Beginner-Friendly Tips for Starting a Walking Routine to Build Muscle

Author: Jenessa Connor, NASM-CPT

There are so many reasons to start a walking workout—not only is it accessible, but walking also has links to weight management, better mental health, and lower mortality rates.^{1 2 3}

In some cases, walking can even help you get stronger, especially if you’re just starting out with your fitness journey.⁴ But walking on its own isn’t usually the best way to build muscle over time—rather, it boosts muscular endurance, or a muscle’s ability to contract repeatedly.^{5 6 7}

To build muscle tissue, you’ll need to continually challenge your body by adding resistance or intensity to your workouts (a training principle known as “progressive overload”).⁸ It is possible to achieve this with a walking workout, though you’ll have to make some modifications—here’s how.

1. Add speed, incline, and bodyweight exercises.

A leisurely stroll on a flat path is unlikely to stimulate muscle growth (especially if you do that same walk over and over again). But doing more progressively challenging workouts will force your muscles to work harder and potentially grow larger.⁸

You can add intensity to your walking workout by doing intervals, which are periods of increased speed interspersed with recovery periods. For example, alternate walking at a moderate pace for two minutes, then speed up to a brisk pace for 30 seconds.

Walking on an incline will also boost muscle engagement. To do this, you can traverse a nearby hilly path, notch up your treadmill’s incline setting, or walk to a location that has stairs or bleachers to climb.

A few sets of bodyweight exercises can also boost the muscle-building capabilities of your walk. Every five minutes, you can pause your walk and do 10 squats, lunges, or push-ups, for example.

2. Progress gradually to avoid injury.

As a beginner, your first few walking workouts should feel manageable. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can gradually increase the intensity by changing one thing at a time.

For example, after a couple of weeks of walking at a consistent pace, you might try adding a handful of speed intervals. When that starts to feel manageable, challenge yourself by walking farther or climbing stairs at the end of your walk.

What you shouldn’t do is add speed intervals, hills, and bodyweight exercises, all while increasing your distance. Doing “too much, too soon” is a common mistake among beginners—it can lead to injury, as your body hasn’t had time to adapt to the demands placed upon it.⁹ Even if you do avoid getting hurt, making your workout too hard could leave you feeling overwhelmed or burned out.

3. Don’t neglect nutrition and sleep.

Your body needs protein to build muscle tissue.¹⁰ The exact amount you should consume every day depends on your physiology and level of activity, plus various organizations and government agencies have different recommendations. But in general, adults should eat between 0.9–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.^{11 12} That means if you weigh around 170 pounds (77 kilograms), you should aim to consume at least 69 grams of protein per day.

Plus, even though exercise stimulates muscle growth, key parts of the muscle-building process happen while we sleep.¹³ Research shows that just one night of sleep deprivation may hamper muscle growth, so make sure you’re consistently getting at least seven hours of shut-eye each night.^{14 15}

4. Make sure you have the right gear.

If you want walking to be a central part of your fitness routine, make sure you’re setting yourself up for long-term success and safety with the proper equipment. That means, at minimum, you need a pair of walking shoes that fit well and are in good condition—worn or poor-fitting shoes could increase your risk of gait issues or foot discomfort.^{16 17} If you can, visit a running store and get professionally fitted for a pair that’s specifically designed for walking.

Shoes are really the only thing you need to walk well. But if you like to walk outdoors, other helpful safety equipment includes:

• Brightly colored clothing: A reflective vest or colorful shirt can be helpful if you plan on walking in the early mornings or evenings when visibility is low.
• Sun protection: Be sure to apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, even on cloudy days, to reduce the risk of sunburns. Sunglasses are also important to protect your eyes from sun exposure—plus, they ensure you can clearly see traffic and navigate any obstacles.¹⁸
• Hydration equipment: It can be helpful to bring a handheld water bottle or hydration vest on your walk, especially if there are no water fountains along your route.
• Open-ear headphones: If you like to listen to audiobooks, music, or podcasts while you walk, consider investing in open-ear headphones, which allow you to hear approaching cars, people, or animals. If you stick with traditional earbuds or headphones, make sure to keep the volume low.

© People Inc. Group. All rights reserved. Used with permission.