This plan was designed by Elizabeth Corkum — known as Coach Corky — an Equinox personal trainer and walking coach featured in Women’s Health. It uses three distinct walk types (Hill Intervals, Endurance Push, and Move to the Music) to torch fat, build lean muscle, and keep every session feeling fresh. You’ll add a weighted vest or rucking pack (5–10% of your body weight) to amplify calorie burn and build functional strength. All sessions can be done outdoors or on a treadmill.
- Weighted vest or rucking pack (5–10% of your body weight)
- Supportive walking shoes
- Watch or timer
- Music app for Move to the Music walks
The 3 Walk Types
Hill Intervals
Alternating 2-minute uphill pushes at RPE 8–9 with downhill recovery periods. This format targets your glutes, hamstrings, and calves far more intensively than flat walking, while the sustained effort spikes your heart rate into a serious fat-burning zone. On a treadmill: set incline to 8–12% for pushes and drop to 0–2% for recovery.
Endurance Push
A 45–60 minute walk at a sustained moderate effort (RPE 5–7). These longer sessions build your aerobic base, increase mitochondrial density, and develop the calorie-burning endurance that powers lasting body composition changes. Not every walk needs to be fast — these sessions do their best work when you hold a steady, purposeful pace.
Move to the Music
A 30-minute session where the tempo of your playlist guides your pace. Fast-tempo songs are your work pace (RPE 7–8); slower songs signal recovery (RPE 3–5). This format uses music as a natural interval timer, making the effort feel easier while delivering the metabolic benefits of interval training. A curated playlist is provided in Week 1.
4-Week Schedule Overview
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hill Intervals | Rest | Endurance Push | Rest | Rest | Move to the Music | Rest |
| 2 | Hill Intervals | Rest | Endurance Push | Rest | Move to the Music | Rest | Endurance Push |
| 3 | Hill Intervals | Rest | Endurance Push | Rest | Move to the Music | Rest | Endurance Push |
| 4 | Hill Intervals | Rest | Endurance Push | Rest | Hill Intervals | Move to the Music | Endurance Push |
Your 4-Week Plan
Goal: Build the foundation. Three walks this week with rest days between each, so your body can adapt to the weighted vest and the hill intensity. Focus on form over speed — keep your chest up and arms pumping.
Walk 1 — Hill Intervals (30–40 min)
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Flat ground, comfortable pace |
| Hill Pushes | 10 × 2 min uphill + downhill recovery | Hard RPE 8–9 uphill | Treadmill: 8–12% incline for pushes, 0–2% for recovery |
| Cool-Down | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Flat, easy stroll |
Walk 2 — Endurance Push (45 min)
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Build into your pace gradually |
| Endurance | 35 min | Brisk RPE 5–7 | Sustained moderate effort — hold the pace |
| Cool-Down | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Bring heart rate down gradually |
Walk 3 — Move to the Music (30 min)
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | “…Ready for It?” — Taylor Swift |
| Work 1 | 3–4 min | Work RPE 7–8 | “Get the Party Started” — P!nk |
| Recovery 1 | 3–4 min | Easy RPE 3–5 | “Espresso” — Sabrina Carpenter |
| Work 2 | 3–4 min | Work RPE 7–8 | “Holiday” — Green Day |
| Recovery 2 | 3–4 min | Easy RPE 3–5 | “YA YA” — Beyoncé |
| Work 3 | 3–4 min | Work RPE 7–8 | “Wasted” — Tiësto |
| Recovery 3 | 3–4 min | Easy RPE 3–5 | “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar |
| Work 4 | 3–4 min | Work RPE 7–8 | “Work Bitch” — Britney Spears |
| Cool-Down | 3–4 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | “Unstoppable” — Sia |
Goal: Add a fourth walk and increase your hill intervals to 12 repeats. Your legs should be adapting to the weighted load now — use that strength and push the hill sessions harder than last week.
