5 Youtube Indoor Walking Workouts (2024)

Do you ever struggle to get your daily steps?

Raise your hand if one of these applies to you:

you want to get steps in, but it’s just so darn chilly/rainy outside!
you know you should get steps in, but oh, it’s just so much easier to laze around on the couch!
you want to get exercise into your day, but you overdid it yesterday or the day before and need a lighter version today!

Well, I have the perfect solution: an indoor walking workout!

Many of us have been cooped up indoors for the winter and are working from home. So we’re not doing as much physical activity as we otherwise would. Our routines are likely different from when we were going outside to other places, and it can be easy for exercise to fall through the cracks. We may be less motivated when it’s dark outside, or we may be stressed from dealing with things both work- and home-related at the same time. Sometimes we plain just want to sit on the couch and veg out. We think, “Oh, I don’t have that kind of energy,” or “I don’t want to work out for an hour, that’s too much time.”

But what if you could do a simpler, low-impact workout? No heavy weights, no exhausting fitness regime – just a relaxing, easy walk? Sounds more doable, easier, right? You might be more readily persuaded to get up and get some steps in. After all, for many of us, the initial push is what we need: once we start, we’re more likely to continue.

Enter: indoor walking workouts! After a few minutes of walking, you just might be motivated to continue for a little longer, and even pump it up a notch with higher energy and stronger movements once those endorphins kick in!

What is a Walking Workout?

So what is a walking workout anyway? Well, it involves stepping (of course), but it’s much more than that. Walking is usually the basis of the workout. It may incorporate all sorts of steps that are a variation on walking:

March in place
Step side to side
Grapevine
Toe taps
Kicks
Knee ups/lifts
Kickbacks

You may also incorporate arm movements or move forward and backward for variation. Just like other workouts, walking workouts can be modified to be either more or less intense. One quick note to add: some may say these can be done barefoot since you’re indoors, but I’d recommend still wearing sneakers to maintain stability and friction on the floor.

5 Youtube Indoor Walking Workouts

If there’s so many workouts to choose from, how do you know which one to try? Well, the answer to that is just to test workouts from multiple instructors and see what you like. You’ll develop a preference for certain instructors over time and can follow them on Youtube for notifications about new workouts.

To help you get started, I’ve tested out 1-2 workouts from each of the top 5 fitness instructors that show up when I search for “walk at home” on Youtube. Read on for my insights on these walking routines! (listed in no particular order)

1. Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home

Expected duration: 15 – 45 minutes
Expected mileage: 1 – 3 miles
Additional equipment: small weights and/or resistance bands may be used sometimes but are certainly not required

Leslie Sansone has been a guru in the walking workout world for quite a few years. You basically walk to the beat of the music: you may start out with a medium tempo and therefore walk at a steady pace, and then the next song may be a bit faster, requiring a slightly peppier walk. She gives nicely detailed explanations regarding how to do every movement and gives cues well in advance as to when she starts a new or different step. Leslie is very upbeat and relaxed and always smiling. There isn’t always a timer on screen, but she tells you each time a mile has been completed. There’s quite a large selection of walking videos on her channel, so you’re not likely to run out of options too quickly.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 – excellent!

2. Rick Bhullar Fitness: Get Fit With Rick

Expected duration: 7 – 60 minutes
Expected step count: 1K – 10K
Additional equipment: none

Rick Bhullar is fairly new to the Youtube world: he started uploading during COVID lockdown, but has put together a lot of great videos in a short time. I personally prefer the more recent videos to the early ones; he’s perfected his style to produce a great workout. He’s very upbeat and fun, which comes through more in recent videos (in the earlier ones, the music is the focal point and he gives visual cues rather than verbal explanations). There is a step counter and a timer on screen to indicate both how many steps you’ve taken (according to the beat of the music) and the time left in the entire workout. More recently he also has been including a picture-within-picture, showing the next step coming up. The videos don’t include a cooldown, but he links to his cooldown videos at the end. All in all, I enjoy his workouts, and it just goes to show you need to go through a couple workouts with an instructor to get an accurate feel for their style.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 – pretty darn great!

3. Up to the Beat Fit

Expected duration: 15 – 30 minutes
Expected mileage: 1 – 2 miles
Additional equipment: none

Gina is a former professional ballroom dancer and as such, she has a mix of dance and walking workouts. Her walking workout videos include a variety of music, from Abba to pop to rock. If you enjoy Zumba, you’ll probably enjoy her walking videos, which include some steps similar to dance moves. She’s incredibly upbeat and a joy to listen to. Sometimes the moves can be quite peppy, but you can always bring them down to a calmer version as needed. The cues for the next step can be a bit rushed, so at times it can be a tiny bit difficult to follow when she switches steps, but don’t worry, there’s always time to catch up. The selection of workouts that can be classified as purely walking workouts is a bit limited; but if you’re interested in dance workouts or toning routines as well, she’s got a lot to choose from.

My Rating (walking workouts only): 4 out of 5!

4. Brand Fitness

Expected duration: 15 – 40 minutes
Expected step count: 2K – 5K
Additional equipment: none

Led by Marion Brand, these videos are fantastic if you want a walking workout with easier steps. She doesn’t give verbal explanations but her visual cues are excellent, and the moves are simple and easy to follow. The workout music ranges from pop and Latin to country and 80’s. The songs are fun to listen to, so it’s nice to be able to focus on that. There is no step counter or timer on screen, but if you’re wearing a pedometer of some sort, you can measure that on your own. A cooldown routine is not incorporated into the videos themselves, but she does link to a separate cooldown video. She only has 6 walking workouts at this time, but there are a lot of strength and cardio workouts available on her channel. Overall, I did enjoy her walking workout videos due to the fun music and the easy steps.

My Rating (walking workouts only): 3.5 out of 5!

5. Joanna Soh Official

Expected duration: 25 – 40 minutes
Expected step count: 3.5K – 10K
Additional equipment: none

If you’re looking for a more intense workout, this one is for you! There only appear to be 4 walking workouts on her channel at this time, but there’s tons of other fitness videos. Looking at the walking workouts only: at the beginning of each circuit, you see a list of the steps. She explains everything thoroughly and shows you how to add arm movements to each step. There is a timer on the screen to indicate remaining time in that particular step (usually about 45 seconds total), and then there is about a 15 second transition to the next step (so there’s a lot of variation). I enjoyed her indoor walking videos; they’re not quite as laidback as some of the others, but they certainly help you get your steps in!

My Rating (walking workouts only): 5 out of 5!

Takeaway

First impressions of these different indoor walking workouts: overall pretty great! I definitely plan on trying more videos from each of these trainers as well as other trainers out there on Youtube. Each of these instructors has his or her own style; if anything I mentioned above sounds like something that interests you, please check out their channel! Remember: always try more than one routine; you might not like one video, but you might like another, so best to try multiple routines to get a good feel for the trainer’s style. Happy walking – let’s get those steps!!