If you are looking to tone your legs and add some intensity to your normal walking routine, hill walking is something you can start using immediately to get results. While walking alone can help you to burn calories and lose weight over time, hill walking increases the number of calories you can burn and forces your muscles to do more work. This will help you to get the tone and definition in your legs that you are looking for. In order to begin hill walking, though, there are some things that you need to understand in order to make the most of your workouts.
The Basics of Hill Walking
You can get the benefits of hill walking on a treadmill at the gym by using a setting that requires you to walk uphill. However, the best way to take advantage of hill walking is to find an outdoors area that offers hills. This may mean finding a section of your neighborhood that has hills or, better yet, a park that has many of them to incorporate into your routine. Using the treadmill is fine if you do not have access to hills, but it also puts a lot more stress on your muscles and also does not allow you to get the benefits of walking downhill. Once you've found your hills, slowing work them into your walking routine. At first, just walk a few hills during your normal workout. Walk up them and then walk back down as well. You should feel your calves, thighs and quads work to help you move up and down the hills. Over time, add more hills into your workout routine to continue to work these muscles.
The Advantages of Hill Walking
By walking up and down hills, you should start to notice results almost immediately. For starters, hill walking helps strengthen the muscles in your legs. They are not used to being pushed to walk uphill and downhill regularly. Therefore, they may be a little sore at first as you get used to hill walking. They will adjust, though, and start to gain tone and definition to them. Walking uphill and downhill will also help get your entire body into better shape. Unlike regular walking, your heart rate will go up when you walk on hills because your body will need to work harder to do it. This will get oxygen flowing through your body more quickly and help you build up more stamina.
Hill walking is a great way to get your body into shape. Unlike running, it does not put a ton of stress on your knees or feet. But you need to be sure to stretch properly before you walk hills. Your body will need some time to adjust to the new exercises you're putting it through, too, so make sure that you get all the rest you need. Eat properly as well to help your muscles rebuild. If you do all of this, hill walking can help the muscles in your legs to grow stronger and look better in no time.
0 Comments