does walking?

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SarahSosi
SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
does walking/jojjing build muscles? i have been doing this in quite a time and really want to know! coz honestly iam not into weight lifting! i just love to walk? i hope someone knows?

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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    It will build strength in the form of muscular endurance and help reduce body fat (making the muscles look more prominent/defined due to the decrease in body fat), but it will not make the muscles bigger. If walking/jogging caused muscular hypertrophy, marathon runners would look like bodybuilders.
  • lanie37
    lanie37 Posts: 204 Member
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    builds up legs muscles, you could wear wrist and ankle weights too.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    no, not really. walking/jogging doesn't build up muscle very much. it can help you lose weight, but if you really want to drop the body fat percentage, you'll have to do strength training.

    strength training doesn't mean picking up barbells, but you can do body weight stuff.
  • MiChell46
    MiChell46 Posts: 2
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    Walking and jogging are forms of cardio. While you may lose weight and gain overall muscle tone by doing each, you will not necessarily build muscle. You should be doing some sort of strengthening exercise to do that. If weight lifting is not your thing, then look into pilates or yoga. Both require muscle strength and will therefore help build muscles.
  • hongruss
    hongruss Posts: 389 Member
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    Don't get caught up with what others think, if you love walking DO walking.

    Russ
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    it causes your muscles to lean out -- they thin out to work more efficiently. Not a great muscle building exercise. More beneficiel for fat burn and for overall health (cardio for your heart, ya know)..... suck it up and lift some weights.
  • SarahSosi
    SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
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    i really hope so coz my legs looks a little bit saggy! so a little muscles can keep them holding up together a bit :cry: :noway:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    no, not really. walking/jogging doesn't build up muscle very much. it can help you lose weight, but if you really want to drop the body fat percentage, you'll have to do strength training.

    strength training doesn't mean picking up barbells, but you can do body weight stuff.
    ^this
  • SarahSosi
    SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
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    it causes your muscles to lean out -- they thin out to work more efficiently. Not a great muscle building exercise. More beneficiel for fat burn and for overall health (cardio for your heart, ya know)..... suck it up and lift some weights.



    hehehehe Mary :laugh: will do that hun! thanks
  • walkermom58
    walkermom58 Posts: 86 Member
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    I have trained and walked 3 Half Marathons. My legs are very strong and their muscles are hard. It bulds stronger bones and is good for your heart if you walk fast enough. One added benefit to training and walking that many miles is it helps make your tush look good:smile: However, if you don't watch your calorie intake you won't lose weight. Also, it's good to do some cross training/strength training along with it. P.S. It's also good for your mood, you just feel good and energized.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    It will build strength in the form of muscular endurance and help reduce body fat (making the muscles look more prominent/defined due to the decrease in body fat), but it will not make the muscles bigger. If walking/jogging caused muscular hypertrophy, marathon runners would look like bodybuilders.

    This^^ That being said, if you enjoy walking, walk! It burns fat and works your heart. Is there are reason you wa to build muscle?
  • SarahSosi
    SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
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    I have trained and walked 3 Half Marathons. My legs are very strong and their muscles are hard. It bulds stronger bones and is good for your heart if you walk fast enough. One added benefit to training and walking that many miles is it helps make your tush look good:smile: However, if you don't watch your calorie intake you won't lose weight. Also, it's good to do some cross training/strength training along with it. P.S. It's also good for your mood, you just feel good and energized.

    hehehe in love with what u said hun! indeed it really fixes the mood! iam not eating less than 1000c and doing walks fast ones for an hour or more! but still hasn't lost weight yet!
  • SarahSosi
    SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
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    It will build strength in the form of muscular endurance and help reduce body fat (making the muscles look more prominent/defined due to the decrease in body fat), but it will not make the muscles bigger. If walking/jogging caused muscular hypertrophy, marathon runners would look like bodybuilders.

