Avid exercise walkers need to do this once a week!

Many people of all ages use walking as their primary source of exercise. “I take a long walk every day,” they proudly proclaim, and certainly they should be proud of their efforts. 

Walking is a wonderful exercise, and getting out in the fresh air and getting the heart rate up while moving the old body parts is plus-plus all the way around.

 But let me throw a little bit of an off-speed curve ball here and add that when you walk as your regular and primary source of exercise, you are really only using one set of muscles. It is basically the same motion, no matter how fast you walk, with the same muscle groups being put in play each time.

What’s missing, and what could really help, is the art of what some experts call “muscle confusion,” which describes the importance of mixing up the ways the muscles are used so that they don’t get too “comfortable” and stagnate with the same motions every time. Additionally, it will work muscles that you don’t normally use, which may be underdeveloped.

I have developed an unofficial, completely non-scientifically proven routine that may help in this area. It will build up a new set of muscle groups not normally used in the regular walking motion.

You can do this once a week, or more often certainly, and it can be done on a road, at a park, in a back yard—basically wherever some running room might be available.

Any of the items below can be adjusted in both length and speed depending on individual preference.

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1)  A warm-up slow jog down and back—maybe 50 yards down, 50 yards back.

2)  Run backwards, down, and back, approximately 50 yards.

3)  Carioca moves, down and back. (This is a sideways run, with one leg going over the next and crossing each time.)

4)  Side Shuffle Slides—down and back, like defensive slides in basketball. Bend knees, stay low for the entire time.

5)  Medium speed, normal jog, down and back.

6)  Shuffle slides backwards at a 45-degree angle. Six slides to the left, 6 to the right, repeat all the way down. Rest, and then the same thing is going back

7)  Backwards jog again, but this time in a soft zigzag motion, making repeated letter “S” shapes all the way down. Same thing back.

8)  Sharpcut running down and back, sort of like a football receiver makes. Run straight ahead 5 yards, then cut sharply to the right, repeat, then cut sharply to the left, 90-degree-angle cuts. Repeat all the way down and back.

9)  Full speed sprint down. Rest. Full speed sprint back.

10)  Definitely stretch afterwards.

All of the above can be done in an easy 20 to 30 minutes. It will give you a good cardio workout, while also building up muscles in hamstrings, quads, buttocks, and core that may not be used as much in walking. Increased flexibility will be an added benefit.