This revised guide reorganises Walking Is Great Exercise — But Research Shows Why Adding Strength Training Can Make Your Routine More Complete into a clearer, more practical format while preserving the original advice and context.
Walking is one of the simplest and most accessible ways to be physically active, but a 2026 study highlights why walking alone may not provide the full mix of exercise recommended for many adults.
Researchers analysing data from 396,261 US adults found that walking was by far the most commonly reported leisure-time physical activity.
However, among adults who identified walking as their main leisure activity, only about one in four met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity guidelines.
The finding does not mean walking is ineffective or that people should stop doing it.
Instead, it suggests that many walkers could benefit from adding strength training or other activities so their weekly routine covers more aspects of fitness.
What did the 2026 study examine?
The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One on 1 April 2026.
Christiaan Abildso of West Virginia University and colleagues analysed data from the 2019 US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
The study included 396,261 adults.
Participants reported the leisure-time activities they spent the most time doing, chosen from a large list of possible activities.
Walking was the clear number-one activity
Walking was the most popular leisure-time physical activity in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.
About 44.1% of respondents reported walking as the activity they spent the most time doing.
That is a major strength from a public-health perspective because walking generally requires little equipment, can be done in many locations and can be adapted to different fitness levels.
What did the study find about walkers?
The most important finding was not that walking failed.
It was that many people who walked were still not meeting the full combination of recommended activity targets.
Roughly 25% of walkers met both the aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines.
About 22% did not meet either guideline.
The remaining participants met one type of guideline but not both.
Why walking may not cover strength recommendations
Walking primarily provides aerobic activity.
It uses the muscles of the legs and trunk, but ordinary walking does not usually provide progressive resistance across all major muscle groups.
Strength recommendations are designed to challenge muscles against resistance.
This can include weights, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises or other forms of loaded movement.
Does that mean walking does not build any strength?
No.
Walking requires muscular work and can improve lower-body endurance, especially in people who were previously inactive.
Hill walking, stairs and carrying a load can increase the muscular challenge.
But those benefits are not identical to a structured strengthening programme that progressively trains the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.
What are the usual adult activity guidelines?
Public-health guidelines commonly recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or a smaller amount of vigorous activity.
Adults are also generally advised to perform muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days each week.
The exact recommendations can vary by country, age and health status.
People with medical conditions, disabilities or pregnancy-related considerations may need individual guidance from an appropriate healthcare professional.
What counts as moderate walking?
A brisk walk is a common example of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
One practical guide is the “talk test”.
During moderate exercise, many people can talk but would find it difficult to sing continuously.
Intensity varies between individuals, so the same walking speed may be easy for one person and challenging for another.
Does every walk have to be fast?
No.
Easy walking still adds movement to the day and can be useful for people beginning from a low activity level.
But if the goal is to meet moderate-intensity aerobic recommendations, at least some walking may need to be brisk enough to raise breathing and heart rate.
People can gradually increase duration or pace rather than attempting a large jump immediately.
What counts as strength training?
Strength work can take many forms.
Examples include squats, lunges, push-ups, rows, resistance-band exercises, free weights and weight machines.
Some forms of yoga and functional exercise can also provide meaningful muscular resistance.
The important principle is that muscles are challenged enough to adapt over time.
Why strength becomes especially important with age
Adults naturally lose muscle mass and strength as they get older.
Resistance training can help maintain strength, physical function and the ability to perform everyday tasks.
Stronger muscles can support activities such as climbing stairs, carrying shopping and getting up from a chair.
For older adults, balance training can also be important for reducing fall risk.
A simple way to combine walking and strength work
A routine does not need to be complicated.
Someone might walk briskly for 30 minutes on five days each week and perform short strength sessions on two non-consecutive days.
Those strength sessions could use bodyweight exercises at home or resistance machines in a gym.
The exact programme should reflect experience, goals, mobility and any relevant health considerations.
Can strength exercises be added to a walk?
Yes.
Some people use a walk as the aerobic portion of a session and then add 10 to 20 minutes of resistance work afterwards.
Others separate the activities across different days.
There is no universal requirement that strength and aerobic work must happen in the same session.
What are “exercise snacks”?
Short bursts of physical activity spread through the day are sometimes described as exercise snacks.
Examples include climbing stairs, doing a short set of squats or taking a brisk five-minute walk.
For people who struggle to find a continuous 30- or 60-minute block, accumulating movement in shorter periods can make activity easier to fit around work and family responsibilities.
Why the study looked at rural and urban differences
The researchers were interested not only in what people did but also in whether preferred activities differed according to where they lived.
Urban residents were more likely to report activities such as running, weightlifting, cycling and dance.
Rural residents more often reported gardening, hunting, fishing, household work and farm or ranch work.
