Which Muscles Are Worked in Brisk Walking or Power Walking? What Body Parts Are Toned?

Brisk walking or power walking for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we exercising when brisk walking or power walking?

Depending on the sport practised, certain areas of the body will be worked harder than others, but what about when you go for a brisk or sporty walk? Will you tone and refine your figure by walking briskly? Below is a list of the muscles and muscle groups strengthened and sculpted by brisk walking!

Upper limbs (shoulders, arms and forearms)

Brisk or sporty walking involves very little effort from the upper limbs via the swinging movements of the arms.

Trunk and pelvis (Chest, stomach and back)

• The abdominal muscles: These are made up of several layers of muscle(rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transverse), whose function is to flex and rotate the trunk.
• The muscles of the back: The back groups together more muscles such as the trapezius, the dorsalis major, the rhomboids, the infraspinatus and the round muscle. These muscles play a variety of roles. From the dorsal to the lumbar muscles, they ensure the mobility of the arms and shoulder, maintain posture and protect the spine.

Lower limbs (buttocks, thighs and calves)

• The quadriceps: These are located at the front of the thigh. The quadriceps are each made up of 4 muscles (the vastus femoris or rectus femoris, the vastus lateralis, the vastus medialis and the vastus intermedius). These muscles facilitate flexion of the thigh on the hip and extension of the leg on the thigh.
• The hamstring muscles: Located on the back of the thigh, there are four of these muscles(biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus). They ensure flexion of the leg and extension of the thigh.
• Calf muscles: Also known as the sural triceps, the calf muscles are made up of 3 muscle groups, including the soleus and the gastrocnemius. These muscles help to extend the foot down the leg

Brisk walking helps to tone the whole body. It primarily works the lower limbs, particularly the buttocks and thighs. By bending and extending the leg, the hamstrings and quadriceps are strengthened.