Skip to main content
Close Menu
menu
PeopleOne Health Sign In
  • PeopleOne Health Close menu
  • SparkAmerica Calendar
  • More Articles
  • Learn About PeopleOne
  • Sign In
Healthy Living  •  Flex Your Fitness Muscle  •  Spark360 Workouts

A 12-Week Beginner Walking Program That Builds Endurance

Jen Mueller
By Jen Mueller

It’s time to start moving! Walking is an excellent form of exercise, especially for beginners or people returning to fitness after a long time off. This introductory walking program will help you build enough endurance to safely and effectively increase the time that you walk over the course of 12 weeks. You can follow this heart-healthy walking program whether you walk on a treadmill, track or other outdoor venue.

Getting Started


Use the FIT (frequency, intensity and time) Principles for a safe and effective workout:

  • Frequency: Try the walking workout listed three times each week, ideally with a day off between workouts to allow your body to recover. If a particular week's workouts feel too tiring for you, repeat that week again before moving ahead to the next week’s workout.
  • Intensity: Walk at a brisk—not leisurely—pace. Don’t worry about your actual speed, but do pay attention to your overall intensity, aiming for four to six on a scale of one to 10. You’ll find a full explanation of this intensity scale (known as RPE) below the workouts.
  • Time: Try to follow the suggested guidelines to the best of your ability, which means that you'll walk two to three minutes more with each passing week.
And remember, always warm up and cool down. Warming up at a slow pace will help prepare your joints, muscles and heart for exercise. Cooling down will prepare your body to return to a resting state, help prevent muscle soreness, and prevent illness and injury.

Using the RPE to Measure Intensity


Rate of Perceived Exertion, or RPE may be the most versatile method to measure exercise intensity for all age groups. Using this method is simple, because all you have to do is estimate how hard you feel like you’re exerting yourself during exercise. RPE is a good measure of intensity because it is individualized—it’s based on your current fitness level and overall perception of exercise. The scale ranges from one to 10, allowing you to rate how you feel physically and mentally at a given intensity level.
An RPE between five and seven is recommended for most adults. This means that at the height of your workout, you should feel you are working "somewhat hard" to "hard." The guidelines given for this specific workout program are for beginners and therefore reflect a somewhat lower intensity level.


Related Articles

  • 4 Quick Sweat Sessions for When You Have No Time to Exercise 4 Quick Sweat Sessions for When You Have No Time to Exercise
  • Intermediate Walking Workouts Intermediate Walking Workouts
  • The Only 5 Moves You Need to Achieve Your First Pull-Up The Only 5 Moves You Need to Achieve Your First Pull-Up
  • Walking Workouts with Intervals Walking Workouts with Intervals
  • 5 Powerful Plyometric Moves for Beginners 5 Powerful Plyometric Moves for Beginners
  • 6 Budget-Friendly Ways to Work Out at Home 6 Budget-Friendly Ways to Work Out at Home
  • 3 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Treadmill Workout 3 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Treadmill Workout
  • Walk Off Up to 20 Pounds in 2 Months Walk Off Up to 20 Pounds in 2 Months
  • 8 Effective Exercises You Can Do With 1 Resistance Band 8 Effective Exercises You Can Do With 1 Resistance Band
  • Anyone Can Run 1 Mile With the Right Training Plan Anyone Can Run 1 Mile With the Right Training Plan
Sign In to PeopleOne
© PeopleOne Health 2025 Privacy Policy Terms of Use