Build Muscle While You Walk? Yes, Please. Here's the Secret
Learn how to get the most muscle-boosting benefits for your steps.
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Whether you want to burn calories or just get from point A to point B, walking is the simplest way to go. Besides being our natural means of locomotion, putting one foot in front of the other can be great exercise. Striding briskly raises your heart rate, adding to cardiovascular benefits, while taking walks in a variety of environments helps increase coordination and balance.
But what about building muscle—does enough strolling add up to gains in your calves, quads, and hammies? It may not give your legs that ripple like mountains, but hitting the road (or treadmill) can still be a part of a muscle-building workout regimen. Here’s a look at the relationship between walking and bulking up.
Walking and Muscle Building 101
Let's start with a little 101 about how the body builds up its muscle tissue.
For muscles to grow, they first need to be broken down. When you place stress on your muscles through activities like weightlifting or bodyweight resistance exercises, you create small tears inside them. The body then sends reinforcements in the form of protein to build muscles back stronger and larger.
While taking a stroll may not place as much stress on the muscles as more intense forms of strength exercise, it can cause the needed impact to break down some muscle tissue. This is primarily true for the muscles of the lower body.
A small 2019 study, for example, found that a 17-week progressive walking program increased the thickness of the anterior and posterior thigh muscles in older adults. Another study also found improvements in thigh muscle quality from a 10-week walking regimen (with extra benefits in a group that added resistance training to the mix).
Despite these promising results, don’t count on walking to give you a bodybuilder’s physique. As an endurance exercise, it engages slow-twitch muscle fibers, the “behind the scenes” kind the body uses for slow, sustained activities.
If you really want to bulk up, you’ll need to focus on activities that use fast-twitch muscle fibers. Think weightlifting, box jumping, or sprinting. These forms of exercise tap fast-twitch muscle fibers for more dramatic growth.
It's worth noting, too, that building muscle is also a matter of diet. As you perform activities that break down muscle, it’s critical to supply your body with enough protein to build them back up into the swole assets you desire.
Other Benefits of Walking
While walking does help build some muscle, it offers other great benefits, too. Here are just a few.
Boosts Heart Health
Unlike strength training exercises, walking is primarily a cardiovascular activity. Its benefits stem mostly from increasing your heart rate and getting your blood pumping. These advantages alone are worth getting your daily steps in. Research shows that walking more can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and lower your blood pressure.
Burns Calories
It's also possible that walking may add definition to your muscles by burning off fat. Brisk walking is well-known as a fat-burning activity. A 2022 study on postmenopausal women found that subjects lost total body fat at all walking speeds, but those who walked more briskly lost more weight faster.
What Muscles Does Walking Work?
Hitting the pavement, the treadmill, or your local mall—no matter how you work it, walking uses a variety of muscles. These are the areas you’ll tone as you trek.
Core: Your body uses the muscles of your middle for stability while walking. Try engaging your core as you stroll.
Glutes: Your glutes work hard to propel you forward—especially on an upward slope. Do some hill walking to tone this area even more.
Hamstrings: These muscles at the back of the thigh help bend your knees. Like the glutes, they fire up in a big way on hills.
Calves: Your calves engage every time you take a step. You can't walk without them!
Quads: Walking generally works your quads, but try walking up stairs to strengthen these muscles a little more.
Feet: Even the little muscles in your feet get in on the walking action. Having strong feet helps improve your balance and posture.
Arms: Don’t forget to include your arms in a walking workout. Swinging your arms vigorously increases blood flow in your upper body.
How to Maximize Muscle Building While Walking
If you want to make your walking workouts more muscle-friendly, you’re in luck. There are several ways to bump up the muscle-building potential of your daily laps.
Increase speed
Increase incline
Incorporate weights
For starters, you can always increase the intensity of your walk by upping your speed. Your muscles will work harder the faster you go. Also, consider walking up hills or setting the incline on the treadmill higher. Not only will your heart get pumping, but the muscles of your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves will stay more engaged, ultimately adding to their growth.
There’s also the option to incorporate weights into your walk. Ankle weights add extra resistance you may feel anywhere from your lower legs all the way up to your core. Grabbing some light handheld weights and swinging them as you go is another muscle-building tactic that targets your arms. Meanwhile, a weighted vest forces your whole body to work harder, burning more calories and increasing total resistance.
Bottom Line
Nobody ever said walking was the surest path to bulging muscles. Its main benefits come from raising your heart rate and steadily burning calories.
Still, regular walking promotes overall fitness and can definitely lead to more toned muscles, especially with faster speeds, steeper inclines, and additions like weights. It’s also well worth incorporating into an exercise routine with other strength-related activities.
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