Make every walk a
complete workout by including these elements, and following
the correct sequence. Neglecting to do so will make walking more
difficult, and increase the risk of injury.
1.
Warm up - Warming up is
exercising at a lower intensity in order to get the blood circulating
and let your body know that you are preparing for exercise. For many
of your walks it will only be necessary to warm up about five minutes.
As you progress through your walking program you will need to warm up
longer on days you will do your fast workouts.
2. Flexibility Exercises
- These exercises are part of your warm up and should be done after
you have warmed up with 5 to 10 minutes of easy walking. The faster
you plan to walk the more time you will need to dedicate to
flexibility exercises. There are many different exercises in this
group. Here are a few to try:
Toe points -- Stand on one leg and lift the
other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and hold for a few
seconds. Next flex your foot pointing your toes up. Do this five or
ten times on each foot.
Ankle Circles -- While standing on one leg lift the other foot
off the floor. Gently point your toe and rotate your ankle. Do about
ten circles in each direction. This exercise can be performed while
standing, sitting, or lying on your back with leg raised.
Overhead Reach -- Stand with your feet hip
distance apart. Reach up with one arm and then reach over your head
and to the opposite side. Keep your hips steady and your shoulders
straight. Relax and repeat with the other side.
While standing on one leg lift the other foot off
the floor. Gently point your toe and rotate your ankle. Do about ten
circles in each direction. This exercise can be performed while
standing, sitting, or lying on your back with leg raised.
The Twist -- Stand with your feet shoulder
width apart and your arms straight out, parallel to ground. Keep your
lower body stationary while swinging your arms from side to side. Do
this several times to loosen up your waist, back, and shoulders.
Arm Circles -- Hold your arms straight out to your side
parallel to the ground. Make small circles going backward, gradually
getting larger and larger. Rest for a second and do the same thing in
the forward direction.
As you improve your pace you may wish to include more flexibility
exercises into your routine. This becomes more important on your
fast/hard workout days. For more flexibility exercises visit
www.racewalk.com
3. Walk
- Now that you have warmed up you should be ready to complete your
walk at your normal walking pace. For the first few weeks do not
push too hard. Your breathing should be elevated, but you should not
be gasping for air. A rule of thumb that works for most people is...
If you can not talk you are walking too fast, if you can carry a tune
you are walking too slow.
4. Cool down - At the end of
your walk you need to walk at a slower pace to cool down. The harder
you have worked out the longer you should cool down. In the beginning
your walks are very short and you only need to cool down a couple of
minutes. As your walking time and intensity extends so should your
cool down period.
5.
Stretch- This is such a
neglected area for many people. Start off right and take the time to
stretch AFTER every workout. In the beginning stretches should take at
least 5 minutes. As you increase distance and pace you will probably
need to stretch longer.
Important
rules for stretching: 1.
Never stretch cold muscles. The best time to stretch is after your
walk. If you have problem areas they can be stretched prior to your
walk, but only do this after you have warmed up.
2. Do not bounce. Go into a stretch slowly and hold gently.
Stretch to the point of feeling a gentle pull, but never to the point
of pain
3. Hold each stretch for 30 to 40 seconds. If you have problems
with a particular area stretch that area twice. (hold for 30-40
seconds release, then stretch again.)
Stretches
There are so many stretches it is impossible to cover them all. Be
sure to stretch all the major muscle groups, and put extra focus on
any areas you have trouble with. Find a few recommended stretches
below:
Calf Stretch -- Stand on your toes on a step or curb. Hold on
to something for balance. Remove your left foot and slowly allow the
right heel to move down. Hold this position. Be sure to keep you body
upright and straight. Release and repeat on the other side.
Another calf stretch -- Take a big step forward with your left foot,
keeping you right heel on the ground. Hold the position and repeat on
the other side. Be sure to keep your body upright and your abs tight,
do not arch your back.
Shin Stretch -- Standing up, hold on to a stationary object.
Stand with your weight on one leg and straighten it. Place your other
foot on the ground, with toes pointed and your toenails toward the
floor. With the tops of your toes touching the ground, roll your foot
and leg forward, from the ankle. Release and repeat on the other side.
Hamstring and Lower Back -- Slowly bend forward from your waist
with your knees slightly bent. Reach for the floor and hold. Only bend
as far as comfortable.
Outer thigh and buttocks and spine -- While lying on your back
bring your right knee up. Place your left hand on your thigh and
gently pull it over to your left side. Do not pull at the knee. Your
shoulders, left leg and back should remain flat. Pull gently. Then
repeat on the left side.
Lower back -- While lying on your back, bring both knees up
towards the chest with the hands. Round the lower back and relax into
the stretch. Don't do this stretch on a hard surface...it will bruise
the spine!
Quadriceps Stretch -- Standing up, hold on to a stationary
object. Bend your right knee, bringing your foot toward your buttocks.
Keeping your left knee slightly bent, grasp your right ankle with the
opposite hand. Slowly pull your leg up and back, bringing your foot at
high as comfortable. Repeat with other leg. (To protect your knee...
think of pulling the quads back rather than pulling the foot toward
your buttocks.)
Shoulder Stretch -- Standing upright, cross left arm over
chest. Place your right hand on your upper arm and pull arm in tight
to chest. Be sure to keep shoulders down and do not pull at the elbow.
Hold, and then repeat stretch with other arm.
Neck Relaxer -- Turn and look over your right shoulder and
hold. Repeat on the left side. Don't hyper-extend the neck, or tilt it
backwards.
Next, gently drop the head so that the ear goes towards the right
shoulder and hold. Return to upright position. Repeat forward and on
the left side. Keep the spine in an upright position and don't
hyper-extend the neck, jerk, or tilt the head backwards.
For more information on stretching you might refer to one of the
following sites.
