Sports walking. Walking technique

Strengthen your body, become more resilient and make the figure perfect will help walking. Anyone can play this sport. To do this, you need to know the rules and techniques. Let's try to figure out how to do race walking correctly, and what race walking should be for beginners.

Kind of sport - race walking

To many presenters healthy lifestyle people know what race walking is. This is one of the features of which is the presence of a constant support. This technique differs from the usual walking for everyone in a different pace, stride length, as well as setting the legs. Sports walking can be called health-improving, because it has a positive effect on the work of all organs and systems. By doing this sport, you can lose weight and.

How is walking different from running?

Race walking differs from running in rules, technique and speed of movement. The main requirement for race walking is to step evenly and lean on the heel. One foot is in contact with the surface, and the projection of the body is in a vertical position. Experienced athletes distinguish such differences between running and this sport:

When running, the athlete takes off both legs at once between touches to the ground, and while walking, one leg makes the movement.
When running, a low start is allowed, and during walking- exceptionally complete.
The rules of race walking allow you to keep your foot in upright position, and when running it is bent.
Running is several times faster than walking, but the latter sport is much more rhythmic.
While running, the leg is subjected to six times the load, which can lead to serious damage. Race walking is safer.

Race Walking Rules

In essence, race walking is an alternation of steps performed in such a way that the athlete always has contact with the ground. It is important to follow the following rules:

The outstretched leg should be fully extended from the very first contact with the ground until passing the vertical.
Walking technique is evaluated by judges at a distance. Including the chief referee, there should be six to nine of them.
Judges have the right to announce warnings to athletes using yellow paddles. A wavy horizontal line is depicted on one side of it, and two segments connected at an angle of 150 degrees are depicted on the other.
The judge does not warn more than once about one violation of the rules of the walker.
After a rule has been broken and the walker has received a warning, the referee must send a red card to the chief referee. An athlete may be disqualified if three different referees sent red cards to the senior referee.
The senior referee has the right to disqualify an athlete on the final lap, or on the last hundred meters of the distance.
For women, the distance should be - 3.5 km in the arena, 10 km in the stadium and 20 km on the highway. For men - 3.5 km in the arena, 10.20 km at the stadium and 20.50 km on the highway.
With each new step, the foot of the front foot should come into contact with the ground until the foot of the back foot leaves the ground.
The supporting leg should not bend at the knee.

Proper walking technique

Such a sport as race walking has its own technique. The bottom line is to optimally calculate the necessary load on the body. The average speed should be between six and ten kilometers per hour. The walking technique has the following basic rules:

The arms should be bent at the elbows at an angle of no more than ninety degrees. They help the athlete move. If the hands are positioned correctly, it will greatly facilitate the movement of the walker.
The back of the athlete should be kept straight. However, the body should be tilted slightly forward. The main key to success in walking can be called maintaining the balance of the center of gravity.
While walking, first the heel should touch the ground, and then the toe. Rolling is also important in race walking. It should be smooth and even on the foot.
The legs cannot be bent.
You should move rhythmically and do not forget about breathing. Inhalation and exhalation should be deep and also uniform.
To build up muscle mass legs, you can take a backpack with a small load on your back.

Sports walking shoes

In order for classes to really bring health benefits, it is important to choose the right:

Shoes should fit well on the foot, but do not press. If the sneakers hang on your feet, you can get injured as a result.
The heel should be slightly raised.
The ideal option is shoes with a thick rubber sole.
The top of sports shoes should be made of breathable material. Leather or nylon mesh is a great solution.
Shoes should be changed once every six months.

Sports walking - benefits for the body

Before choosing this sport, many people are interested in how race walking is useful. With its help you can:

normalize pressure;
reduce cholesterol;
strengthen the skeletal system;
improve insulin production;
increase the amount of muscle mass;
bring the body into tone;
to prevent cardiovascular diseases;
reduce body weight.

Race walking - contraindications

Although the benefits of sports walking are obvious, nevertheless this sport has contraindications. Walking is not allowed:

during significant breaks in training;
with injuries of the shoulder joints and hands;
if sports walking actively involves muscles;
with flat feet;
during hypertension;
after surgery on the abdominal cavity;
with heart failure;
if the network of infection and accompanied by fever of the disease;
with anemia;
in the presence of coronary insufficiency;
during degenerative changes in the spine and joints.

Race walking - records

In total, in the discipline of race walking, athletes set three records - two world and one Olympic.

