When I only have 20 minutes to myself, it can be difficult to choose what to do with the time.
Should I commit to doing some cardio exercise, or simply enjoy a stroll in the park?
Strength and conditioning specialist Logan Herlihy of Reformed Fitness says you don’t have to choose.
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“Simple walking at a moderate pace is a great way to start, but once you’ve been doing that for a while, it can be beneficial to add more difficulty to your walking workout, without investing significantly more time,” he says.
Herlihy draws inspiration from the world-renowned high-intensity interval training (HIIT) researcher Martin Gibala, who says you only need one minute of hard effort to work out effectively.
For Gibala’s method, participants would spend approximately 10 minutes on a stationary bike and complete one minute of high-intensity work, using the rest of the time to recover.
“Walking is inherently a lower intensity exercise, so I’ve modified the intervals and the rest periods accordingly,” says Herlihy.
“I love this routine because it’s simple and easy to track. You can also shorten or extend [the workout] based on your available time,” he adds.
20-minute walking workout
1. Warm-up
Time: 2min
Walk at a comfortable pace to get your body moving and heart rate slightly elevated.
2. Intervals
Sets: 6 Time: 40sec Rest: 1min 20sec
- Speed up so you are walking as fast as you can for 40 seconds, with your arms pumping, but without breaking into a run. Your pulse should increase.
- Slow down to a recovery pace, which should be slower than your normal walking pace, for 1 minute and 20 seconds. Breathe deeply, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. The aim is to lower your pulse rate to the same level as the warm-up.
- Repeat the above, completing six sets in total.
3. Cool-down
Time: 6min
Walk at a comfortable, gradually slowing your pace down.
How to adjust this workout to your ability
If you find the workout too intense, here’s how to adapt it to suit your level.
- Shorten the intense effort. Make it 20 seconds of hard work, and one minute 40 seconds of recovery.
- Skip a round and continue your recovery walking for the next two minutes while you catch your breath, then start back up again on the following round.
Logan Herlihy is a certified personal trainer who has been working in the fitness industry for almost a decade. In that time, he has run almost 25,000 personal and small group training sessions. He is a high-intensity training specialist, but also covers bodybuilding and strength and conditioning. In 2022, he obtained his strength and conditioning certification.
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