These differences may reflect available facilities, transport, culture, geography and everyday lifestyle.
Rural adults were less likely to meet the guidelines
The study found that non-metropolitan residents were less likely to meet minimum aerobic, muscle-strengthening and combined guidelines and were more likely to be inactive.
That does not mean living in a rural area itself causes lower fitness.
The analysis was observational and cannot establish a simple cause-and-effect relationship.
Access to pavements, gyms, parks, safe roads and organised activities can all vary by location.
Why infrastructure matters
It is easier to tell people to walk more when there are safe places to walk.
Road shoulders, pavements, lighting, parks and trails can influence whether regular activity feels practical.
The study’s authors highlighted community-level changes such as improving trails, green spaces and access to local facilities.
Public health is therefore not only about individual motivation.
What are the study’s limitations?
The data came from a 2019 telephone survey.
Participants reported their own activity, which can introduce recall or reporting error.
The research was cross-sectional, meaning it described associations at one point rather than following people over time to prove that one activity caused better or worse health.
The participants were US adults, so the exact percentages should not automatically be assumed to apply to the UK or every other country.
Why the headline “walking isn’t enough” is too simplistic
The study did not randomly assign people to walking-only and strength-training groups and then compare health outcomes.
It examined what activities people reported and whether they met established guidelines.
A person who walks vigorously for several hours a week may obtain substantial aerobic benefits.
The missing component for many walkers is muscle-strengthening activity, not evidence that walking itself is ineffective.
The cardiovascular benefits of walking
Regular walking can help people increase aerobic activity without needing specialist equipment.
Brisk walking can contribute toward cardiovascular fitness and daily energy expenditure.
It may also be easier to maintain consistently than more demanding forms of exercise.
Consistency is important because a theoretically perfect programme provides little benefit if a person cannot sustain it.
Walking and body weight
Walking uses energy and can contribute to weight management when combined with overall diet and lifestyle.
The number of calories used depends on body size, pace, terrain and duration.
Exercise alone does not guarantee weight loss because food intake and other factors also influence energy balance.
People should avoid treating a daily step target as a promise of a specific amount of weight loss.
Why strength training complements walking
Strength exercise trains physical qualities that steady walking does not target as directly.
It can increase muscular strength and improve the ability to generate force.
That can make daily movement easier and support performance in other activities.
Combining aerobic and resistance exercise therefore creates a more rounded routine than focusing entirely on one mode.
Should beginners start both at once?
They can, but progression should be manageable.
Someone who is currently inactive may benefit first from establishing a regular walking habit and adding simple resistance work gradually.
Doing too much too quickly can create soreness or injury and make the routine harder to maintain.
People with significant health problems or symptoms should seek appropriate professional advice before starting a demanding new programme.
Do you need a gym?
No.
Bodyweight movements, resistance bands and household objects can provide resistance at home.
A gym offers more equipment and easier progression for some people, but it is not essential for basic strength work.
The best environment is one that is safe, accessible and sustainable.
What about gardening?
Gardening can involve moderate activity, lifting, carrying and repeated movement.
Some forms can contribute to both aerobic and muscular work.
However, intensity varies widely.
Light pottering in a garden is not equivalent to sustained brisk activity or a structured resistance workout.
Why enjoyment matters
The study looked at preferred leisure activities because people are more likely to continue movement they enjoy and can access.
A person who dislikes gyms may be more consistent with walking, gardening or cycling.
Rather than replacing a preferred activity, the researchers suggested it may be more practical to augment it.
For a walker, that could mean keeping the walks and adding a small amount of strength work.
A realistic weekly example
One possible routine for a generally healthy adult could include brisk walking on most days and two short full-body strength sessions.
Those sessions might include a squat or sit-to-stand movement, a pushing exercise, a pulling exercise, a hip-hinge movement and some core work.
This is an example, not an individual prescription.
Exercise should be adapted to ability and health status.
What the study really tells us
The main lesson is about completeness rather than competition between exercise types.
Walking was the most popular activity by a wide margin.
That makes it an excellent foundation for public-health programmes.
But because many walkers did not meet muscle-strengthening recommendations, encouraging complementary activities could help more people reach the full guidelines.
Conclusion
The 2026 PLOS One study reinforces both the strength and the limitation of walking as a fitness habit.
Walking is accessible, popular and capable of contributing substantially to weekly aerobic activity.
But only about one-quarter of walkers in the US survey met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines.
The practical response is not to abandon walking. It is to build on it.
For many adults, adding two manageable strength sessions each week can create a more complete routine while preserving the simplicity and enjoyment that make walking easy to sustain.
Sources and further reading
See the original peer-reviewed study in PLOS One and current physical-activity guidance from national public-health authorities. This article is general information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.
About The Author