In August 2014, Frenchman Yoann Dini set the men's world record in Zurich with a time of 3 hours 32 minutes and 33 seconds.
Two years earlier in London, the Olympic record was set by Sergey Kirdyapkin. His result is 3 hours 35 minutes 59 seconds.
The women's world record was set in 2007 by Monika Svensson from Sweden. Her time is 4 hours 10 minutes and 59 seconds.

Race Walking - Olympic Champions

Athletes from the USSR, Australia, China and Poland were able to achieve significant success in this sport. The largest collection of Olympic gold medals belongs to Robert Korzhenevsky. He became the winner in the distances of 50 and 20 kilometers. Famous race walking champions:

Among women, the following Olympic champions can be noted:

Studies have shown that while walking, all human muscle groups are included in the work, and the cardiovascular system works in the most optimal mode. Race walking is associated with the manifestation of such qualities as endurance, speed, coordination of movements. The walker also needs flexibility in the lower extremities, high mobility in the hip and ankle joints, strong back muscles and strong, well-stretched musculature of the iliac abdomen.

A race walker differs from a normal walker in that he has a very small two-legged position. At modern speeds, it is believed that the double-support position is generally absent in the walker. There is an active movement in the hip joints around the vertical axis. For a more active advancement of the walker, the supporting leg in the knee joint straightens.

The new judging rules directly state that the leg must be straight at the knee joint from the moment it is placed in the front support position until the moment it is vertical. During the moment of the vertical (some time before and after it) there is a slight sagging of the pelvis towards the fly leg (in no case should one confuse the withdrawal of the hip joint of the supporting leg to the side - this is a gross mistake). The center of gravity moves through the supporting leg at the moment of the front step of the fly leg forward, and the walker, at the moment of touching the heel of the support, simultaneously shifts his weight to the already supporting forward leg. There should be no forward tilt of the torso, as this leads to the setting of a leg bent at the knee and a quick removal of the supporting leg. Hands when walking, depending on the speed, bend at the elbows the more, the higher the speed. A strong withdrawal of the elbows alternately back contributes to a more active movement of the pelvis around the vertical axis. In judging, the problem of determining the presence of a flight phase in walking very often arises. International-class walkers quite often sin by the fact that their supporting leg very quickly passes the vertical moment, as if bypassing it, that is, not fixing, but “whipping” the leg to the rear support position. Walkers have to “pay” for this gross mistake in competitions. It is in this movement that the root cause of the flight phase is hidden.

Race walking has much in common with ordinary walking and at the same time differs from it in its great coordination complexity, efficiency and relative economy.

The main differences between sports walking:

High movement speed;

High frequency of movements, reaching 200 or more steps per minute;

The stride length exceeds 100 cm, and for the leading walkers 115 - 120 cm;

Straightened supporting leg from the moment of setting up to the moment of the vertical;

Significant movements of the pelvis around the vertical axis;

Active movements of the hands in the anteroposterior direction. Scientific research made it possible to determine the main characteristics of walking technique:

The angle of the torso and the magnitude of the vertical oscillations of the body's GCM;

Length and frequency of steps and their dependence on walking speed;

Periods and phases of walking;

Reducing the duration of the double support with increasing walking speed;

Critical pace and critical walking speed.

The duration of the two-bearing period is several times less than the duration of the one-bearing period and depends on the speed.

At a relatively low speed of movement (2.6 m/s), the double support time can be 0.06 s, with increasing speed it decreases to 0.01 s or less. At a high speed of movement, the walker does not always correctly determine the appearance of the flight phase, since its appearance does not always coincide with the subjective assessment of the walkers themselves.

Studies were carried out that helped to establish the approximate critical walking speed - 4.45 m / s, when it is reached, walking turns into running.

The critical speed depends on the fitness of the athlete, in whom, after special training sessions, the duration of the double support period increases, and the walking speed increases.

The critical speed may be higher if the walker does not lengthen the stride, but walks with an optimal or somewhat shortened stride.

At the moment when the foot of one leg, pushing off, still touches the toe of the ground, the other leg, straightening, is placed with the heel on the ground. The first contact with the ground occurs with the outside of the heel. At this time, the walker is in a two-support position.

After pushing off the foot from the ground, the lower leg of this leg rises slightly. This occurs as a result of moving the walker forward and moving the hip down - forward with good relaxation of the leg muscles. Using this movement, the foot of the walker quickly moves forward and becomes a flywheel.

