We all know that we need to do some cardio to stay healthy and in good shape. It is also common knowledge that walking is a pretty good form of exercise. Probably like you, I came to the realization that I actually walk quite a lot on most days, just going about my daily business and maybe this would be enough to qualify as the base of my cardio. But would it be enough? Is walking (alone) enough cardio for my needs?
The CDC recommends that, in order to enjoy health benefits, Americans get 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise per week, or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise per week, (plus 2 sessions of resistance training per week). So, for the average person 30 mins of walking (at a quick pace), 5 days per week, will be enough cardio to keep you healthy. However, if you are very active and in good physical condition, and you want to take your fitness to a higher level than just being healthy, you’ll need to do something of a higher intensity level than walking.
Is this the same for everyone? What type of walking are we talking about here? Let’s look into this a little further.
I walk a lot at work, is that enough for my cardio?
If you have a job which involves a lot of walking, it may be enough to satisfy your basic cardio needs, but it depends. You need to be honest about this and consider these factors:
- Intensity
- Duration
- continuity
For instance, let’s say you are in HR and you casually stroll around a large office talking to employees. This may not be enough to qualify as cardio because a) it’s not continuous walking, but short bursts; and b) it is too low intensity.
On the other hand, if you wait tables at a busy restaurant, you may walk quickly throughout 50+% of your shift. If you are a good, efficient server, you probably move fast and nearly continuously through the entire 4+ hour dinner rush. If you are not quite out of breath but close to breaking a sweat, this will be the perfect level of intensity to qualify as cardio and will benefit you.
Each person’s work situation is different, but at many jobs, the speed at which you move is largely up to you. So, instead of dragging ass, you should work hard and try to get your heart rate up. I worked at a large warehouse for a few years. I would set timers on my phone and try to bust out the work as fast as possible, racing around the warehouse with a hand truck pulling boxes of furniture. I would get things done faster, and get more health benefits from turning my job from drudgery to exercise.
My step-counter tells me I get 10000 steps a day or more, is this enough?
10000 steps is a well known benchmark for daily activity that many people strive to get on a daily basis. Depending on your height, and stride length, this is roughly equivalent to walking around 4-4.5 miles.
As far as it relates to cardiovascular training, there’s walking and there’s walking. By this I mean leisurely strolling around will burn a few calories, but will do little to keep your heart strong. You really need to get your heart rate to about 70% of its maximum.
There’s a number of ways to calculate your maximum heart rate, but the most popular method (and the simplest) is to subtract your age from 220.
So for example if you are 30 years old, then your maximum heart rate would then be 190 beats per minute. This would mean that your target heart rate during walking should be 133. To monitor this, you can wear a fitbit or similar device like that, or to get a quick estimate on-the-fly, you can simply take your pulse for 6 seconds and multiply by 10.
For the average healthy person, a brisk pace of 3.5 miles per hour will be fast enough to achieve this heart rate. If there are some slopes, staircases, or ladders along the way you’re definitely in business. If you are a heavier person, with a BMI of 25 and up, you’ll probably be able to reach this target heart rate at an even slower pace, but try to keep moving at 3 mph or more.
If you don’t walk on a treadmill, you may wonder how to measure your speed in mph (or kph). I use a free speedometer app on my phone that tells me my speed in real time, as well as recording my total distance walked, time, and average speed. It is also great for bike rides. There are a number of these apps available, so try a few out and find one you like to be able to keep track of your walks.
Strictly speaking, only 150 mins of your weekly walking needs to be at this pace. More is better, and more intense is also better. But if the bulk of your steps are slower and more gradual, that’s okay but try to make sure you speed things up at least 30 mins a day and try to break a sweat.
I mostly lift weights and want to get bigger. Is walking enough cardio for me?
If your main focus is to get bigger, then you’ll be doing plenty of resistance training. Lifting weights also has cardiovascular benefits but you’ll be wise to continue to be sure to include some cardio every week to keep your heart strong, and to make sure that your ‘bulking up’ is just fat.
When trying to gain as much muscle as possible, you won’t want to do too much in the way of cardio but you’ll still need some, so walking is a good choice. Too much running or other lengthy cardio sessions can hinder your ability to gain muscle and may slow your progress. So walking for 30 mins a day, five days per week will be a great way for you to satisfy your body’s cardio needs. A good way to do this is to hop on the treadmill for 30 mins after you lift weights.
Don’t overlook cardio training as it will help keep your heart and circulatory system in good condition, which will only help your muscles grow by delivering proteins, nutrients etc to them more efficiently. Walking is so easy to do, there’s really no excuse for getting it done.
