Race walking is a sport. MedAboutMe - Walking as a sport and as a way of moving a person

Race walking is a type of cardio exercise that is no less effective than. This physical activity is not only a way of general improvement of the body, but also represents a sports discipline, competitions in which are held at the highest level. professional level, including in the program Olympic Games.

What is the difference between race walking and regular walking?

It is important to understand that regular walking and sports walking have very little in common with each other, although at first glance it may seem otherwise. Race walking has a number of features that beginners need to know about, they are shown in the live image below.

Differences between race walking and running

Race walking differs from running in three key ways:

technique;
rules;
speed.

These differences are especially clearly visible during competitions in athletics, where you can see all the nuances of a particular discipline.

In race walking, the athlete takes each step with a full foot, and one leg is always in contact with the surface, while in running, both legs are in the so-called “flight phase” between pushes.
The starting position of the walker is always straight, while runners can take a position low start.
According to the rules of race walking, the athlete must step on a straight leg, while in running - on a bent one.

Compared to running, race walking is a less traumatic sport, since walking puts less stress on the leg than in running disciplines.

The benefits of race walking

Race walking is not necessarily a professional sport. Many people today use race walking as a recreational activity. The beneficial effects of race walking on the human body:

normalization of work of cardio-vascular system;
improvement of work respiratory system;
normalization of the gastrointestinal system;
increasing stress resistance nervous system;
decrease in level subcutaneous fat;
toning up almost everyone muscle groups.

Contraindications for race walking

Diseases that cannot be treated with race walking:

high blood pressure;
disorders of the cardiovascular system;
chronic diseases kidney;
diabetes;
retinal disorders;
colds and other acute diseases;
after heart attack and stroke.

History of race walking

First official competitions race walking was held in London in 1882. It was continuous walking for 5 hours.

IN Olympic program race walking was first included in 1932 (distance 50 km), and in 1956 race walking 20 km became an Olympic discipline. Since 1992, the program of the Olympic Games has included women's race walking competitions over a distance of 20 kilometers. The 10-kilometer distance was included in the program of two Olympic Games: 1992 and 1996.

Distances in race walking

Official race walking distances for men are 20 and 50 kilometers;
for women- only 20 kilometers.

However, competitions are also held at a distance of 10 kilometers. In winter, competitions are held among men at a distance of 35 kilometers.

Competitions are held on city streets, in stadiums, and in unfavorable weather conditions - in arenas.

Techniques and rules of race walking

The rules of race walking require athletes to comply with two main points:

Constant contact of one of the feet with the surface. Leaving both feet off the surface will usually result in the athlete being disqualified.
The forward leg should be straight until it makes contact with the surface. Bending the knee during a step is also punishable by disqualification.

Race walking rules in video format

Race walking for weight loss

Race walking, like running, is an excellent tool for combating overweight, but much less traumatic and having fewer contraindications.

Start at a slow pace and increase smoothly and gradually. Slow down also slowly and progressively;
Do an aerobic warm-up before walking and;
Pay attention Special attention the position of your body and technique of movements in all phases;
, and during class, if necessary, moisten your mouth with water;
Choose the right shoes and clothes for race walking so that you don’t feel discomfort during training;
Breathe correctly through your nose, continuing to monitor your pace;
Do race walking in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening 2 hours after dinner;
Optimal training time: 40-60 minutes 3-5 times a week.

Conclusion

Race walking – great way in order to lose weight and bring your body into good shape and also improve your body health.

Race walking is olympic event a sport whose distinctive feature from running is the presence of constant support. From normal walking this technique differs in a different pace, step length and foot position. Race walking is healthy, as it has positive influence on the work of all organs and systems of the body, has no contraindications. Thanks to this sport, you can lose weight and strengthen your muscles - gain seductive body contours, but first things first.

Story

Race walking is a sport that began its history in 1867 in England, where competitors had to walk a distance of 7 miles. The first competitions were very difficult due to the long distances, among which the most popular routes were: Turin-Marseille-Barcelona (1100 km), Vienna-Berlin (578 km) and Paris-Belfort (496 km). In 1908, race walking competitions were included in the program of the Olympic Games. At that time, they competed to cover distances of 3.5 km and 10 km.