The foot of the fly leg rises low from the ground. Continuing to move forward, the leg is carried upward by the movement of the hip and at the same time begins to unbend at the knee joint. Having reached the required lifting height, the thigh of the fly leg is lowered. The lower leg continues to move forward and, by the time it touches the track, the leg straightens. The fly leg, having completed its movement, becomes the supporting one (Fig. 1).

Correct foot placement is great importance in the technique of sports walking. Firstly, the foot should be placed on the ground gently, it is necessary, as the walkers say, to “find on the foot”, and not to make a sharp “sticking” movement, as this significantly increases the “dynamic impact” directed towards the movement. Secondly, premature straightening of the leg at the time of its transfer should not be allowed. In this case, the leg will be placed from top to bottom and back. This setting back, or, as the walkers say, "with a backswing", reduces the length of the stride and, as a rule, leads to loss of contact with the ground.

Rice. one

From the moment the foot is set, the phase of the front support begins - the depreciation phase, i.e., the mitigation of the dynamic impact that occurs during the setting. In this phase, there is a roll from the heel to the entire foot (through the outer arch). During the roll, inferior work of the muscles of the anterior part of the lower leg occurs (Fig. 2). This work involves the anterior tibial muscle and the long muscles of the extensors of the fingers. From the vertical position, the forward movement of the walker is carried out primarily by contraction of the muscles of the back of the thigh (mainly the flexors passing through two joints). The work of these muscles shifts the GCM from the back of the support to the front, which gives the body of the walker a certain speed directed forward.

The phase of the front support is replaced by the phase of repulsion, in which the GCM of the body is already in front of the support area (Fig. 3).

Rice. 2.

Rice. 3.

The fly leg also takes part in repulsion from the support. Moving it beyond the vertical causes some movement of the GCM forward, which increases the efficiency of the muscles of the skating leg (this movement helps to increase the repulsion of the skating leg from the ground). In this case, the transition of the supporting leg to the toe occurs, the foot bends, producing repulsion from the ground.

Too much foot movement on the takeoff can create a jump from one foot to the other (flying), so many walkers deliberately limit the force of the takeoff while maintaining "safe contact" with the ground.

In sports walking, in contrast to normal walking, the leg is in a straightened position for the entire supporting period and bends only before separating from the support. This feature of race walking is laid down in the rules of the competition and is of great importance.

Firstly, in the single support period, the straightened position of the Leg does not require much tension in the quadriceps femoris muscle, this muscle gets the opportunity for some rest.

Secondly, in the repulsion phase, the quadriceps femoris muscle does not take part, which reduces the effect of pressure on the ground, reducing the reaction force of the support, and thereby reducing the possibility of switching to running.

Rice. four.

Rice. 5.

For the high speed and efficiency of walking, the straightness of the forward movement of the body of a walker is of great importance, the degree of which can be judged by the trajectory of the body's GCM. With correct race walking, the vertical oscillation curve approaches a straight line or has a higher GMC position just before the two-support position.

At the time of the vertical, the decrease in BMC is achieved by "sagging" of the pelvic region relative to the hip joint of the supporting leg (knee of the fly leg below the knee of the supporting leg). This movement occurs due to the relaxation of large muscle groups, mainly the muscles of the body (Fig. 4).

In some walkers, a decrease in the body's BMC is observed with a slight extension of the pelvis towards the supporting leg or at the moment of the vertical, when the arms are lowered most of all.

When moving to a two-support position, lifting the thigh of the fly leg and subsequent repulsion due to the foot of the supporting leg (transition to the toe) allow not to reduce (or increase) the height of the GMC. Some lifting of the shoulders also contributes to this (Fig. 5).

It is necessary to avoid lateral deviations of the CCM from a straight path. The deviation occurs primarily due to the fact that the fulcrum during walking are alternately located on the sides of the projection of the GCM on the support. The main cause of lateral oscillations is the setting of stops along two parallel lines.

To avoid this, walkers tend to place the foot with the toe forward and the inner edge of the foot close to the straight line or directly on the line. Only in some cases (according to individual characteristics) the feet are placed slightly turned either outward or inward (Fig. 6).

The movements of the shoulder girdle and pelvic region around the vertical and sagittal axes are aimed at increasing the amplitude of muscle work, their better relaxation and increasing the efficiency of work.

Rice. 6.

Fig.7.

