- By Bornika Das
- Wed, 10 Sep 2025 11:57 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Walking Techniques To Burn Calories: Nothing can be better than simply walking, which is easy, convenient, gentle on the joints, plus offers numerous benefits. Walking is one of the easiest and most effective exercises and with the correct techniques, it can burn more calories than expected. While gym sessions tend to prioritise heavy weights and machinery, walking improves the power of movement that is natural, low-impact and sustainable across all ages. By adjusting a few switches, people can turn their walk into a powerful calorie-burning workout that can be seamlessly incorporated into their busy lives, offering great health benefits, along with weight loss.
Nowadays, fitness professionals regard walking as not just a light activity. With a calorie-burning walking workout plan, people can enhance their cardiovascular well-being and endurance without the intimidation of gym equipment. Here are the best six walking techniques that help to burn calories without gym sessions.
Walking Techniques To Burn Calories
Increase Walking Speed
Speeding up the pace is one of the easiest ways to burn calories faster. With increased walking speed, the heart rate rises and the muscles work harder than usual. Practice brisk walking where you can talk while walking fast, while allowing the breath to deepen. This moderate exercise helps burn calories and build endurance.
Add Inclines
Walking up hills increases the effort of the muscles. Whether walking on real hills, going up stairs or utilising a treadmill incline function can put more work on the hamstrings, glutes and calves. This extra resistance puts the cardiovascular system to work, burning more calories and developing more muscle strength.
Power Walking Technique
As the name suggests, this is a powerful walking technique that includes taking forceful, deliberate steps for a full-body workout. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and pump them aggressively as you walk. The arm movement increases the heart rate and uses muscles in the upper body to burn calories. Combined with a faster stride, power walking is an efficient but low-impact form of exercise that can be just as effective as light jogging without joint damage.
Walking Techniques To Burn Calories For Weight Loss (Image Credits: Canva)
Add Regular Intervals
Interval walking means walking fast and then slowly recovering. For instance, walk quickly for a minute and slow walk for two, repeating. This helps alternate the heart rate by increasing the metabolic rate higher than steady-state walking. Intervals build cardiovascular fitness, burn calories in less time and prevent boredom by changing your pace.
Add Light Weights
Using light weights in the walk generates resistance that makes the muscles work harder. People can use wrist weights, ankle weights, or put tiny hand weights around their hands. The added support increases the calorie burn and firms the legs and arms. Make sure to begin with light weights to prevent any injury and keep a good walking stance. Weights added are an easy way of providing intensity without changing your walking pace.
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Increase The Stride
Slightly strengthening your stride (the cycle of movement the body goes through with each step we take) while engaging more muscles in the glutes, hips and legs and creates more calorie burn. Avoid overstriding as it will hurt the muscle and make you feel uncomfortable. Slowly lengthen your step to optimise muscle engagement and caloric burn. This technique will also help to optimise walking mechanics and stance, making the workout more efficient.
Incorporating these walking techniques into the everyday routine will help to burn calories and lose weight. These also help to improve cardiovascular health and build endurance that benefits overall well-being.
