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This expert coach’s walking plan for weight loss will boost your calorie burn over four weeks
Losing weight isn’t easy and it takes a consistent, concerted effort to combine a healthy, balanced diet with regular exercise to change the number on the scales.
To take care of the exercise part of that equation, I asked certified personal trainer April Medrano-Gatlin from STRIDE Fitness to create a walking workout plan to help support readers’ weight loss efforts.
The plan spans four weeks and requires you to walk every day. You won’t walk at the same pace every day, though. Some days you take it slow, and some days you’ll challenge yourself with a faster pace and/or walking on an incline.
The workout formats stay the same every week, but you add another 500 steps each time you do it. This incremental approach allows you to build your fitness and increase your step count safely to avoid injury.
That’s why following this plan is a smarter approach than deciding to do something like the 6-6-6 walking challenge, which doesn’t change day-to-day.
How to do this walking workout plan for weight loss
The plan is built for someone who is already walking 8,000 steps a day. If you’re doing fewer or more steps a day than this benchmark, adjust the numbers in the plan accordingly.
Each workout will ask you to walk at one (or a mixture) of four paces. Medrano-Gatlin hasn’t given speeds for you to follow, because the right miles-per-hour pace varies too much between individuals.
Instead, Medrano-Gatlin has suggested you use a scale of 1 to 10 to judge your rate of perceived exertion, or more simply put, how hard you’re working.
Here are the four paces used in the plan:
- Leisurely: 1-2 effort out of 10
- Easy: 3-5 effort out of 10
- Steady: 6-7 effort out of 10
- Fast: 8-10 effort out of 10
Medrano-Gatlin recommends using a treadmill for the workouts on Wednesdays and Saturdays
(Image credit: Getty Images / M_a_y_a)
On Wednesdays, Medrano-Gatlin has set an incline challenge and the combo day on Saturday includes periods of walking on an incline as well.
Medrano-Gatlin recommends using a treadmill for these workouts so you can be precise with the incline you tackle.
Week 1: Building the base
Monday | Base walk: 8,000 steps at a steady pace |
Tuesday | Speed intervals: 8,000 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 8,000 at a steady pace; walk 2,000 of the 8,000 steps at a fast pace. |
Wednesday | Incline challenge: 8,000 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 8,000 at a steady pace; walk 2,000 of the 8,000 steps at a 4-6% incline. |
Thursday | Distance push: 10,000 steps at a steady pace |
Friday | Recovery walk: 6,000-8,000 steps at an easy pace |
Saturday | Combo day: 8,000 total steps, switch between a fast pace and a steady pace at a 3-5% incline every 500 steps |
Sunday | Active recovery: 6,000 steps at a leisurely pace |
Week 2: Increase the intensity
Monday | Base walk: 8,500 steps at a steady pace |
Tuesday | Speed intervals: 8,500 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 8,500 at a steady pace; walk 2,500 of the 8,500 steps at a fast pace. |
Wednesday | Incline challenge: 8,500 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 8,500 at a steady pace; walk 2,500 of the 8,000 steps at a 5-7% incline. |
Thursday | Distance push: 11,000 steps at a steady pace |
Friday | Recovery walk: 7,000 steps at an easy pace |
Saturday | Combo day: 8,500 total steps, switch between a fast pace and a steady pace at a 3-5% incline every 500 steps |
Sunday | Active recovery: 6,500 steps at a leisurely pace |
Week 3: Progressing the challenge
Monday | Base walk: 9,000 steps at a steady pace |
Tuesday | Speed intervals: 9,000 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 9,000 at a steady pace; walk 3,000 of the 9,000 steps at a fast pace. |
Wednesday | Incline challenge: 9,000 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 9,000 at a steady pace; walk 3,000 of the 9,000 steps at a 6-8% incline. |
Thursday | Distance push: 12,000 steps at a steady pace |
Friday | Recovery walk: 8,000 steps at an easy pace |
Saturday | Combo day: 9,000 total steps, switch between a fast pace and a steady pace at a 3-5% incline every 500 steps |
Sunday | Active recovery: 7,000 steps at a leisurely pace |
Week 4: Final push
Monday | Base walk: 9,500 steps at a steady pace |
Tuesday | Speed intervals: 9,500 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 9,500 at a steady pace; walk 3,500 of the 9,500 steps at a fast pace. |
Wednesday | Incline challenge: 9,500 total steps. Walk 6,000 of the 9,500 at a steady pace; walk 3,500 of the 9,500 steps at a 7-10% incline. |
Thursday | Distance push: 13,000 steps at a steady pace |
Friday | Recovery walk: 8,500 steps at an easy pace |
Saturday | Combo day: 9,500 total steps, switch between a fast pace and a steady pace at a 3-5% incline every 500 steps |
Sunday | Active recovery: 7,500 steps at a leisurely pace |
Do you have any questions about how to do this plan? Let us know in the comments below.