The position of the torso should be almost vertical (the inclination of the torso ranges from 1.5 to 3 ° for athletes, and slightly larger values are typical for the technique of young runners). A slight tilt of the torso forward, especially at the moment of repulsion, improves the repulsion conditions. A significant torso inclination requires an increase in muscle effort in order to maintain this position, and as a result, the efficiency of work decreases. The position of the torso is also affected by the position of the head during walking, for example, a lowered head creates the conditions for tilting the torso forward.

Trunk tilt should be understood as a general forward tilt of the body (the pelvis is tilted forward), and not a “kink” of the trunk in the hip joints (Fig. 7).

More significant are the movements of the body around the vertical axis. Watching the movement of the walker from above, one can notice the “twisting” of the torso as a result of rotations of the shoulder girdle and pelvis, performed in opposite directions. Such “twisting” performed during the movement of the arms balances the movements of the legs and pelvis, it reduces the degree of deviation of the GMC from rectilinear movement and contributes to an increase in muscle effort due to the preliminary stretching of the muscles and an increase in the amplitude of their contraction. The movement of the pelvis around the vertical axis is an important detail of the sports walking technique, which allows you to increase the length of the step.

Hand position is essential for more than just stability. During walking, the arms are bent, the angle of flexion changes from about 68 to 120 °. The angle of measurement of the shoulder-forearm changes during each cycle: the arms are more bent in the most forward position - the smallest angle of measurement; angle somewhat Increases in extreme rear position; at the moment of the vertical, the arms are the least bent and can be at an obtuse, right or acute angle (Fig. 8).

Rice. eight.

If the walker holds his hands at a right or obtuse angle, then it is preferable to send them back and forth without lifting them up. When swinging forward - up, it is easier to switch to running, since this direction of hand movement contributes to the appearance of flight. With the "medium" and especially with the "low" positions of the hands, the conditions for the movement of the pelvis around the vertical axis are improved, which significantly increases the length of the step and creates more moments for the muscles of the hands to rest. At walking distances, for example, 50 km, athletes often change the position of their hands, which leads to a change in the ratio of frequency and stride length. This helps to distract from the monotonous long work.

If you look at the walker from the front, you can see that the movements of his hands are directed forward - inward (approximately to the middle plane of the body) and backward, somewhat outward. The hands should not be tense, but it is not necessary to deliberately “throw” relaxed hands, as beginner walkers sometimes do. While walking, almost all muscles should actively work, but to the greatest extent - the muscles of the legs. At the same time, it is important that only those muscles that really need to work at the right moment are tensed and contracted, and the rest of the muscles should be relaxed, otherwise it is impossible to economically and correctly perform all movements.

Due to the high frequency of steps, the role of muscle relaxation increases. Despite the rather high pace, the movements should not be sharp and angular. The speed walker, having perfect technique, is distinguished by the softness of all movements, especially the shoulders and pelvic region.

Walking competitions are held mainly on paved tracks, but with different terrain, so walkers must be technically ready for walking uphill and downhill. They must quickly find the optimal position of the body, change the angle of bending of the arms in the elbow joints, in order to timely vary the main components of speed - the length and frequency of steps.

When walking uphill, it is advisable to slightly increase the forward tilt of the torso and shorten the stride length, but this will reduce the speed of movement. In order for the speed to remain the same, it is necessary to increase the frequency of steps, bend your arms more at the elbow joints. If we consider the hands as a pendulum, then with a decrease in the angle of bending of the hands, the length of the pendulum will decrease, thereby creating favorable conditions to increase the frequency of movements.

Changes in the inclination of the body, the ratio of the length and frequency of steps also depend on the steepness of the slope. When walking downhill with a slight steepness, the stride length may be slightly longer than when walking on a flat area. Usually this is the most pleasant section for the walker, where good speed with relatively little energy consumption. When walking on steep slopes, the main danger is not going into a run. In these cases, walkers usually slow down by shortening their stride length and leaning their torso slightly back.

It is no coincidence that in cross-country walking competitions style judges are at the end of the slopes, observing the technique on the most difficult sections for a walker.

The high technical skill of the runner is determined precisely in the sections of the distance that have descents and ascents.

If we compare the walking technique for 20 and 50 km, then external kinematic changes are very difficult to detect. However, when walking for 50 km, the technique is characterized by greater variability, since the longer time of the competition itself is taken into account, more advanced and therefore more economical movements, more emphasized contact with the ground, since the speed of walking is lower than the speed at a distance of 20 km.

