This Outdoor Walking Routine Will Tone Your Butt

This Outdoor Walking Routine Will Tone Your Butt

The most primal mode of exercise is walking. And although each step we take requires work from the glutes, simply strolling around isn't going to be enough to perk up your rear.
The 6 exercises below, on the other hand, are specifically designed to harness the power of walking to boost your behind. Perform one workout every day of the week, leaving one to rest, to see results in 8 weeks. 

Power Endurance Walk

With this routine you'll sustain a challenging pace over an extended period of time with little to no fluctuation in speed. To identify your power walk pace (for most people, it's 3.5 to 4.2 miles per hour), find the speed that you can walk and sustain, just shy of transitioning to a jog. Once you've established your pace, take off through a safe neighborhood or park, or on a track. Walk at that pace for 60 minutes, and aim to cover 3.5 miles.

Fartlek Power Walk

Fartleks, a Swedish term that describes a combination of continuous training and interval training, work the heart and lungs while toning the butt. Here's how to do it: Perform 3 minutes of your fastest power walk followed by 2 minutes of walking at a comfortable pace. Repeat that pattern for 25 minutes (5 sets).

One thing to note: The high intervals should be very challenging. If your fastest power walk does not make you breathe very heavily, you may want to consider either transitioning to a faster pace (jog/run) for the high interval period or spending more time in the power-walking interval and less in the recovery interval.

Hill Repeats

Find an outdoor incline steep enough that your butt will feel the burn of the hill, yet shallow enough that you will be able to trek to the top without stopping. The length of this incline should be approximately one-tenth of a mile, and you should aim to make it to the top of the hill in 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. Give yourself 1 minute to actively recover as you walk down the hill, allowing momentum to carry you. Repeat for 30 total minutes, which will add up to 10-12 hill repeats. (Stuck indoors? Try this treadmill hill workout.)

For extra burn, wear a weighted vest, like the Hyperwear Hyper Vest Pro, pictured.

Traveling Warrior III to Lunge Forward

This movement pattern will challenge your strength, stability, mobility, and flexibility.  Balance on one foot and tip at your hips until your torso and opposite leg, which is extended long to the back, are parallel to the ground. This will strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Next, step the back leg through to lunge forward with your knee positioned over your ankle, bending through your knees and hips. This will strengthen your glutes, quadriceps, and core. Continue moving forward in this pattern, lifting up to Warrior III from your lunge forward. You will not walk far with each step, but distance is not the goal. You will be slow, steady, and strong, sculpting your butt and thighs. Perform this pattern for 10 minutes.

Half-Mile Walk to Step-Ups

Begin your walk at a park or track with a bench, picnic table, stable rock, or bleachers that can be used for step-ups. To start, walk away from your starting point (the step) for a quarter mile, and then turn around and walk back. This will take 6 to 7.5 minutes for most walkers. Once you're back at the step, perform 22 step-ups, alternating your lead leg each time. The step-ups will take 75 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the height of your step. Repeat the walk to step-ups 4 times. Expect this workout to take 30 to 40 minutes.