Walking (brisk)
48
/100
Best when...
- You need something you can do near your desk without much setup.
- Your energy is dipping and you want a more activating break.
- You only have about a minute between tasks or meetings.
Not ideal when...
- You want a nearly effortless reset that will not elevate breathing much.
Pairs well with...
a chest-opening or shoulder reset after long sitting
Better than X when...
Longer break routines when you only have 60 seconds and need immediate value.
Office-clothes alternative
Sit-to-Stand or Wall Push-Up are easy alternatives when you want something even more office-friendly.
Compound movement primarily engaging quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings
MET 3.5 (measured), 1.0x walking
Joint ROM: 50%, posture benefit: 40%
Can be performed at or near a desk
calves
quadriceps
hamstrings
gluteals
hip flexors
for 100 reps · roughly 1 min of brisk walking for a 70 kg person
48
5 reps
48
10 reps
48
15 reps
48
20 reps
48
30 reps
“Walking (brisk) scores 48/100, strongest in desk practicality. Suitable for a desk break.”
- Metabolic cost varies with body weight and fitness level
- mobility value, desk practicality are estimated, not directly measured
Measured (5)
- MET value
- quadriceps activation
- hamstrings activation
- gluteals activation
- calves activation
Derived (3)
- hip flexors activation
- joint ROM
- caloric expenditure
Modeled (2)
- posture correction
- desk practicality
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A Third Update of the Activity Codes and MET Values
Barbara E. Ainsworth, William L. Haskell, ... et al.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2024)
Primary source for MET values across all exercises
2011 Compendium of Physical Activities
Barbara E. Ainsworth, William L. Haskell, ... et al.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2011) · Vol. 43(8) · pp. 1575–1581
Established MET reference values for common activities