But if you want to get the most out of it, try sport walking. This type of aerobic exercise allows you to burn calories faster and injure your joints less than jogging.

In a nutshell, the essence of race walking is to move quickly without switching to a run. The main rule is that one of the feet should always be in contact with the ground. The step with such walking is slightly longer and noticeably faster than with a normal walk. The speed is usually between 5 and 9 km/h.

Calorie consumption

The number of calories you burn depends on your weight, the length of your workout, your walking pace, and how hard you work with your arms.

A person weighing 70 kg when walking at a speed of 9 km / h on flat terrain burns about 440 kcal per hour - about the same as when running slowly. People with larger mass bodies burn more calories during any physical activity, and those who weigh less, respectively, fall short of this figure. To increase the load, you can run on hilly terrain or on an incline treadmill.

If you increase the pace of walking, then the number of calories burned will increase slightly. To get a more tangible result, it is better to increase the training time.

Advantages

Walking a few times a week has many benefits. Studies have shown that women who walked one to three hours a week had a 30% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, compared with women leading a sedentary lifestyle. Women who walked 3 hours a week were 35% less likely to develop heart disease. Walking for 5 or more hours a week reduces this risk by as much as 40%.

During race walking, the muscles of not only the lower, but also the upper half of the body are trained, especially the muscles of the back, shoulders and arms.

The risk of injury in race walking is minimal because here, unlike running, the foot does not hit the ground. According to some reports, when running, the load on the foot is three times the body weight, and when walking, this load is reduced by half. Maintaining good posture while walking also reduces the risk of back pain.

Walking for 20-60 minutes a day three or more times a week, like other aerobic workouts, relieves stress and positively affects the psychological state.

Other advantages: sports walking does not require large financial costs. You don't need partners or a team. All you need is a pair of comfortable running shoes and a place to practice (park, path, alley, treadmill or yard).

Flaws

Slow walking is difficult to achieve the same heart rate and cardiovascular benefits as other types of aerobic exercise.

Where you live and work may not be a safe place to walk long distances. In the absence of a treadmill, bad weather can seriously affect the class schedule. Another problem stems from the fact that many people find race walking to be a boring, monotonous activity.

If you wear shoes with too thin, worn out soles, or your sneakers do not support the arch of the foot and dangle on the leg, foot pain can occur.

If you usually wear shoes with heels higher than 5 cm, you may experience heel pain when switching to running shoes.

Who can practice walking?

The main charm of sports walking is that any person who has not lost the ability to move can do it. Race walking is a great family activity.

Be sure to consult your doctor before starting exercise. A relative contraindication to sports walking is flat feet. With this pathology, body weight is not distributed correctly during walking, and this can lead to the development of plantar fasciitis and the appearance of pain in the foot.

Walking training

Many people learn to walk fast on their own by accelerating the pace of normal walking and swinging their arms more vigorously. If you want to improve your technique, ask an instructor or check out specialized literature.

The technique of sports walking is not so simple. Here it is impossible, having pushed off, to fly through the air as a runner flies. The peculiarity of race walking is that the supporting leg remains straight from the moment it touches the ground in front of you until the moment you transfer the body through this point. Athletes also make strong swinging movements with their arms and rhythmically, in a peculiar manner, shake their torso and pelvis.

Proper posture is essential for athletic walking. The body is held straight, but without tension. The steps are uniform, the movement is carried out by the hips, which move in a horizontal plane with very little vertical moment.

Consult your doctor. This is especially important for patients with coronary heart disease, bronchial asthma, overweight, as well as for those who have not been involved in sports before.

Wear thick 100% cotton sports socks on your feet. They protect your feet well.

When exercising indoors, wear a tank top or T-shirt with comfortable shorts.

Pedometer. Use a pedometer to measure the distance travelled. However, be aware that this unit is fairly accurate when running on flat terrain, but may give erroneous readings when running on hills. This is due to the change in stride length.

Weighting agents. To increase the intensity of training and endurance training, use weights: for example, poles, like ski poles, which increase the load on the hands.

Using poles increases heart rate from 68% to 78% of its maximum value, and also increases calorie expenditure by 22% compared to running without poles.

Running is not the only track and field discipline that helps maintain good health. More and more people are choosing race walking. Race walking differs from the usual speed, special technique, as well as the length and frequency of steps. And its difference from running is that at any time at least one leg is in contact with the floor (there is no flight phase). Let's find out how to do race walking correctly and find out how effective this sport is.