From 1908 to 1932, the history of the development of race walking was very eventful, as this sport was becoming an Olympic sport, its technique was improved and a new distance was introduced - 50 km. The sport became professional in the period from 1932 to 1958, when the requirements for athletes increased significantly, their training became daily and intense, and the loads were extreme; at that time a distance of 20 km was introduced. In the period 1964-1975, the basics of race walking techniques began to be improved in the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. IN this period A scientific basis for this sport has already appeared, and more modern methods of training fast walkers have been developed.

After 1975, the development of race walking was associated with the establishment of new records, as well as with the beginning of women's competitions over a distance of 20 km. For the first time, women participated in race walking competitions in the Olympic Games program in 1992, while men became champions already in 1932.

Technique and rules

Correct race walking is based on two main points in technique:

When alternating steps, a person must constantly have one of the feet in contact with the ground. If there is a separation from the surface, as in running, then he will be disqualified from the competition;
After one leg has been brought forward, it should not bend at the knee until it is perpendicular to the ground.

The spine should be relaxed, not bent, that is, the back is straight. During race walking, the abdominal muscles are tense, the arms are bent and do not dangle along the body. The body in the process of practicing this type of athletics must be collected and perform clear sequential steps. You must first step on the heel, then roll the foot along the ground until the pad near the toes touches it.

Race walking competitions and distances

Race walking for men is a competition at distances of 20 and 50 km, and for women only 20 km. Entries for younger age groups indoors are 200 m, and at the stadium, as a rule, 400 m. For adults, at stadiums there are entries of 10 thousand m and 20 thousand m, and in winter in arenas 3 or 5 thousand m among younger age groups groups, students. Men compete at a distance of 35 km in winter. A race walking championship can take place on a city street or at a stadium, and if it is winter, then in an arena.

Walking technique is assessed by judges who are located along the entire distance - there can be 6-9 of them. They use yellow paddles to show athletes warnings about violations - such as bending a leg - and hand their cards to the head judge, who has the right to disqualify an athlete at any time - even at the finish line. If the World Race Walking Championships or the Olympic Games are taking place, the walker is excluded from the competition after one warning. In other cases, the main judge does this after receiving three cards from different judges.

Olympic champions and records

While covering a distance of 20 km famous athletes of the men were: Vladimir Golubnichy, Leonid Spirin and Robert Korzhenevsky. Race walking and women who became champions are Elena Nikolaeva, Olympics Ivanova and Olga Kaniskina. During the 50 km distance, Andrei Perlov, Nathan Dix, Robert Korzeniowski and Hartwig Gauder became famous for their victories.

In sports runs of 20 km, the record holders were:

World record: 06/08/2008 – Sergey Morozov (1:16:43) and 08/11/2012 – Elena Lashmanova (1:25:02);
Olympic record: 09/22/2000 – Robert Korzeniowski (1:18:59) and 08/11/2012 – Elena Lashmanova (1:25:02).

In the 50 km sports races, the record holders were:

World record: 08/15/2014 – Yoann Dini (3:32:33);
Olympic record: 08/11/2012 – Sergey Kirdyapkin (3:35:59).

All these people are world race walking champions who deserve not only praise, but also admiration.

Education

Race walking school is training in the technique of this sport, which differs significantly from regular walking. Let's consider all the tasks that a beginner faces:

Familiarization with technology. The coach shows at a slow pace what race walking is and explains it distinctive features, compliance with which is the main thing in this sport. After this, the beginner is asked to walk several tens of meters on his own a couple of times, so that the coach can determine what mistakes he is making and how the next training sessions should be carried out;
Training in the movement of the pelvis and legs. During the process of slow walking, the beginning athlete is taught to correctly turn the body and arms at the moment one of the legs places itself on the ground. To do this, opposite turns are used, that is, when the pelvis is turned to the left, the shoulders turn to the right. Attention is focused on the fact that the leg that touches the ground should remain straight until the rear push and the other leg touches the surface. It is important to train along a drawn straight line so that your legs are as close to it as possible;
Movement training shoulder girdle, hands During race walking, the arms are bent at a right or obtuse angle, they move in a straight line and do not intersect. The shoulders should be lowered and the arms should be free from excessive tension and move freely. To do this, the beginner is asked to perform his mini-entries with his hands behind his head, behind his back or in front of him. If the amplitude of their movement is small, then race walking lessons are held with arms down;
Training in complete race walking techniques. To do this, a variety of exercises are performed aimed at honing individual elements of walking. The trainer pays attention to the position of the body, head, freedom of movement of the body and limbs. The coach carefully evaluates the length of the step, the movement of the foot, and the timely lifting of the heel from the surface;
Improving the learned technique. At this stage of training, the athlete combines all the acquired skills together and begins to train hard to achieve complete coordination of all movements. It’s time to pay special attention to finding the optimal walking pace, step frequency, and regularity of inhalations and exhalations. During this period, it is important to begin to increase the overall level of physical endurance and increase distances.

There are certain standards for race walking by which competitors are judged. In addition to technology, speed is also important, increasing it will allow you to achieve new records. It can be increased only by lengthening the step, which will not spoil the technique. Another option is to take faster steps, but this can lead to running, so it's not worth the risk if you want to get your World Race Walking Cup.

Types of healthy walking

Healthy walking is not only sports walking, but also its other types. For example, walking over rough terrain or uphill, which perfectly strengthens the gluteal, calf and thigh muscles. Thanks to such walks, you can improve your health and lose excess weight. Sports nordic walking is walking with modified ski poles, which is an excellent cardio workout and helps improve physical health.

Walking with intentional tension gluteal muscles when each foot leaves the ground. This type of exercise is aimed at losing weight and strengthening the tissues of the pelvic area. Walking backwards is suitable for those who want to strengthen their back muscles. You must straighten your back, put your hands on your belt, pull in your stomach and walk along a pre-selected straight path. Race walking with poles or on rough terrain is a great way to lose weight and improve your health.

Walking for weight loss

Running and race walking are 2 great ways to lose weight, but the second the better, which has no contraindications and gives quality results very soon. Overweight people, as a rule, have problems with the cardiovascular system, joints, and spine, so walking is much more suitable for them than running. So, how and how much you need to walk to lose weight:

You should start at a slow pace so that your heart rate increases gradually and you can clearly determine the speed that is “comfortable” for you. It is also necessary to stop slowly so that the heart rate and breathing are restored gradually;
Aerobic warm-up before walking and stretching after it are mandatory parts of training;
Watch the position of your body: your back is straight, your stomach is tense, your arms are bent. Shift your body weight first to your heel and then to the ball of your foot;
Drink water before and after exercise to prevent dehydration. If you want to drink while exercising, it’s better to just rinse your mouth with water;
Shoes for race walking should be of high quality - sneakers with a rigid heel, flexible toe, shock absorption and breathable materials. Clothing should not restrict movement or get in the way. On sunny days, be sure to use sunscreen and glasses;
You need to breathe through your nose, and if you start to choke, then you have chosen the wrong pace and should slow down;
The first workout should be gentle - remember how many steps you took and follow this norm for a week. Then increase your rate by 500 steps and do this weekly to improve your results and endurance;
Walk better in the morning before breakfast, so the body will break down fats and not consumed food. If you train in the evenings, then do it 2 hours after dinner and 2 hours before bed;
You need to walk for at least 40 minutes, and preferably 1 hour at a fast pace, then you will complete your 10 thousand steps, which doctors recommend that each of us take daily to maintain our health and slim body;
The optimal frequency of recreational walking is 5 times a week, but you can train every day or only 3 days;
The maximum weight loss effect will come from walking uphill or over rough terrain, as you will need much more energy. You can alternate different kinds walking in one workout or in different ones - this will diversify your activities and, possibly, improve the results obtained;
Don't forget about proper nutrition, which will also play a huge role in your weight loss. Even a 20 km race walk will be ineffective if the athlete consumes fatty and unhealthy foods.

