The Best 4-Week Walking Workout for Weight Loss

Walking is an exceptional exercise choice for maintaining an active lifestyle and achieving your weight-loss goals. It falls under low-intensity steady-state cardio, a well-established form of exercise renowned for its effectiveness in calorie-burning and metabolism-boosting. However, if you want to maximize its effectiveness, consider combining walking with strength training exercises. While you may be familiar with classics like walking lunges, there are many options to integrate into your weekly workout routine that will elevate your fitness game. You only need dedication, innovation, and minimal equipment to amplify your results. Below, you’ll find my ultimate four-week walking workout for weight loss.

I put together a selection of potent workouts designed to fire up your metabolism, torch fat, and sculpt strength while injecting some fun into your fitness regimen. Get ready, as these workouts are higher in volume. They combine multiple reps and sets while keeping rest periods to a minimum to maximize the weight-loss effects. You might encounter unfamiliar movements, so include some extra warm-up sets. Get prepared to shake up your routine and embrace exciting new challenges!

To see results, perform each workout for one week for a total of four weeks. Keep reading to learn all about my #1 walking workout program for losing weight in four weeks.

A 4-Week Walking Workout Plan for Weight Loss

Workout #1

1. Mini Band Lateral Walks with Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Mini-band lateral walks can activate your glutes and strengthen smaller hip muscles like the piriformis. Combine this with dumbbell lateral raises to target your upper body, enhancing shoulder and trap strength. Consider it a comprehensive full-body exercise.

1. Place a mini resistance band above your knees and hold dumbbells at your sides.
2. Step to the side with one foot while maintaining tension on the band, then follow with the other foot to return to hip-width apart.
3. Simultaneously, perform a lateral raise with the dumbbells, lifting them to shoulder height and returning them to your sides as you step together.
4. Complete 3 to 4 sets of 12 steps per side with 60 seconds of rest.

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2. Walking Lunges with Dumbbell Bicep Curls

Pairing walking lunges with bicep curls is a top choice of mine for rounding off a high-rep training session with my personal training clients aiming to lose weight. Walking lunges target single-leg strength, sculpting your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, while bicep curls focus on enhancing your biceps. Combining these dynamic movements also intensifies core engagement, providing a comprehensive workout experience.

1. Start by standing upright and holding a dumbbell in each hand at arm’s length by your sides.
2. Step forward with your right foot into a lunge position, simultaneously bending both knees and lowering your body.
3. Curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders as you lunge, engaging your biceps.
4. Push off your right foot to return to the starting position, lowering the dumbbells back down.
5. Alternate sides, stepping forward with your left foot and repeating the lunge and bicep curl motion.
6. Perform 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

3. Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carry epitomizes functionality and keeps your body in motion, aligning perfectly with the essence of these workouts. Incorporating exercises like the suitcase carry not only strengthens your muscles but also hones your ability to engage your core, requiring you to brace your abs and test your grip strength simultaneously.

1. Pick up a weight with one hand, maintaining a stable stance with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
2. Lift the weight while bracing your core and keeping your back straight.
3. Walk forward in a controlled manner, ensuring the weight stays close to your body and your posture remains upright.
4. Complete 3 to 4 sets of 30 to 60-second carries per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

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Workout #2

1. Walking Lateral Lunges

Incorporating lateral exercises is a fantastic strategy for cultivating a resilient physique. While many strength routines emphasize forward and backward or vertical movements, lateral movements are overlooked. Lateral lunges, for instance, are invaluable for enhancing single-leg strength and explicitly targeting the adductor muscles, an area frequently neglected in lower-body workouts.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Step to the right with your right foot, bending your knee while keeping your left leg straight, sitting into a lateral squat.
3. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground, then push off to return to the starting position.
4. Take a lateral step to the right and perform another lateral lunge.
5. Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.
6. Complete all reps on one side before repeating on the other side.

