Can Power Walking Supercharge Your Cardio Routine?

Walking is an excellent cardio workout with many health benefits. It can help you burn calories, boost your mood, and improve your heart health. As your fitness level improves, you can up the intensity of walking workouts by increasing your speed.

Power walking involves making a concerted effort to walk as quickly as possible. The technique may make your walking workouts more effective. A few tips on proper form and speed can help you get started.

What is power walking?

There isn't one specific pace that separates standard walking from power walking.

With power walking, you walk at a fast pace that is at the upper end of your usual walking speed. That puts many people in a range of 4 mph to 5.5 mph or 13 to 15 minutes per mile. It also involves arm swing and stride changes to engage your upper and lower body.

With power walking, you keep one foot in contact with the ground at all times. This means that power walking is a low-impact activity. Once you have a period of "flight "in which both feet are briefly off the ground, you are jogging or running.

So power walking is faster than a normal or brisk pace, which is about 3 mph. But, it's slower than jogging or running. Keep in mind that your power walking speed depends on your health status, fitness level, and the terrain that you are walking on.

What are the benefits of power walking?

You can reap many benefits of walking — like strong bones, better cognitive function, and more energy — when you raise your speed. Power walking may even boost some of those benefits.

Here are four key advantages of power walking that will make you want to pick up your pace.

Offers a higher-intensity workout than regular walking

Walking at your usual pace gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing. That's one of many reasons it can be an effective aerobic workout. You can raise the intensity — and possibly reap more heart-healthy benefits — by picking up speed.

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In one study, researchers compared the effects of walking and power walking in people with heart disease. They found that power walking activates more upper and lower-body muscles than regular walking. It likely has to do with a faster arm swing and quicker steps that engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. So, power walking can take your brisk walking workout from moderate to vigorous intensity.

Burns more calories than regular walking

Higher speed and greater muscle activation with power walking can also help you burn more calories. According to the American Council on Exercise, a person who weighs 160 lbs can burn around 119 calories on a 30-minute brisk walk (3 mph). If that person power walks (4 mph) for 30 minutes, they can burn around 181 calories.

Remember that other factors, including your age and weight, affect the number of calories you burn. But staying active with this cardio workout can help you reach fitness goals like taking more steps every day or maintaining a healthy weight.

Improves VO₂ max

Exercise at any intensity offers health benefits. But research shows that higher-intensity training may improve VO₂ max better than lower-intensity workouts. VO₂ max refers to how much oxygen your body uses during exercise. So the higher your VO₂ max, the better your aerobic fitness or endurance.

So, vigorous power walking may improve your VO₂ max better than walking at a slower pace. That's what researchers found in the study comparing walking and power walking in people with heart disease. After 6 weeks of rehab, those in the power walking group showed more improvement in VO₂ max than those in the regular walking group.

Boosts heart health and longevity

Walking may offer heart health benefits, like lower blood pressure, that can help prevent heart disease. Increasing your pace with a power walk may boost some of those benefits. For example, studies suggest that walking at higher speeds may lower the risk of heart disease more than slower walking.

Walking pace or intensity might be more important than duration for heart health. In a study, researchers found that a higher walking speed was associated with a lower risk of heart failure.

In another study, researchers found that higher physical activity levels in middle-aged women were associated with longevity and health later in life. And exercise intensity was an important factor. Women who regularly walked at a moderate or vigorous pace had a 90% or higher chance of healthy aging than those who walked at an easy pace.

How can you include power walking into your workouts?

One of the great things about walking is that it's an accessible, equipment-free cardio workout. When your fitness level improves, you can give your routine a boost by adding power walking workouts. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Grab the right gear

Proper footwear is key for a successful power-walking workout. Look for comfortable, supportive walking shoes. And remember to replace them every 300 to 500 miles. You might need to try several options — like shoes with flexible soles or rocker bottoms — before you find the right fit. 

You'll also want to wear comfortable clothing with breathable, sweat-resistant fabric that does not restrict your movement.

Focus on your form

Proper form is essential for any exercise, whether you're power walking or running. Keep these suggestions in mind:

• Control your arm swing. Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle and swing your arms vigorously to help propel you forward with each step.

• Keep your back straight. You lean forward slightly from the hips while power walking. But avoid slouching or hunching too far forward. Try to keep your spine straight, shoulders down and back, and neck and jaw relaxed. Your chest should be up and proud. And your gaze should be forward.

• Engage your core. Draw your belly button toward your spine to engage your core.

• Shorten your stride. Shortening your stride can help you walk faster. You'll take quick steps at a faster cadence (more steps per minute). Plus, a higher step count may be better for your overall health.

• Land on your heel. Land on your heel and roll forward towards your toes to push off with every step. Try to be light and quick on your feet.

Try power walking intervals

Adding faster intervals to a walking workout is a great way to get started with power walking. For example, during a 30-minute session, you might walk as fast as you can for 1 minute, slow down to a moderate or casual pace for 2 minutes, and then repeat.

You can up the duration or speed of power walking intervals bit by bit and lessen slower walking periods. Then, you can switch to full power walking workouts. But you don't have to ditch high-intensity interval training (HIIT) altogether. HIIT is an efficient way to burn calories and build endurance.

Warm up and cool down

Jumping straight into a power walking workout can raise the risk of injuries. So, take 5 minutes to warm up with active movements. This can include walking slowly to boost your circulation and heart rate. After your power walking session, you can kickstart your recovery by cooling down with lower-intensity movement and static stretches.

Consider using a pedometer

A pedometer or fitness tracker can help you keep an eye on your steps, distance, and speed. Fitness trackers also include a heart rate monitor, which is a great way to gauge power walking intensity. This can help you stay on track with your fitness goals.

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Written by:

Amber Sayer, MS, CPT

Amber Sayer, MS, CPT, has been working in fitness and wellness for over a decade in a variety of capacities, from exercise physiology for cardiac rehab to personal training and health coaching. She is also a certified running coach.

Edited by:

Lauren Savage, MA

Lauren Savage, MA, is a health editor at GoodRx, where she focuses on movement, exercise, and healthy aging. She aims to provide readers with the information they need to live healthier, more active lifestyles.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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