In addition to losing weight, walking at a fairly fast speed will help you tighten the muscles of your buttocks and legs, which will already improve your figure. It will also help straighten your posture and feel lighter inside.

The benefits of walking

Race walking in Russia is very popular not only as an Olympic sport, but also as a recreational sport. The benefits of this athletics discipline are as follows:

Saturation of the body with oxygen, which has a positive effect on all processes occurring in it;
Lowering cholesterol levels, normalizing blood pressure, increasing lung capacity;
Preventing salt deposits, strengthening bones and preventing osteoporosis;
Improving well-being and preventing stress;
Promoting weight loss and improving the condition of the skin;
Working out all muscle groups, which strengthens the body as a whole and makes it more mobile and resilient;
It is worth considering that race walking for 50 km puts less stress on the legs and joints than running for 1 km, and therefore it is less dangerous;
Walking is suitable even for those people who are prohibited from any other activities. physical activity.

As you can see, the benefits of health walking is huge, so this type sport is so popular among ordinary people who do not strive for Olympic victories.

Athletics and race walking in particular are those sports that are aimed at increasing the endurance of the human body, strengthening its internal core, and increasing endurance. Walk and become healthier, slimmer and stronger!

Race walking is a type of cardio exercise that is no less effective than. This physical activity is not only a way of general improvement of the body, but also represents a sports discipline, competitions in which are held at the highest professional level, including in the program of the Olympic Games.

What is the difference between race walking and regular walking?

Differences between race walking and running

Race walking differs from running in three key ways:

technique;
rules;
speed.

These differences are especially clearly visible during athletics competitions, where you can see all the nuances of a particular discipline.

In race walking, the athlete takes each step with a full foot, and one leg is always in contact with the surface, while in running, both legs are in the so-called “flight phase” between pushes.
The walker's starting position is always upright, while runners may take a low starting position.
According to the rules of race walking, the athlete must step on a straight leg, while in running - on a bent one.

Compared to running, race walking is a less traumatic sport, since walking puts less stress on the leg than in running disciplines.

The benefits of race walking

Race walking is not necessarily a professional sport. Many people today use race walking as a recreational activity. The beneficial effects of race walking on the human body:

normalization of the cardiovascular system;
improving the functioning of the respiratory system;
normalization of the gastrointestinal system;
increasing stress resistance of the nervous system;
reduction in subcutaneous fat levels;
toning almost all muscle groups.

Contraindications for race walking

Diseases that cannot be treated with race walking:

high blood pressure;
disorders of the cardiovascular system;
chronic kidney disease;
diabetes;
retinal disorders;
colds and other acute diseases;
after heart attack and stroke.

History of race walking

The first official race walking competition took place in London in 1882. It was continuous walking for 5 hours.

Race walking was first included in the Olympic program in 1932 (distance 50 km), and in 1956 race walking 20 km became an Olympic discipline. Since 1992, the program of the Olympic Games has included women's race walking competitions over a distance of 20 kilometers. The 10-kilometer distance was included in the program of two Olympic Games: 1992 and 1996.

Distances in race walking

Official race walking distances for men are 20 and 50 kilometers;
for women- only 20 kilometers.

However, competitions are also held at a distance of 10 kilometers. In winter, competitions are held among men at a distance of 35 kilometers.

Competitions are held on city streets, in stadiums, and in unfavorable weather conditions - in arenas.

Techniques and rules of race walking

The rules of race walking require athletes to comply with two main points:

Constant contact of one of the feet with the surface. Leaving both feet off the surface will usually result in the athlete being disqualified.
The forward leg should be straight until it makes contact with the surface. Bending the knee during a step is also punishable by disqualification.

Race walking rules in video format

Race walking for weight loss

Race walking, like running, is an excellent tool for combating excess weight, but it is much less traumatic and has fewer contraindications.

