Walking is a good form of cardiovascular exercise because it is low-impact and gentle on your body. It is also accessible to most people and does not require any specialized training or equipment. While walking is primarily a cardiovascular workout, you can improve your muscular endurance. However, it is the muscles in your lower body that are doing the work and carrying your body weight, not your upper body. Walking alone cannot increase upper body strength.
Increasing Muscular Strength
Muscular strength is defined as the external force that can be generated by a specific muscle or group of muscles, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. It is usually expressed as a resistance lifted and not by a cardiovascular activity such as walking. To increase your strength, you need to perform resistance training exercises that challenge your muscles by overloading them. Overloading your muscles causes them to adapt and get stronger over time.
Resistance Training Recommendations
ACSM recommends that resistance training be performed two or three days per week on nonconsecutive days. You want to take at least 48 hours off between sessions to allow your muscles to rest and recover. Without rest, your muscles cannot get stronger. Perform at least one exercise for each major muscle group. In the case of your upper body, you would want to perform an exercise for your back, chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps. Start with one set of eight to 12 repetitions with a weight that is challenging but allows you to complete the set with proper technique.
Benefits of Resistance Training
Muscular strength is a health-related component of fitness, and not just for athletic performance. Regular sessions can improve or maintain bone mass, which is related to osteoporosis. It aids in improving glucose tolerance and helps lower your body fat percentage. It increases your lean muscle tissue and raises your metabolism. Resistance training can also help you carry out tasks of daily living and improve your quality of life.
Considerations
Walking is still good exercise, so do not give up your walks completely. Instead, add resistance training to your weekly workouts for both strength and cardiovascular benefits. You can choose to use machines, free weights or resistance bands for your resistance training sessions. Start slowly with one set and as you improve and get stronger increase to two or three sets per exercise. When a specific exercise becomes too easy, increase the weight slightly to continually progress.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Walking: Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
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