When's the best time of day to exercise? First thing in the morning of course! Morning exercisers tend to stick with their workouts because nothing else (besides sleep) has a chance to get in the way. So I designed this progressive four-week walking program specifically for morning walkers who might meet up with friends to keep their workouts social and motivating.
You can, of course, do these workouts solo, on a treadmill or outdoors, or any time of day. Each one burns about 300 calories. Coupled with a reduced-calorie diet (try SparkPeople's free calorie tracker to find out how much you should eat to lose weight), this plan can help jump-start your weight loss in just one month!
WEEK 1
| Day | Workout | Intensity | Total Minutes | | Sunday | Practice maintaining a consistent pace. | RPE: 5 | 30 | | Monday | Walk briskly for 5 min; go hard for 1 min. Repeat 5 times. | RPE: 5-7 | 30 | | Tuesday | Ready to work? Increase your pace or incline at least 4 times along the way. | RPE: 5-7 | 30 | | Wednesday | Hum a song that you and your friends know and stay on pace with it. | RPE: 5 | 30 | | Thursday | Increase your pace or incline at least 4 times. | RPE: 5-7 | 30 | | Friday | Walk briskly 5 min; go all-out for 1 min. Repeat 5 times. | RPE: 5-7 | 30 | | Saturday | Rest today. | | |
WEEK 2
| Day | Workout | Intensity | Total Minutes | | Sunday | Walk up and down hills as many times as possible. | RPE: 6-8 | 35 | | Monday | Walk as fast as you can. | RPE: 8 | 35 | | Tuesday | Step briskly for 6 min, then super fast for 2. Repeat 5 times. | RPE: 6-8 | 40 | | Wednesday | Strut at a steady, moderate pace. | RPE: 5 | 40 | | Thursday | Have a friendly race uphill. | RPE: 6 | 30 | | Friday | Step briskly for 6 min, then super fast for 2. Repeat 5 times. | RPE: 6-8 | 40 | | Saturday | Rest today. | | |
WEEK 3
| Day | Workout | Intensity | Total Minutes | | Sunday | Maintain your pace and intensity. | RPE: 6 | 40 | | Monday | Walk as fast as you can for 5 min; recover. Repeat. | RPE: 6-8 | 40 | | Tuesday | Work your glutes: Climb a slight hill or incline most of the workout. | RPE: 7 | 40 | | Wednesday | Walk quickly for 6 min; walk your fastest for 3 min. Repeat 5 times. | RPE: 6-8 | 45 | | Thursday | Trek up and down a tough hill nonstop. | RPE: 6-8 | 45 | | Friday | Find a slight hill to climb steady and strong most of the workout. | RPE: 7 | 45 | | Saturday | Rest today. | | |
WEEK 4
| Day | Workout | Intensity | Total Minutes | | Sunday | Walk 6 min; up the pace OR incline for 3 min. Repeat. | RPE: 6-8 | 45 | | Monday | Maintain a fast and furious speed. | RPE: 7 | 45 | | Tuesday | Walk up and down a hill as many times as possible. | RPE: 6-8 | 45 | | Wednesday | Walk briskly for 6 min; boost speed or incline for 3 min. Repeat. | RPE: 6-8 | 45 | | Thursday | Work your butt off today. Talking should be difficult. | RPE: 7-8 | 45 | | Friday | Grand finale! Go all-out. Change incline and speed at will. | RPE: 8 | 45 | | Saturday | Rest today. You've earned it! | | |
Going fast enough? Count your strides for one minute. Your goal is at least 55 strides per minute.
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