Start at a slow pace and increase smoothly and gradually. Slow down also slowly and progressively;
Do an aerobic warm-up before walking and;
Pay special attention to your body position and movement technique in all phases;
, and during class, if necessary, moisten your mouth with water;
Choose the right shoes and clothes for race walking so that you don’t feel discomfort during training;
Breathe correctly through your nose, continuing to monitor your pace;
Do race walking in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening 2 hours after dinner;
Optimal training time: 40-60 minutes 3-5 times a week.

Conclusion

Race walking is a great way to lose weight and get your body in good shape, as well as improve your health.

Race walking is one of the safest sports. A sedentary lifestyle has never been good for the body, which is why so many people engage in regular exercise to stay fit.

General principles

Race walking is based on aerobic exercise, which helps effectively strengthen muscles and burn calories. One of the advantages of this sport is the minimal likelihood of joint injury, unlike running. The essence of walking is to move quickly, with one foot in full contact with the ground. Due to this, the steps are much longer and faster, and more muscles are also involved.

This sport is recommended for people who are slightly overweight. In fact, anyone can practice walking, as long as there are no serious health problems. This is why it is important to first consult a doctor for recommendations. On average, you can burn up to 300 calories in 2 kilometers walked at an average pace.

The benefits of race walking

With the help of this sport you can not only lose significant weight, but also improve your health. Many people don't believe that just walking is enough to do this. However, scientists have proven that a regular 30-minute brisk walk can extend your life by 2 years.

Walking helps normalize blood pressure and lower cholesterol, strengthen the skeletal system and improve insulin production, increase volume muscle mass and simply improve your mood by toning your body. In addition, this sport is one of the fundamental ways to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Also for weight loss the optimal tool There will be race walking. Women all over the world move at a fast pace every day in the fresh air in order to achieve perfect figure. It has been proven that 2000 steps every day allows a person to stay in shape. However, to lose weight you need to walk 5-7 times more, which is approximately 4-5 kilometers. It is also worth noting that walking without a proper diet will never give results.

Let's start classes

First, you need to understand why a person starts playing sports. If he wants to strengthen his muscles or just warm up, then it is enough to arrange daily half-hour classes. Some women set weight loss goals. In this case, walks should take up to an hour at a fast pace.

Many beginners start classes without warming up and without knowing basic skills. It is important to understand what race walking is, how to move correctly, how to breathe, etc. It is strictly contraindicated to strain the body in the first month of training. It is better to start classes early in the morning. At this time, it is easier to burn the maximum number of calories. In addition, morning workouts will tone your body for the rest of the day.

Types of walking

Like any other sport, walking has its variations:

Walk at a slow pace. The walking speed here is about 80 steps per minute, that is, in half an hour a person walks up to one kilometer.
Walk at a medium pace. The speed is up to 120 steps per minute. Comparable to when a person is in a hurry somewhere and accelerates his usual pace of movement. A kilometer at this speed will be covered in 12-15 minutes.
Traditional race walking. In this case, a person can walk up to 7 kilometers in one hour. Step speed - 140 per minute. When walking this way, your arms should be bent at an angle and you should work with them very actively. A good warm-up is required before class.
Fast walk. Recommended only for athletes. This is daily intensive training on rocky/rough terrain. The speed of such walking is up to 12 km/h. It is better to switch to this regime after a year of systematic training.

Race walking technique

The essence of this sport is to optimally calculate the load on the body. The average speed should be in the range from 6 to 10 km/h.

Race walking technique consists of 5 basic rules:

Your arms should always be bent at the elbows at an angle of no more than 90 degrees. Throughout the entire distance, they help the body move. Proper hand placement will make the movement much easier.
The back must be straight. In this case, it is important that the body is tilted several degrees forward. When walking, maintaining a balanced center of gravity is the main key to success.
When moving, the heel should first touch the ground, and only then the toe. Rolling in race walking is also important. It should be smooth and uniform throughout the entire foot.
Legs should never be bent. In this type of walking, the main load is taken by the muscles of the thighs and calves.
You need to move rhythmically, not forgetting to breathe. Entry and exhalation should be uniform and deep. If you lose your breathing, you can end the workout.

