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Walking is an excellent exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels. It can help boost overall health and support weight loss. As walking is a low-impact exercise and requires no specialised equipment, it serves as a highly effective baseline exercise for long-term lifestyle changes. Walking strengthens your heart, improves blood circulation, regulates blood sugar levels, improves digestion and keeps your mental health in good shape. Walking is typically the first choice for individuals trying to lose weight. It helps burn calories and targets stored fat as the primary source of fuel. While many know that walking is excellent for burning fat, can it also help build muscle? Let's find out.
Can walking help build muscles?
Maintaining muscle mass is crucial, especially when trying to lose weight because it is the single most important factor for ensuring that the weight you lose comes from stored fat rather than functional tissue.
Muscles are metabolically active, meaning they require a constant supply of energy to maintain, even when you are completely at rest.
What happens when you walk more to create a deficit?
When you place your body in a calorie deficit, it is forced to break down its own tissues for energy. Without the right signals, it will happily burn away muscle mass alongside fat.
This is where walking helps.
Walking provides a gentle mechanical stimulus that signals your body to preserve lean muscle mass while prioritising fat loss. Walking acts as a protective shield for your muscles, forcing your body to burn fat instead of muscle for fuel.
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Walking for muscle building
Walking can help build muscle mass, but there are a few factors that must be considered, especially for individuals who are currently sedentary or starting a new fitness routine.
If you don't exercise regularly, simply walking can help your body grow some muscle. When you walk, your body has to support and move its weight, which acts like resistance training. However, walking alone doesn't increase muscle strength significantly because it doesn't challenge every muscle group enough.
How and where walking builds muscle
When walking does stimulate muscle growth, it selectively targets the lower body muscles:
- Calves
- Quadriceps and Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Core and hip flexors
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How to effectively build muscles with walking
If your primary goal is to maximise muscle development while walking, you must intentionally increase the resistance and intensity of your sessions:
- Walk on an incline to increase the load on your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, mimicking a light leg-press movement.
- Try weighted walking to force your legs, core, and upper back to work significantly harder to keep you upright.
- Break up your walk every 10 minutes to perform a set of muscular movements. For example, stop and do 15 bodyweight squats, 10 walking lunges, or 15 calf raises before resuming your walk.
- Incorporate brisk walking, as fast intervals require explosive muscle contractions from your lower body compared to a leisurely stroll.
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Overall, incorporating walking into your routine can help you achieve a balanced approach to weight loss while preserving important muscle tissue.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.