    This^^ That being said, if you enjoy walking, walk! It burns fat and works your heart. Is there are reason you wa to build muscle?



    i do enjoy walking aloooooooooooot i want to build muscle coz i was told that when i have muscle i lose weight more !!!! i have been struggeling with weight! i have been walking for more than an hour everyday! and nothing is down from my weight! i don't eat less than 1000c?
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    I started cycling about a month ago and my legs have bulked up a noticeable amount. I think that if you were previously inactive enough and push yourself hard during cardio that you can build muscle. Then again, I feel like I'm going into anaerobic territory on those uphills, so maybe it's attributed to that. I'm no expert.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    It will build strength in the form of muscular endurance and help reduce body fat (making the muscles look more prominent/defined due to the decrease in body fat), but it will not make the muscles bigger. If walking/jogging caused muscular hypertrophy, marathon runners would look like bodybuilders.

    This^^ That being said, if you enjoy walking, walk! It burns fat and works your heart. Is there are reason you wa to build muscle?



    i do enjoy walking aloooooooooooot i want to build muscle coz i was told that when i have muscle i lose weight more !!!! i have been struggeling with weight! i have been walking for more than an hour everyday! and nothing is down from my weight! i don't eat less than 1000c?

    Well I'm not sure what the person that told you that meant but having more muscle tissue itself doesn't do much to help you lose weight. The number is usually about 6 calories per day for every pound of muscle added. But the process of either building or strengthening muscles does help burn a lot of fat through strength training. It the training itself and the effect on your calories burning aftrewards that is the key. You may only burn 200 calories in a strength session but you body will rev at a higher rate for sometime after burning more calories all the while.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    My husband has always been extremely firm, with very well defined muscles and as far as I am concerned his muscles are big, but he is also quite lean (not skinny). It is easier for guys, of course. He bikes, plays soccer, goes on hikes and then runs down the mountain, and has an active lifestyle as an experimental physicist, which involves building and needing to climb into small spaces and a lot of intricate work. Personally as a dancer I always had very defined muscles, especially in my abs (also a low body fat percent). I am lifting weights now that I am in my mid 30's (as part of maintaining my fitness now and well into the future) and I am happy with the results and enjoy the process. I am also a mother of 2. I am seeing more rapid results than others because of my low body fat percent. I also walk a lot and have always enjoyed many physical activities. Healthy eating has always been an interest of mine (for general health, brain health, skin health and reducing inflammation because of medical issues) and I'm sure that contributes. Not sure if this helps answer the questions or not, but seemed to relate to the direction of the comment thread, and just an example of different options. If you don't have the option of lifting weights, body weight exercises are fantastic. You can even do pull-ups at a park (I get a lot of exercise just trying things out when I take my kids to the park).
  • SarahSosi
    SarahSosi Posts: 349 Member
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    My husband has always been extremely firm, with very well defined muscles and as far as I am concerned his muscles are big, but he is also quite lean (not skinny). It is easier for guys, of course. He bikes, plays soccer, goes on hikes and then runs down the mountain, and has an active lifestyle as an experimental physicist, which involves building and needing to climb into small spaces and a lot of intricate work. Personally as a dancer I always had very defined muscles, especially in my abs (also a low body fat percent). I am lifting weights now that I am in my mid 30's (as part of maintaining my fitness now and well into the future) and I am happy with the results and enjoy the process. I am also a mother of 2. I am seeing more rapid results than others because of my low body fat percent. I also walk a lot and have always enjoyed many physical activities. Healthy eating has always been an interest of mine (for general health, brain health, skin health and reducing inflammation because of medical issues) and I'm sure that contributes. Not sure if this helps answer the questions or not, but seemed to relate to the direction of the comment thread, and just an example of different options. If you don't have the option of lifting weights, body weight exercises are fantastic. You can even do pull-ups at a park (I get a lot of exercise just trying things out when I take my kids to the park).
    ehheheeh it helped alot! thanks hun! will try and do the weight lifting in the next upcoming days!
  • gramacanada
    gramacanada Posts: 557 Member
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    No. The walking will use more calories than staying sedentary, and you'll lose weight if you adjust your caloric intake. The only way to gain muscle is weight work. Doesn't mean lifting weights. Exercise bands are great. Yoga is great. Ankle weights for walking haven't been recommended for years. It throws off your stride and makes you injury prone. Cycling is different from walking, it uses muscle power. If there's any tension on the wheel. It's weight work. If there's no tension it's cardio.

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