To build muscle mass in your legs, you can carry a backpack with a small load on your back. Before class, you need to warm up thoroughly. It would be a good idea to do a few exercises to warm up and stretch your muscles.

How to warm up properly

First, you need to start by stretching your calf muscles. To do this, you need to rest your hands on the wall, move one leg back, and raise and lower your body with the other (supporting leg). The exercise should consist of 8-10 approaches and last up to 7 minutes.

For warming up back surface hips should extend your leg forward and place it on the stool. Next, you need to slightly tilt the body towards it. The front thigh area warms up next exercise: one leg is the supporting leg, and they try to bring the foot of the second as close as possible to the buttocks with their hand.

The hips are warmed up by alternately lunging the body forward and backward with the foot placed on a stool. For this control it is important to relax extremely.

According to athletes, warm-up should last at least 20 minutes. During this time, all muscles should not only be stretched, but also warmed up well in order to protect yourself from unnecessary injury.

Correct breathing

Walking should never expose your body to high loads, especially if less than a month has passed since the first training session. The surest way to understand that the given pace of movement is optimal is breathing. If it is uniform, then the rhythm of walking should not be slowed down. If the loads seem insignificant, then you can increase the distance and time of the walk.

Race walking technique is important for proper breathing. If you move your arms correctly and touch the ground with your feet, the load on the body will be minimal. People most often exercise to stay fit or build muscle, but there is another reason that many people don't even think about. Why does a person prefer walking in nature rather than in the gym? The fact is that the body needs oxygen saturation, especially during physical activity. This is why proper breathing while walking is so important. It should be uniform throughout the entire distance, and the breath should be deep.

Load calculation

If you approach walking exercises wisely, they will never harm your health. Each person is unique in himself, which means that for everyone there is individual program training. In the first couples, you should not take as a basis the indicators of people who have been involved in sports for a long time, since they are already subject to heavy loads.

As for the distance, a weekly race walk of 50 km is recommended for men, and about 40 km for women. However, only experienced runners can use these indicators as a guide. For beginners, it is better to start with 2-3 kilometers per day and increase the distance by 500 meters every week if health allows.

This sport has no age restrictions, but it all depends on the body. During your first workouts, it is recommended to regularly check your current heart rate, which should not exceed the threshold of 100 beats per minute. If at the beginning of the lesson there is discomfort in the muscles or joints, then you should immediately stop walking. In such cases, you should not stop abruptly; it is better to gradually slow down.

Shoe selection

Sneakers for race walking should not have thin soles. By the end of a long distance, the feet will experience enormous pressure, so every pebble will be felt. In addition, in sneakers with thin soles, your feet will begin to hurt after the first kilometers. A common mistake women make is wearing shoes with hard heels, such as ballet flats, to workout.

The best option for training is a thick sole. In any case, shoes for race walking should be light. Hard rubber soles are excluded, as they will cause a lot of discomfort to the feet.

In rainy weather, sneakers with anti-slip film are best.

Walking on level ground

Before training, you should do a warm-up, which includes a few minutes of quiet walking while simultaneously warming up the calf and hip muscles. Then race walking begins at a moderate pace. At this stage, it is important to determine your breathing rate and check your pulse.

Gradually the walking speed increases to a maximum. Subsequently, it is recommended to alternate the pace of the workout. Conquer long distances During the first lessons, even on flat terrain is not advisable. After class, you should not suddenly stop or sit down, as the body still needs to get used to the slow pace for some time.

Walking on hilly terrain

Walking on small slopes is beneficial for people regardless of age. However, training on hilly terrain is only recommended for experienced athletes who are used to coping with heavy loads every day.

In the photo, race walking when climbing a slope looks impressive. All the muscles are tense, the wind is blowing your hair - and so the finishing point at the top beckons, but in reality it is much more difficult than it might seem. Walking on a hilly surface requires many times more energy than walking on a flat surface. Such activities are contraindicated for beginners.

