraft instructor .

I have done a lot of mountain hiking here, in california and in new zealand.

I try to keep in regular training for all of my outdoor stuff and both doing distance and high loads all count.[/quote]

Nice, sounds like a quality job.

I was going to save to do this http://www.woodsmoke.uk.com/ soemtime this year - depending on circumstances. do you know of the company or if its any good?

That sounds really good. I’m gonna have to take some breaks from work this summer and go do some wandering nefore I go uni.
[/quote]

I do indeed, done quite e few courses with Ben myself : was on their very first canoe skills course with Ben (and lisa) and steve smith who split off to become ORCA and later did their first canoe journey with them too.

Think i did the tracking course with them as well, partner did the native course a few years back too.

Thoroughly reccomended !!

15

I love walking…I mean a lot. I mean I look for reasons to walk halfway across town…maybe 15 to 20 miles.

Yet even after all that I recommend running as it’s simply harder. The thing about running is my mind jumps around much more than when I walk. When I walk I think of all sorts of things. I also drink some beer.

16

my fat mailman walks a 9 mile route daily for the past few dozen years… hes very fat… 9 miles is roughly 900 calories he’s burning… big deal…

walking is for old folks…

get out and get some real cardio in…

if you plan on seriously taking up walking, look into race walking where you walk 7 minute miles for the normal 50k race or 6 minute miles for the normal 20k race. just going for your traditional walk is worthless…