Types of sports walking

You can walk in different ways: slowly walk along the embankment, rush to work and knock everything in your path, or even engage in sports discipline. But the sport walking itself can also be divided into several subcategories:

Normal walking. The main thing is to work correctly with your hands. They should bend like athletes. The speed of movement reaches 7-8 kilometers per hour.
An accelerated form of sports walking. The speed can reach 12-14 kilometers per hour. Only professional athletes can walk like this. To achieve this pace, you will have to practice a lot.
Sports Nordic walking. In the middle of the last century, Finnish skiers invented a new way to keep fit in the off-season at a high level. Later it turned out that their method is effective for rehabilitation after severe physical injury. And in the nineties, Nordic walking with sticks became a popular sport. Its essence is the use of two poles resembling ski poles. Due to this, up to 90% of human muscles are simultaneously loaded, and calories are burned 20% -25% faster.

Athletics offers us a choice of 2 popular disciplines for aerobic exercise - running and brisk walking. And choosing which one is better is not so easy. Both disciplines help strengthen the respiratory and circulatory systems, leg joints, develop endurance and get rid of excess weight. It is best to try both disciplines and choose the one that suits you best. What are the main features of sports walking?

Increased movement speed.
The frequency of steps is from 130 to 200 (and above) per minute.
The length of one step during sports walking reaches 90-100 cm. For athletes - up to 120 cm.
Until the free leg passes through the vertical, the supporting leg does not bend at the knee.
The pelvis constantly makes movements around the vertical axis.
Intense hand movement.

It is known that ordinary walking is ineffective as an aerobic exercise and a method of combating excess weight: calories begin to be intensively burned only after 2-3 hours. Therefore, it is better to try to do sports walking. The main thing is to correctly master the technique of movements. The basic rules are:

Foot contact with the ground must be continuous. You need to step on the ground until the other foot comes off it.
The front leg should not bend until the free leg is level with it in the vertical plane.
The movement must be fast and swift.
The arms should be bent at the elbows right angle and intensively work them back and forth. This will help increase your movement speed.

Mastering this technique to perfection will require a considerable amount of effort. Interestingly, even professional athletes are often disqualified by judges from competitions for violations. Always make sure that the technique is performed by you correctly, only then what you are doing can be called race walking! Let's find out about the recommendations of experts. They will help you master the basic skills, hone them to perfection and achieve amazing efficiency in classes:

Plays an important role in training correct breathing. Breathe deeply and measuredly, the rhythm of breathing should match the rhythm of steps. And in no case do not start breathing through your mouth, feeling tired, this will only take away your remaining strength.
It is also important to maintain proper posture. The trunk should not be excessively strained and its position should not be changed abruptly. Keep your body straight, avoid tilting.
To improve your race walking technique, consult a professional instructor or read the relevant literature.
Do not take off the ground with both feet at the same time for a split second, otherwise walking will become a run. To increase speed, use sweeping arm movements and swing your pelvis, as athletes do. Remember: the steps should be uniform, and the repulsion from the ground should be strong.
If you suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory systems or have not been involved in sports before, be sure to consult your doctor before starting classes. It is important.
Take a few minutes to warm up before starting your workout. Warm up and stretch the muscles, especially those that are actively used during walking. Repeat the stretch after the end of the session, after waiting until the breathing and heartbeat calm down. This will help solidify the effect.

Remember safety. Exercise in safe places (parks, squares) and do not expose your body to excessive stress, risking injury. Increase the load gradually. If you have to walk along the road, dress in bright, conspicuous clothing. Fans of evening walking are advised to tie a reflective tape or use clothing with an appropriate insert.
Challenge yourself. Noticing progress in classes - accelerate the pace, take wider steps. Walk long distances. The health benefits will be greater, and you can feel like a winner.
A glass of water drunk a quarter of an hour before a workout will help to avoid dehydration.
To accurately measure the distance traveled, use a pedometer. But keep in mind that while showing accurate results when walking on a flat surface, it may be mistaken when walking on hills. Regardless of your desire, the stride length varies.
Special weighting agents will help to increase the intensity of classes. They can be Nordic walking sticks, small hand dumbbells, vests with extra weight. The heart rate and the rate of fat burning due to their use increases. True, the risk of injury to the joints is also growing. Be carefull.

Clothing and shoes for training

It is very important to choose the right footwear for your workout. Pay attention to the cushioning of the sole: in the heel area it should be reinforced. For walking on unpaved surfaces (in a park or forest), average depreciation is allowed. If you work out on the pavement (this is worse for the joints), the depreciation should be maximum.