As for the warm-up, it is no different from warming up before training on flat ground, with the exception that exercises for the muscles of the arms and forearms are added to the complex.

Monthly course for weight loss

In the first week, you should do three walking sessions at a slow pace. Each workout should not last more than 20 minutes. At this stage, it is important to understand how to breathe correctly and control the load.

In the second week, race walking begins. The speed varies depending on how you feel. The duration of one workout is up to 30 minutes. It’s not worth testing yourself for serious loads. If you feel tired, you can switch to a slower pace.

In the third week, the duration of the lesson increases to 40 minutes. In addition, the number of workouts should already reach 4-5. At this stage, you can use special weight loss belts.

The final 7-day period should take place in an enhanced mode. Training time varies up to an hour, but their number is still up to 5 sessions. It is important here to alternate the walking pace from maximum to average every 10 minutes. As numerous reviews show, in a month of training using this method you can lose up to 12 kilograms.

But if you want to achieve a greater effect, try race walking. This type of aerobic exercise burns calories faster and causes less joint damage than jogging.

In a nutshell, the essence of race walking is to move quickly without breaking into a run. The main rule is that one of the feet must be in contact with the ground at all times. The step during such walking is slightly longer and noticeably faster than during a regular walk. The speed is usually between 5 and 9 km/h.

Calorie consumption

The number of calories you burn depends on your weight, duration of the workout, pace of walking, and intensity of arm work.

A person weighing 70 kg, walking at a speed of 9 km/h on level ground, burns approximately 440 kcal per hour - about the same as when running slowly. People with greater mass bodies burn more calories during any physical activity, and those who weigh less, accordingly, do not reach this figure. To increase the load, you can run on hilly terrain or on an incline treadmill.

If you increase your walking pace, the number of calories burned will increase slightly. To get more noticeable results, it is better to increase the training time.

Advantages

Race walking several times a week has many benefits. Studies have shown that women who walked one to three hours a week had a 30% reduction in the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, compared with women who led 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 40%.

When 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 when practicing race walking is minimal, since here, unlike running, the foot does not hit the ground. According to some data, when running, the load on the foot is three times greater than body weight, and when walking, this load is reduced by half. Maintaining correct posture while walking also reduces the risk of back pain.

Race walking for 20-60 minutes a day three or more times a week, like other aerobic exercise, relieves stress and has a positive effect on psychological well-being.

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

Flaws

Slow walking makes it difficult to achieve the same heart rate and cardiovascular benefits as other forms of aerobic exercise.

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

If you wear shoes with thin, worn-out soles, or if your sneakers don't support your arch well and hang loose on your feet, you may experience foot pain.

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

Who can do race walking?

The main beauty of race walking is that anyone who has not lost the ability to move can do it. Race walking is an excellent form of family leisure time.

Before starting training, be sure to consult your doctor. A relative contraindication to race walking is flat feet. With this pathology, body weight is distributed incorrectly during walking, and this can lead to the development of plantar fasciitis and pain in the foot.

Race walking training

Many people learn to walk quickly on their own by speeding up their normal walking pace and swinging their arms more intensely. If you want to improve your technique, contact an instructor or read specialized literature.

The technique of race walking is not so simple. Here you cannot push off and fly through the air the way a runner flies. The peculiarity of race walking is that supporting leg remains straight from the moment it touches the ground in front of you until the moment you carry your body through that point. Athletes also make strong swinging movements with their arms and rhythmically, in a peculiar manner, swing their torso and pelvis.

Important for race walking correct posture. The torso is held straight, but without tension. The steps are uniform, the movement is carried out by the hips, which move in the horizontal plane with a very small vertical moment.

Consult your doctor. This is especially important for patients with coronary heart disease, bronchial asthma, excess weight, as well as for those who have not previously exercised.

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

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

Pedometer. Use a pedometer to measure the distance traveled. However, be aware that this device is quite accurate when running on flat terrain, but may give erroneous readings when running on hills. This is explained by changes in step length.

Weights. To increase the intensity of exercise and train endurance, use weights: for example, poles, like ski poles, which increase the load on your arms.

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.