Metabolic walking builds lean muscle mass and promotes weight loss – try this simple workout

Between Japanese interval walking, viral 12-3-30 treadmill walking, and gentle hiking, walking has gone from a basic daily habit to something you can adapt to target specific benefits. You can use it to help you digest a large meal, to turn off your brain, or, for example, to improve your metabolic health by burning more calories. This is the idea behind metabolic walking.

In a nutshell, the concept is that you vary the effort levels during each walk – using things like inclines, stairs or faster intervals – to make them more physically demanding. In return, your muscles work harder, which means you burn more energy than if you were, say, walking at a leisurely, steady pace.

To be clear, every walk you take will help boost your metabolism in one way or another, but experts say incorporating these different elements can be particularly beneficial. Now, Google searches for metabolic walking are up 427% year over year, so if they brought you here, consider this your guide to what it really is, if it really works, and how to do it right.

Tetiana Tereshchenko, sports medicine doctor at WalkFit, says: “Metabolic walking is a structured walking style that alternates between different intensity levels, such as walking faster or tackling an incline. The goal is to put more strain on your muscles and cardiovascular system than during a leisurely walk. Rather than maintaining the same pace throughout, this varies the effort level to make your walk more physically demanding.

Tereshchenko says: “Your metabolism is the process your body uses to convert food into energy. Physical activity increases the amount of energy you use, and adding quick intervals or inclines makes your muscles work harder.

“This means you can burn more energy than if you walked at a leisurely pace. Research has shown that walking on a 5% incline increased the metabolic cost of walking by 52% on average, while a 10% incline increased it by 113%, compared to walking on a flat treadmill. »

Going up stairs or on an incline increases the metabolic benefit of your walks

Tereshchenko explains: “By varying your pace or incorporating hills or stairs, metabolic walking can make daily exercise more challenging with potential benefits including:

• It burns more calories: “Walking briskly or tackling inclines requires more energy than walking slowly, which increases the number of calories you burn during your workout.
• It supports blood sugar control: “Regular physical activity can help improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation, especially when combined with a balanced diet and other healthy habits.
• It strengthens the muscles of the lower body: “Walking uphill, climbing stairs and increasing your pace work the muscles, especially your glutes, quads and calves.
• It supports your bone health: “Walking is a weight-bearing activity that helps maintain bone health. Adding hills or stairs can introduce other physical challenges into your routine.
• It develops cardiovascular fitness with less impact: “For people who want to improve their cardiovascular fitness without running, brisk walking is a useful alternative. This generally has less impact on the joints than running, while still allowing you to increase your heart rate and build endurance.

“Like any form of exercise, the benefits depend on how regularly you do it and whether it suits your individual fitness level.”

Tereshchenko says: “Metabolic walking doesn’t need to be complicated. The idea is to alternate periods of greater effort with more comfortable walks, giving your body time to recover between intervals. If you’re new to exercising, start with shorter intervals and gradually increase as your fitness improves.

Warm-up (0 to 5 minutes)

“Start with an easy walk, allowing your body to gradually warm up. Keep your shoulders relaxed, let your arms swing naturally, and settle into a comfortable rhythm. Avoid starting at your fastest pace right away.

Pick up the pace (5 to 10 minutes)

“Increase your speed for a brisk walk. You should feel your breathing become slightly faster while still being able to carry on a conversation. Maintain this pace for about one to two minutes before slowing down to cool down.

Introduce intervals (10-15 minutes)

“Alternate between one minute of brisk walking and one minute at a more comfortable pace. Repeat this pattern several times, adjusting the duration based on your fitness level. The goal is to challenge yourself without completely running out of steam.

Add an incline (15-20 minutes)

“If your route allows it, introduce a gentle incline or staircase to increase the challenge. Walk at a steady pace, keeping your posture straight and taking shorter steps if necessary. If you don’t have access to hills or stairs, simply repeat your brisk walking intervals on level ground.

Cooling (20-25 minutes)

“Finish with a few minutes of slower walking to gradually slow your breathing and heart rate. As your fitness improves, you can increase the duration of your walk or add another quick interval, rather than trying to make each session more intense.

As Women’s Health UK’s Fitness Director and qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has passionately reported on exercise, health and nutrition since beginning her ten-year journalism career.

After gaining a first class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she landed her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness section, Look Fit, before becoming health and fitness editor at HELLO!

Since then, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all of Women’s Health’s fitness content online and in print, leading leading multi-platform franchises, such as “Fit At Any Age,” which showcases women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.

She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, as well as various podcasts and Substacks, all with the aim of encouraging more women to exercise and showing them how. Outside of work, find her trying out the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.