Walking is an excellent, low-impact exercise for losing weight. But how fast must you stride to see results? This guide reveals the optimal treadmill speeds and settings to incinerate calories and shrink your waistline. Get ready—we’re walking off those stubborn pounds!
The Walking Workout Basics
Moderately paced walking at 3 mph will burn around 300 calories per hour. Not too shabby. But if you want to amp up your calorie-crushing potential, you’ll need to pick up the speed a notch or two.
The Mayo Clinic’s Magic Number
Health experts at the esteemed Mayo Clinic recommend walking at a brisk 3.5-4 mph pace for maximum weight loss benefits. This speed qualifies as moderate-intensity exercise, which means you’re exerting yourself enough to make you sweat, yet you can still talk comfortably. This level of exercise ignites your metabolism without overtaxing your body.
Rev Up to a Racewalk Rhythm
To truly accelerate your fat-blasting mission, channel your inner Olympic race walker. Aim for a vigorous 4-5 mph clip. At this pace, you’ll incinerate a whopping 300-700 calories per hour, depending on your weight! To maintain this speed, focus on your posture, keep your strides long and powerful, and breathe deeply.
Sweating for the Weight Loss Win
The harder you work, the more calories you’ll burn—the golden rule of weight loss. Set your treadmill to an incline of 5-15% at 3-4 mph for maximum sweat and fire-breathing calorie combustion. Walking at an incline increases muscle growth and calorie burning during your workout.
Mix Up Your Routine
Avoid plateau by taking control of your workout with interval training. Alternate bursts of intense speed (4.5-5 mph) with recovery periods (3-3.5 mph) to shock your body into torching more fat. This strategy empowers you to keep your metabolism revved and your weight loss journey on track!
Take Your Cues from the Rough Terrain
Thanks to added resistance, trail hiking can burn 400-700 calories per hour. To mimic this fat-frying effect, periodically crank your treadmill’s incline up to a hard-hitting 10-15% grade throughout your walk.
The ‘More is More’ Approach
While 30 minutes is the minimum recommendation, walking for 60-90+ minutes per day at a moderate 3-4 mph pace can substantially boost your calorie expenditure for heightened weight loss results.
Walking for Heart Health Too
Beyond slimming down, walking at a brisk 3.5-4+ mph rate provides immense cardiovascular benefits by strengthening your heart muscle and boosting your endurance over time. A perfect way to kill two birds with one stride!
Listen to Your Body’s Signals
While general guidelines are helpful, your ideal walking speed depends on your fitness level. If you’re gasping for air, ease off the pace. Feeling like a walk in the park? Bump up the speed!
Walk Your Way to a Healthier You
Any walking is better than no walking. Even if you start slow, be consistent and gradually increase your speed and duration for maximum fat-burning benefits. Everyone’s fitness level differs, however. It’s always a good idea to consult a fitness expert before starting any new exercise regime.