Walk 1 — Hill Intervals (45–50 min)
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Flat ground, comfortable pace |
| Hill Pushes | 12 × 2 min uphill + downhill recovery | Hard RPE 8–9 uphill | 2 more repeats than Week 1 |
| Cool-Down | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Flat, easy stroll |
Walk 2 — Endurance Push (45 min)
Same structure as Week 1 Walk 2: 5-min warm-up, 35 min at RPE 5–7, 5-min cool-down. Keep the pace steady and controlled throughout.
Walk 3 — Move to the Music (30 min)
Same structure as Week 1 Walk 3: use the same playlist or swap in your own tracks. Four work intervals at RPE 7–8, with recovery periods at RPE 3–5 between each. Notice how your recovery pace feels more comfortable than it did last week.
Walk 4 — Endurance Push (45 min)
A second endurance session this week. Same structure as Walk 2: 5-min warm-up, 35 min at RPE 5–7, 5-min cool-down. This extra walk is where the aerobic gains really start to compound.
Goal: Dial up the challenge by pushing your walk length. Four walks again, but the final endurance session stretches to 60 minutes. Your aerobic base is ready for it.
Walk 1 — Hill Intervals (45–50 min)
Same as Week 2: 5-min warm-up, 12 × 2-min hill pushes at RPE 8–9 with downhill recovery, 5-min cool-down. Try to increase your uphill pace slightly compared to last week.
Walk 2 — Endurance Push (45 min)
Same structure as previous weeks: 5-min warm-up, 35 min at RPE 5–7, 5-min cool-down.
Walk 3 — Move to the Music (30 min)
Same structure as Weeks 1 and 2. Use the playlist provided in Week 1 or build your own. Four work intervals at RPE 7–8 with recovery periods at RPE 3–5.
Walk 4 — Endurance Push (60 min)
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Build in gently |
| Endurance | 50 min | Brisk RPE 5–7 | Hold a steady, purposeful pace throughout |
| Cool-Down | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Bring heart rate down gradually |
Goal: Five walks this week — your highest volume yet. The hill intervals scale back to 10 repeats to keep your energy high for two sessions of them. Leave nothing on the table.
Walk 1 — Hill Intervals (30–40 min)
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Flat ground, comfortable pace |
| Hill Pushes | 10 × 2 min uphill + downhill recovery | Hard RPE 8–9 uphill | Scaled back to 10 reps — go hard on each one |
| Cool-Down | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Flat, easy stroll |
Walk 2 — Endurance Push (45 min)
Same structure as previous weeks: 5-min warm-up, 35 min at RPE 5–7, 5-min cool-down.
Walk 3 — Hill Intervals (30–40 min)
A second hill session this week. Same structure as Walk 1: 5-min warm-up, 10 × 2-min hill pushes at RPE 8–9 with downhill recovery, 5-min cool-down. Your legs know what to do now — trust them.
Walk 4 — Move to the Music (30 min)
Same structure as previous weeks. Four work intervals at RPE 7–8 with recovery at RPE 3–5. Let the music carry you through.
Walk 5 — Endurance Push (60 min) — Final Walk
| Phase | Duration | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | Your final warm-up of the programme |
| Endurance | 50 min | Brisk RPE 5–7 | Strong, steady effort to the end |
| Cool-Down | 5 min | Easy RPE 1–3 | You’ve earned this one |
Programme Complete!
Four weeks of hill intervals, endurance pushes, and weighted walking — done. Your cardiovascular fitness, lower body strength, and fat-burning efficiency have all improved significantly. Whether you repeat this plan, increase your vest weight, or explore a new programme, you’ve built something real. Explore other programmes →
What’s Next?
Looking to build on these results or try a different challenge? Here are two great next steps.
12-Week Step Plan
Build a longer, more gradual foundation from scratch. A structured 12-week progression to 10,000 steps a day.
View Plan →10,000 Steps a Day
Turn your daily step count into a powerful health habit. Simple strategies to hit 10,000 steps every day.
View Plan →