Six strategies to turn walking into a complete abs workout

Contrary to popular belief, walking can be a very complete workout for exercise, as well as healthy legs, cardiovascular and abdominal muscles. That is, if some recommendations are taken into consideration and some modifications are made to the activity.

the Global Health Organization The World Health Organization recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. Walking for about 30 minutes five times a week is enough to meet these recommendations. For this activity to have a positive impact on overall health, it is necessary to maintain consistency, build habit, and gradually increase the challenges.

However, for regular walking to become an exercise that improves physical condition, good posture and precise movements must be adopted, according to experts from Mayo Clinic From the United States of America. The official website of the American entity dedicated to clinical practice, education, and research. Determine the ideal posture that should be adopted when walking:

– Raising the head. Look forward, not down.

– The neck, back and shoulders should be relaxed, and not lifted or tense.

– The arms should swing freely, with a slight bend in the elbows. You can do some cleaning and shaking with your arms.

– Slightly squeeze your abdominal muscles, while keeping your back straight, not arched forward or backward.

– Walk smoothly, supporting the heel and then the toes.

Returning to the point of how to benefit from walking to exercise the abdominal muscles, you must consult a personal trainer Okay + good He explained, in the first place, that walking would never be Specific exercise For abdominal muscles such as planks or the abdominal muscles themselves. However, he acknowledged that “the abdominal muscles are used in almost any vertical exercise to help stabilize the torso and support the spine.”

In this sense, “every step taken while walking activates the psoas muscle, a deep central muscle that connects the lower back/pelvis area with the femur (femur).”

He highlighted that “there are strategies that can be incorporated into walking to activate the abdominal muscles.”

1- Move your arms

Pumping the upper extremities more forcefully when walking increases the intensity of the exercise by activating more muscle groups, including the abdominal muscles.

“Keep in mind that the entire function of the heart is to provide a stable support base for your arms and legs,” the expert explained. When you walk, your arms and legs work in a reciprocal pattern against each other: your right arm moves when your left leg moves forward, and vice versa. The core is designed to act as a strong, stable support, so that the hips/pelvis and shoulder girdle have a reliable anchor for the muscles to pull as they balance while walking.

So swinging your arms forcefully requires contracting your abdominal muscles so that your torso does not rotate with the momentum of your arms, but rather helps keep your pelvis and hips stable.

An additional advantage at this stage is the addition of sticks, according to cardiologist Aaron Baggish, who is affiliated with the association Harvard university. “If you add Nordic poles to your walking, you’re also activating all the muscles in your upper body, and you’ll be exercising 80% to 90% of your body’s muscles, instead of 50%.

2- Walking uphill

While the benefits of walking on an incline are thought to translate into burning more calories, fitness professionals highlight that walking on an incline is also an effective way to work your abdominal muscles better.

“When climbing a hill, you should engage your core muscles (primarily the rectus abdominis, as well as the internal and external obliques, pelvic floor muscles, and hip flexors) to help lift your leg toward your chest on each hill.” Experts agree.

3- Adding weights

Using or carrying weights while walking has its pros and cons. Ankle and hand weights can help you work your abdominal muscles better while walking because they create more resistance to work against.

However, traumatologist and orthopedic surgeon Isaac Morales Neira from University of GuayaquilEcuador warned that “what must be taken care of in this type of activity is not to exceed the weight.”

“If you lift a lot of weight while walking, what you are doing is increasing the load and other joints of the body such as the spine, knees, heels or ankles may be injured, because they will generate, instead of a good condition – an injury – he explained – as this should be done Bilaterally, that is, carrying the same weight in both hands because in this way symmetry is achieved, otherwise a greater weight is carried on one side towards the spine, causing, initially, muscle injury and then compression of the nerve root or disc.”

4- Use your fanny pack as an ally

Oddly enough, carrying a small fanny pack while walking can help people draw their attention to the center of the body. This is important because much of the abdominal exercise you’ll get from walking (or any form of exercise) depends on properly activating your abdominal muscles.

“Putting a fanny pack or simply placing your hands on your stomach can help bring attention to these muscles and help build the mind-body connection for using your abdominal muscles when walking,” specialists agree.

But as in point 1, it is advisable to move your arms, the fanny pack is the best ally to focus on the midsection.

5- Practice abdominal breathing

From time to time, while walking, it is a good idea to practice “abdominal contraction,” that is, contracting your belly as tightly as possible while continuing to breathe. This helps engage the transversus abdominis, a deep core muscle that surrounds the entire abdomen like a corset. It can be tested for 10 to 20 seconds every five to 10 minutes while walking.

6- Walking along the corridors

Walking on trails or walking on grass or sand can be a way to add some abdominal exercises while walking. This is because these unstable surfaces require greater activation of the core muscles to help stabilize the hips and pelvis.

Lauren Elson, a sports medicine specialist at… Stanford UniversityHe suggested alternating between surface types, as well as climbing stairs for a minute or two or using the incline of a treadmill to enhance the benefits of the exercise.