If you really want to be sure that you are actually progressing, then you need to be monitoring your body fat. just because you’re losing pounds doesn’t mean you’re getting less fat, you could be losing lean mass. Conversely, if you’re trying to ‘bulk up’ you may think that you’re gaining muscle, but you could actually be gaining more fat than you realize. To be sure, check out this Omron handheld body fat reader available on Amazon. This is the one I have at home and I use it regularly to give me a clear and accurate reading of my body composition.
Is walking enough cardio for older people?
Walking is probably the preferred form of exercise for most older people because of the ease of access. No money needs to be spent, no driving to the site (usually). You can just open your front door and start getting your cardio done.
For those in the 50+ category, walking is enough to keep you in good shape and provide health benefits by satisfying your cardio needs. Be sure to do it at a fast enough pace to get your heart rate up to at least 65% of your maximum heart rate. Aim for a pace at which you can maintain a conversation but can’t sing properly, or simply aim to just about break a sweat. Keep this up for 30 mins a day, five times a week (or more) and you’re golden!
Is walking enough cardio for active/athletic people?
For trainees who are in great shape and are very active, or athletic, then it seems obvious that walking alone will probably not be enough cardio to maintain a high level of performance. The better shape your cardiovascular system is in, the lower your resting heart rate will be, and you will need more intense exercise to raise your heart rate to the target rates for cardio.
While walking will be good for training in the target heart rate zone of 65-75% MHR (max heart rate), those in very good shape will have a difficult time getting up to that heart rate by just walking.
The target heart rate training zones are as follows:
| Zone | % of Max HR | Purpose |
| 1 | 65-75 | Basic aerobic training, helps recovery from other workouts |
| 2 | 76-85 | Increases aerobic endurance |
| 3 | 86-95 | Increases high-end output |
If you are walking at a brisk pace and your heart rate is not at least 65% of your max heart rate, then you need to increase the intensity or choose a more challenging activity for your cardio.
If you are a finely tuned athlete, you’ll need to go to at least zone 2 to really get any benefit.
Can walking get you ‘ripped’?
It should be obvious that walking (alone) will not get you ‘ripped’. Simply walking for a few hours a week while eating whatever you want will have minimal results for fat loss. But walking can certainly help. Getting ripped is mostly a product of a strict diet. Exercise will help accelerate your results, but it is the icing on the cake, so to speak. If you are eating at a caloric deficit and focusing on lean proteins, healthy fats, and quality carbohydrates, you will be able to drop fat and get that chiseled, ripped look. Don’t overlook weights or other resistance training. After all, you need some muscle to reveal when you lose the fat.
Walking can help burn more calories, allowing you to eat a little more, or lose fat faster. If you want to really melt off the fat quickly, you’ll want to walk at a brisk pace and probably for longer and/or more frequent sessions to burn as many calories as possible. Frankly, there are other forms of cardio that will burn more calories and get you there faster. Running, MMA training, heavy bag, speed bag, swimming, and many other activities will produce results faster than walking. However, the best exercise is the one that you’ll actually do. So you can tailor your walking routine to help you lose maximum fat and help you get the lean look you want.
Remember that no matter your age, if you have been sedentary for quite a while you should always check with your doctor before starting out on a new work out regimen. Your doctor will let you know if you’re healthy enough to start a walking routine.
Related Posts:
Jogging On The Spot (Running In Place) Vs. Walking: How Do They Compare?
While both provide excellent cardiovascular calorie-burning workouts. The answer depends on your particular needs. If you are largely inactive and you want to make the first step towards getting in better shape, start with walking. It’s simple and you’ve been doing it for years! Walking is easy on your joints, low impact, and low-intensity enough that longer sessions should be manageable. Jogging on the spot, or running in place, is a better choice if you are stuck inside and want to do something where you can get your heart rate up higher than you would walking, along with more benefit to your leg muscles, although there is a little more impact involved.
Will Running Hills Make Your Legs Bigger?
Running uphill provides a highly effective workout and can definitely help you achieve a number of fitness goals. If your goal is to build more muscular legs then you should absolutely add some hill runs to your fitness regimen, as this activity is a tremendous leg workout that will seriously tax your quads, calves, glutes and hamstrings. Rather than running for a certain amount of time over some hilly terrain, concentrate on hill sprints. Sprinting up a small-to-medium hill, then walking back down to repeat, is a form of high intensity interval training and will not only build powerful legs but will also help get you shredded by putting your metabolism into overdrive!
