Being sedentary has turned into a collective habit – we work sitting at our desks, scroll Reels lying on our couches, or enjoy romantic dates watching Netflix on comfy sofas.
It’s particularly viral in winter, as you don’t want to go outside and walk miles in cold temperatures while the chilly wind is blowing the last drops of joy. This is where a home-based walking pad workout plan for boosting fitness comes in – your accessible way to move your body indoors.
Walking pads are touted for their affordability and portability: they take up little space compared to traditional treadmills and offer a range of benefits.
If you’ve already purchased a walking pad, good for you. In this guide, we’ll show you an easy walking pad workout plan for beginners to improve your well-being. You need zero experience, just comfortable gear, and free solo time.
If you’re new to walking pads, there’s no need to walk hours on this machine. Even a 5-minute walking workout will make a difference for newbies, as long as they’re consistent.
We’ve prepared a simple walking pad workout plan at home that you can do every day. Its primary goal is to build your daily movement, boost cardiovascular health, and develop some strength along the way.
Duration: 20 to 30 minutes
Intensity: Low to moderate
Speed range: 1.5-3.5 mph (2.4-5.6 km/h)
Check out the breakdown of the walking pad flow:
Warm-up routine:
Speed: 1.5-2.0 mph
Walk for 5 minutes using a slower speed. Keep your chest tall and your shoulders and arms relaxed. Breathe steadily, allowing your body to adapt to the movement.
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Main walk routine:
Speed: 2.2-3.0 mph
Move, maintaining the speed for 15-20 minutes. Your breathing should be controlled and rhythmic.
If this seems too dull, try to alternate the pace:
Your faster pace should feel more challenging, but not so quick that it’s a jog.
Cool-down session:
Speed: 1.5-2.0 mph
Gradually ease the pace rather than stopping abruptly. This will help prevent dizziness and support recovery. Walk like this for 5 minutes.
Regarding weekly speed progression, you may need to implement some changes depending on your workout experience. Gradually increasing the speed over time is a way to enhance your performance:
Week 1: Main speed: 2.0-2.5 mph
Week 2: Main speed: 2.4-2.8 mph
Week 3+: Main speed: 2.6-3.2 mph
A walking pad workout can make you more fit by improving your cardiovascular health, endurance, and weight management. Moving your body is 100% better than sitting. Even at a slow pace, you’re still burning calories.
If you’re walking for 30 minutes, you can burn around 100 to 260 calories depending on your body weight (1). The walking pad workout plan for weight loss can even be paired with additional weights for added resistance and an increase in difficulty.
For example, you can hold dumbbells in both hands while walking. Start with lighter ones and gradually move to heavier ones as your strength improves. Remember to engage your core and breathe steadily.
Walking pads won’t turn you into an avid athlete for sure, but they’re a perfect starting point for people who can’t find enough time to work out or move outdoors as much as they’d like to.
Walking pads provide steady caloric expenditure. Despite burning fewer calories than running, walking on a pad serves as a sustainable way to prevent weight gain (2).
Read more: Treadmill Speed Workout Guide: How to, Benefits, and FAQs
Absolutely. Walking on the pad is similar to typical walking on the ground. You alternate leg movements, naturally swing your arms, and move in rhythmic motion.
Walking on a pad every day will:
As with typical walking, moving on the foldable pad:
A walking pad shouldn’t be a full-blown substitution for your outdoor routine. Use it as an alternative way to stay active when the weather makes outdoor walking too daunting.
The duration of an indoor walking workout on the pad will depend on your fitness levels.
1. Beginners
2. Intermediate Users
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3. Advanced Fitness-Focused
Walking is a low-impact activity. You can always double the time and upgrade the pace if you feel up to that. These guidelines are general and can be adjusted based on exercise experience and individual goals.
A walking pad workout plan for weight loss can also be done daily. It’s quite similar to the walking pad routine mentioned above. Slight changes are still present though, as you need to intensify your workout to blast more calories. Here’s the short sample of a beginner-friendly calorie-smashing session:
You should prioritize supportive footwear to minimize joint stress and prevent discomfort during longer walking sessions.
Read more: Incline Walking vs Running for Fat Loss: Which Is Better?
Your weight and speed are two factors that determine the number of calories you burn in a given session. You can use a walking pad workout app or a wearable fitness tracker to measure your step totals.
Burning 500 calories for beginners may be quite challenging, but if you feel strong enough to burn more calories, here’s a short breakdown for you based on the online calculator:
These numbers are approximate. Your initial weight, sex, and fitness experience also affect the results. The more experienced you are, the higher your chances of completing longer distances, but your intensity will need to be much higher than a beginner’s in order to maximize calorie burn.
Instead of striving to burn more calories, try to enjoy the process itself. Turn on your favorite TV show while you walk, as this will smooth out this activity. You’ll be doing a favor to your body and getting a real kick out of watching movies, soap operas, and so on. Remember that every movement you do throughout the day will burn calories, so even if you can only get a quick walk in, it will still be better than nothing.
The estimated time to walk 5 miles on a walking pad will depend on your speed and incline. In this case, buying a walking pad with an incline may be a better option. Generally, incline walking is beneficial to you as it burns more calories than flat ground walking, increases your heart rate, and helps with weight loss when paired with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet. Incline walking has also proven to have a great outcome among people with knee and ankle problems (4). However, it’s important to contact a medical professional before you get started on this plan. This is particularly true if you’re injured, as they’ll be able to create a plan to safely get you back to 100% again.
We all want to put as low pressure on our joints as possible – incline walking on the walking pad with proper footwear and proper form can help you out.
Below, you’ll see a rough table that shows you how much you’ll have to walk to reach 5 miles on the walking pad.
| Speed | Incline | Estimated time for 5 miles |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 mph | Flat | +-2 hours 30 minutes |
| 2.5 mph | Flat | 2 hours |
| 2.8-3.2 mph | Flat | +-1 hour 35-45 minutes |
| 3.0 mph | 2-3% incline | +-1hour 30-40 minutes |
| 3.5 mph | Flat, or 1-2% incline | +-1 hour 25-30 minutes |
This guide helped you discover a home-based walking pad workout plan for boosting fitness. It’s easy, accessible, and time-saving, particularly for busy people. Just make sure that you wear well-padded shoes to avoid slipping and injuries.
A walking pad workout is a great way to tone your body. This workout increases your heart rate, which affects both mental health and physique. It’s possible to lose weight while walking on the pad – pairing it with a balanced diet and additional loads can help you crush even more calories, enhance performance, and endurance.
If you’ve been considering purchasing a walking pad, it’s totally worth it, particularly for sedentary adults. Start with smaller 15-20 minute sessions, do it consistently, and your body will thank you.
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