Walking Training Plans 5K – (12 Week Plan w/PDF)

Monday: This beginner walking plan starts off with a 15 minute walk on every Monday.  This should be at a pace where you can hold a conversation with someone as you walk.

15 minutes gives your legs enough time to warm up and your heart rate to elevate and then eventually come down.

Tuesday: It's a replication of Monday's training for one simple reason - conditioning.

You will notice as the 5K walking plan continues from week to week that the time duration on Monday's and Tuesday's will increase.

Wednesday: After two days of training, Wednesday's are your day off throughout the entire training plan.

Thursday: On Thursday's you pick back up on the timed walking and will gradually increase time during the walking plan.

Friday: Another rest day. You need to make sure your muscles are well rested so you can train hard on the weekends.

Depending on your body, you may want to switch around workouts, substituting one day's workout for another. It won't matter too much on which day you switch as long as you are consistent with your training

Saturday: We introduce the distance walking on Saturdays. This gives you a different approach to your 5k Walking Plan. 

An easy way to track distance is to pick up a GPS watch. This gives you an accurate reading on distance. Here is my favorite. .

This is to give you an idea of how much distance you are able to cover over a specific period of time as well as to give you confidence in your ability to walk 5 kilometers.

The 5K is actually 3.1 miles long, so by the time you get to the 3-miler on the seventh Saturday, you will be only a short distance from achieving your goal.

Sunday's: At least one day a week, it's a good idea to go for a long walk without worrying about exactly how much distance you cover.

For instance, walk in the woods over unmeasured trails.

Most people should be able to walk continuously for an hour at least once a week, even if it means walking very slowly or pausing to rest. 

If walking an hour seems too difficult the first week, start with 30 minutes and by adding 5 minutes each week, build up to the point where you can walk continuously for 60 minutes