Experts recommend wearing high-top sneakers that completely hide the ankle joint and are securely fixed with lacing. Special running shoes and lightweight sneakers with hard rubber soles are suitable. The sole should not be thin, and the heel should be raised by 5-10 mm in comparison with it. It is good if the material for shoes is breathable. This characteristic has leather and nylon mesh. If you play sports regularly, change your shoes twice a year.

Workout clothing should be appropriate for the weather and slightly lighter than what is appropriate for this temperature. When it's cold outside - put on several layers of light clothing - heat will be retained better than when wearing one or two layers of warm clothing. Remember that clothing should not restrict movement. Do not forget about a thin woolen hat that will protect your head from hypothermia.

In the summer or when exercising indoors, you can wear a T-shirt and comfortable shorts. Be sure to wear natural cotton socks of a large thickness, designed for sports, on your feet. Finally, a little advice for girls: it is most convenient to do race walking in a supportive sports bra.

Distance selection

So that sports walking does not harm the body, but rather improves your health, it is important to select the optimal load. It is individual for everyone. According to experts, a good load for men is 56 kilometers per week, for women - 49 kilometers. Watch your breath: inhalation during sports walking should be shorter than exhalation, then the lungs are better ventilated with air.

Do not chase record distances to the detriment of health. Listen to your body and learn when to stop. If you, after walking the first kilometer, feel a slight fatigue, the pace can be considered optimal. If you are a little out of breath, slow down. When it starts to tingle in your side, switch to a quiet walk, and then stop to rest for a few minutes.

walking speed

While the speed of normal walking is approximately 5 km/h, with race walking it increases to 8-9 km/h. H, and professional athletes in competitions sometimes accelerate to 16 km / h. If you are doing for health - do not try to achieve this pace. A speed of 10-11 km / h will also be a magnificent achievement, then the pulse rate will be equal to 120-140 beats per minute.

Just the heart rate is a factor that determines the required level of load on the body during race walking. To determine the number of heart beats per minute - measure the heart rate for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. It is important that the pulse does not fall below the level at which the load ceases to be aerobic. We list the lower limits of the heart rate per minute for aerobic exercise:

20 years - 135 strokes.
30 years - 130 strokes.
40 years - 125 strokes.
50 years - 119 strokes.
60 years old - 111 strokes.
70 years and over - 106 strokes.

Walking as a way to lose weight

Fast walking keeps the muscles of the press, legs and gluteal muscles, improves the condition of blood vessels and joints, normalizes blood pressure. Moreover, during the session, the body produces hormones of happiness, endorphins. Excess calories are also actively burned - up to 500 kcal / hour, so walking is recommended for those who want to lose weight. In a month, you can get rid of 2-5 extra pounds. Note that in order to increase efficiency, it is better to increase not the intensity, but the time of the lesson.

Video: Nordic walking with sticks

Walking will help you feel healthy and maintain excellent physical shape at any age. Finally, we suggest watching a video that tells about such an interesting and healthy sport as Nordic walking with sticks - one of the types of sports walking.

Hello dear visitors of our blog! Today I want to tell you about what race walking is - how to walk correctly and what features of training to take into account in order to reduce excess body weight and improve the body.

Walking is a natural physical act for a person, the meaning and benefits of which we think little about. At the same time, there are significant differences between ordinary walking and sports walking.

What is the difference between race walking and normal walking?

The main difference between sports walking or in a different way improving from the usual one is the execution technique, which consists in a certain speed, step frequency and leg movement:

Insignificant time of setting the lower limbs at the same time on the support. And at modern speeds of movement of athletes, such a situation does not exist at all;
The hip joints are actively working, which is not the case with normal movements;
There is a full extension of the knee joint of the supporting leg for greater speed;
Long stride length and active hand movements back and forth.

Through health walking, you can influence all muscle groups, making a person more resilient, coordinated and faster.

Correct technique

Steps in race walking constantly alternate with tight contact of the foot with the surface. The following rules must be observed:

Forward movement is accompanied by a straight raised leg - a bent position is prohibited.

Continuous constant contact with the ground - when the front foot goes forward, the back foot should be on the support and vice versa.

The main thing here is not to go from walking to running.

In sports, non-compliance with these conditions is punishable by removal from the competition and even disqualification. Ordinary people, of course, should not be afraid of this, but it is still necessary to observe the technique for greater efficiency.