2. Alternating Overhead Press with Walking

You’re familiar with the low-intensity cardio perks of walking. By incorporating overhead presses, you fuse cardio advantages with strength gains. Opting for higher rep ranges in overhead presses bolsters muscular endurance and amplifies overall benefits.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at shoulder height.
2. Press one dumbbell overhead while stepping forward with the opposite foot, alternating arms and legs as you walk forward.
3. Maintain proper posture and core engagement throughout the exercise.
4. Complete 3 sets of 10 to 15 steps each with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

3. Dumbbell Front Rack Forward Marching

Marching exercises are superb for strengthening your hip muscles, particularly the hip flexors, while significantly developing a strong and stable core. The dynamic nature of moving forward while concurrently stabilizing your torso and any weights intensifies the exercise’s effectiveness, enhancing calorie expenditure during your workout sessions.

1. Hold dumbbells at shoulder height, step forward with one foot while lifting the opposite knee toward your chest, and then alternate legs.
2. Make sure to squeeze your core for stability and control throughout.
3. Perform 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps per side with 90 seconds of rest between sets.

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Workout #3

1. Mini-Band Forward Walks

Mini-band forward walks help activate your glute muscles while improving hip stability. This exercise is beneficial in a warm-up or strength workout to help sculpt your lower body.

1. Place a resistance band just above your ankles or below your knees for tension.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent, and engage your core.
3. Take small steps forward, ensuring the band has tension throughout.
4. Alternate bringing each foot forward, maintaining controlled movements, and proper posture.
5. Complete 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps each with 45 seconds of rest between sets.

2. Walking Lunges with Core Rotation

Walking lunges enhance single-leg strength and hip stability, concurrently boosting lean muscle mass in the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Incorporating a rotational core exercise amplifies movement intensity, sculpting your abs and injecting diversity into your fitness regimen. This combination fortifies lower body muscles and engages the core, promoting overall strength balance and boosting metabolism.

1. Step forward with your right foot into a lunge position, and rotate your torso to the right while holding a dumbbell, kettlebell, or weight plate.
2. Return to the center, and push off with your right foot to return to the starting position.
3. Repeat on the left side, rotating your torso to the left.
4. Alternate sides with each lunge, focusing on controlled movements and maintaining proper posture.
5. Perform 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

3. Walking Overhead Dumbbell Carry

The walking overhead dumbbell carry is a dynamic exercise renowned for enhancing overhead strength and stability while targeting key muscle groups, including the shoulders, upper back, and core. Incorporating walking adds an extra layer of versatility, demanding increased stability to control the weights effectively.

1. Stand upright and press dumbbells directly overhead with your arms fully extended.
2. Squeeze your core and walk, stabilizing the dumbbells overhead until you reach the predetermined distance or time.
3. Emphasize keeping your arms straight above your shoulders, actively reaching with each step to optimize the exercise.
4. Perform 3 sets of 15 to 20 steps, each with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

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Workout #4

1. Walking Lunges with Overhead Carry

The walking lunge with overhead carry creates a harmonious blend of lower-body strength and overhead stability, resulting in a powerful full-body compound movement. This dynamic exercise strengthens your legs and enhances core stability and coordination, elevating your fat-burning potential and propelling your workouts to new heights.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

1. To perform the walking lunge with overhead carry, begin by standing tall and holding a weight overhead with one hand, fully straightening your arm.
2. Engage your core for stability as you take a large step forward with your right foot, lowering into a lunge position while keeping the weight overhead.
3. Push off your right foot to return to the starting position, then repeat on the left side.
4. Complete 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps of lunges, then switch the weight to the other hand and repeat.
5. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.

2. Walking Lateral Squats with Plate Pressout

Here’s a fat-burning exercise to kick your workout sessions into high gear. The walking lateral squat with a plate pressout strengthens your quads, glutes, shoulders, and core. You’ll benefit from regular squats while diversifying your gym regimen with side-to-side movement.

1. Hold a weight plate before your chest and stand with feet hip-width apart.
2. Step laterally to the right, squatting down while pressing the plate straight before you.
3. Bring your left foot back under your hips, keeping the feet hip-width apart.
4. Repeat for the desired reps and sets.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

3. Farmer’s Carry

The farmer’s carry is your secret weapon for torching calories and shedding fat. It engages multiple muscles at once to sculpt your body and boost your metabolism. This exercise is like a full-body workout in one move, perfect for maximizing weight loss and achieving your fitness goals with power and efficiency.

1. Grab a pair of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells, stand tall, engage your core and upper back, and walk forward with steady strides for the programmed distance or steps.
2. Complete 3 sets of carries lasting 45 to 60 seconds.
3. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.

Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS