One of the most effective yet often overlooked strategies for weight loss is simply walking more often or further.
NASM-certified personal trainer Peter Conroy has other ideas. The founders of The Difference App suggest adding different arm exercises to your walks to make them more effective.
“Adding exercise to walking adds a new dimension that is both rewarding and fun,” he explains.
“These exercises can also help you reach your weight goal faster, if you have one.”
Adding dumbbells, wrist, or ankle weights isn’t mandatory, but it will make walking and these exercises even more difficult, strengthening your muscles and further increasing your calorie burn.
Conroy recommends a base number of repetitions of 10. But as you get stronger, he suggests gradually increasing the number of repetitions in each set from 10 to 20 or even 30.
He recommends three sets during your walk, but feel free to reduce or increase the number of sets depending on the length of your walk.
Try these arm exercises while you’re out for a walk.
1. Arm circle
watch on
set: 3 manager: 10 rest: 30 seconds
Muscles worked: Arm rotation primarily strengthens the deltoid muscles (the muscles in the front, sides, and back of the shoulders).
manner:
- First, place your hands next to your body and gently shake them as you step.
- Decide on the direction you want to rotate, then start drawing a circle in a wide arc. Aim to move your arms 360 degrees to rotate your shoulders as much as possible.
- Allow your arms to move naturally during rest periods, changing direction between sets and repeating.
“This is bodyweight training, which means you can use your own physique to provide resistance without the use of additional equipment,” says Conroy.
“However, if you want an extra challenge, you can also hold light 1- to 5-pound dumbbells in your hands or wear weighted cuffs on your wrists.”
2. Alternating overhead reaches
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set: 3 manager: 5 pieces on each side rest: 30 seconds
Muscles worked: This exercise strengthens your core and core muscles, including your obliques, transversus abdominis, erector spinae, and deltoids.
It also stretches your lats (large muscles in your back and sides), obliques (muscles on the sides of your lower back), and intercostal muscles (muscles between your ribs).
manner:
- Place your hands beside your body and slowly swing at your own pace.
- Stretch one hand slightly above your head, and at the same time stretch the other hand down the outside of your thigh.
- Alternate until the set is complete.
- Move your arms naturally during your breaks.
Not only is this an effective bodyweight workout, Conroy says, but it’s also a great dynamic stretch if you hold the tops of your hands for two to three seconds.
As with the previous exercise, you can increase the difficulty by holding dumbbells or wrist weights.
“When you perform this exercise while stationary, your raised hands move further above your head, causing your hips to bend further,” says Conroy.
He added that if you do this exercise on the go, you’re likely to have a reduced range of motion because it feels more natural to have a smaller reach.
“Watch your balance as it’s a little difficult to time it to match your stride,” he added.
3. Arm clap or arm swing
watch on
set: 3 manager: 10 rest: 30 seconds
Muscles worked: This exercise primarily strengthens the anterior and posterior deltoids (shoulders), pectoralis major (chest), and trapezius (upper back stabilizers).
Similar to alternating overhead reaches, this exercise also acts as a stretch and targets the pectoralis (chest) and anterior deltoids.
manner:
- Extend your arms straight out from your shoulders and point your fingers.
- Spread your arms parallel to the ground and as wide as possible behind you.
- Swing your arms forward, clap your hands, or cross your arms, alternating which arm goes up and which goes down.
- Move your arms naturally during the break and repeat.
“This exercise is often done as a warm-up, but it’s just as effective during a walk. You can time each swing to a rhythm.”
Peter Conroy is the founder and CEO of The Difference, a weight management technology designed to be predictive, intuitive, and affordable.
He holds a certificate in personal training from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and has over 10 years of experience in health advocacy and awareness.
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