Benefits of sports walking on the example of running

If we briefly talk about the advantages of sports walking over such types of physical activity as, for example, running, then something like this will come out:

This is the least traumatic type, in which calories are burned faster, and the load on the knee joints and spine is less;

The correct position of the back during training will relieve her of pain;

Sports (recreational) walking can be practiced at any age;

It is shown to both men and women.

The maximum speed - 9 km / h allows you to burn a person weighing 70 kg approximately 450 kcal per hour. For beginners, it will be enough to move at a speed of 5-7 km / h to get a training effect.

About the benefits for humans

So, how is it useful anyway?

This type of physical activity is suitable even for those who are prohibited from heavy shock loads in the form of running. In this case, walking is much more useful than running. At the same time, classes will bring a lot of pleasant moments from the movement in the fresh air and / and the environment of like-minded people.

You are guaranteed fast and effective calorie burning, which is necessary for weight loss. And for this it is important not to increase the speed, but only the duration of the workout - at least 40 minutes. But you shouldn’t be too zealous either - an hour of classes from 3 to 5 times a week is quite enough for these purposes. A month of regular training will save you from 2-5 kg of excess weight, depending on the initial data.

For health, this type of exercise is useful in terms of strengthening the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, and increasing lung capacity. All the muscles of the body will always be in good shape, which concerns not only the buttocks, thighs and calves - the abs, back and arms also work during training.

And one cannot fail to say about improving mood and getting rid of depressive states - at about 10-15 minutes of training, hormones of joy (endorphins) begin to be produced, contributing to these processes in the body. This will allow you to prolong your life in the most natural way - active movement.

Walking training

It is very important to learn correct technique. To begin with, try walking and not bending your leg at the knee joint, without switching to running. Alternate steps so that one limb is always in contact with the surface. The front leg is perfectly straight.

The arms are bent at the elbows and move back and forth, the back is straight, the gaze is directed in front of you. You can imagine a straight line and put your feet strictly along it, actively working with your hips.

Keep the same speed of movement - no need to speed up or slow down. Even if you're going downhill, try to keep your pace as optimal as this will help you burn even more calories.

If you do not have the opportunity to train outside, you can do it on a treadmill at home or in a fitness room. Feedback from people indicates that in this way it is possible to adjust the angle of movement and intensity in the process.

Here is an instructional video of the program "Everything will be kind":

Choose the pace of movement, based on your well-being. You can control the load by simply measuring your heart rate. To find out the indicators that are optimal for you, you need to subtract your age in years from 220. And from the resulting figure calculate 60%.

For example, you are 30 years old:

220-30=190

60% of 190=114

That is, at the moment when your heart rate reaches 114, fat deposits begin to be intensively consumed. But it is not worth exceeding this indicator to any significant extent, increasing the speed of movement.

At the beginning of the workout and at its conclusion, be sure to perform warm-up and stretching exercises to prepare the body for the upcoming load.

Take a bottle of plain non-carbonated water with you to your workout. This will help maintain the water-salt balance and remove more harmful substances from the body.

It is best to engage in wellness walking in the morning and on an empty stomach. If this is not possible, then the last meal before training should be no less than 2 hours. And I do not recommend loading the body at night - from 15 to 19 hours will be the most optimal time.

Now let's talk about shoes. It is advisable to choose sneakers that are flexible and with shock-absorbing properties, as well as with a rounded heel that fixes the foot. If you have flat feet and a lot of weight, then the choice should be stopped on shoes with a hard sole.

Contraindications

Despite the many indications for classes, there are still a number of limitations:

Serious heart disease, including previous strokes and heart attacks, heart rhythm disturbances and malformation.

Circulatory disorders and pulmonary insufficiency.

Increased blood pressure.

kidney disease and diabetes(not insulin dependent).

Serious eye diseases - glaucoma with progressive myopia.

Any chronic disease in the acute stage.

And colds with fever.

Even if you do not have these health problems, but have not previously experienced such activities, it would be best to first visit a doctor and get permission and / and advice from him.

At the end of the article, I want to say that there is no need to be afraid to change your life - the body quickly adapts to the new, and the result is worth it. Therefore, go outside or get on a treadmill and start moving - this will help you, fill you with health, beauty and cheerfulness.

Share the information you received with your friends (after all, they probably want to be slim and healthy), and also subscribe to updates on our blog! See you soon!

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