I did the 100 meter speed tests this morning and was really aware of how much I'm relying on my front foot to generate power! Tomorrow I will do the 5k, but I'll put some music on to try and get my strides shorter. My hoka speedgoats just arrived too 🙌
Thanks for the inspiring video! This is a fantastic series! Your website also has a lot of information! As an ultrarunner, it has taught me a lot about efficient walking and in addition to my running, I now also do ultra walking tours. Very nice to have your input in the process of continuously improving form and efficiency. Keep up the good work #walkfaster
I tried it on a treadmill with music...huge improvement. Tomorrow on the road with 135 BPM tracks. Great instructions...much appreciated by this 90 year old!
i am keep coming back to your videos, unlike with running its surprisingly hard to find content about the proper walking technique.it should be way more popular. walking became my passion over last 18 months and helped me to lose over 100 pounds. without your tutorials i think i would kinda platoed with my fitness progress. i wonder, what is your top speed on a flat ground without changing technique to something more exagerated? 135 bpm should give you something around 4 mph, right?
So great to hear that you’re having success with Sport Walking! So, I’m not sure exactly what my top speed is in mph but normally I walk at over 7kmh. I think once, when I did a speed test, I got up to 9kmh using a normal walking technique 🙂
Thanks, glad you like them! I think the key issue with a barefoot approach is the heel landing you need for walking, compared to running, when a fore or mid foot land is feasible. I know people who’ve tried both barefoot & very low drop shoes for Sport Walking & had Achilles issues. The other thing is terrain & when you get out on the trails & rough surfaces, I think that could be problematic, especially over longer distances. Personally, I don’t have a problem with people using minimalist footwear, it’s more about the benefits vs the downsides. I think if you’re already established with a barefoot approach & have successfully used minimalist shoes for some time, then I think it’s potentially viable to at least try using that approach for Sport Walking but if you’re just looking at options without already having successfully used a barefoot approach, then I’d probably advise against it. I just don’t think the potential benefits are significant enough to be worth the time you’d need to give to make the transition. Don’t know if that’s helpful 😆! Be interested to hear how you get on if you try it. Cheers. Roger
Hi, Do you think adding the race walking hand movement to sport walking without any other change in walking technique will make sport walking more effective in terms of speed and fitness?
Hi! Everything has a purpose & in Race Walking, the arm swing is necessary to achieve the speeds you can achieve with Race Walking but below that speed all the power you need, all the speed, can come from your legs. If you think of it like two phases of speed - in phase one, walking normally, everything you need can be found in your legs & any extra movement, in this case swinging the arms, is effectively wasted effort. If your leg movement is effective, you can achieve all the speed you need with your hands in your pockets. When you reach maximum speed in phase one, that’s when the arms come into play & are essential to build further momentum to reach the speed that’s possible with Race Walking. Hope that all makes sense? If you haven’t seen it already, check out our video on why Race Walkers walk as they do, it’ll help explain it. All the best!
In my case I hit top phase one speed at around 9kmh & from there, moving into a race walking style & phase two is the only way I can go faster & it gets me up to around 10.5-11 for short bursts. My speed with a race walking style for longer periods is about 10kmh, which is quite slow for race walking. I’d say 9kmh is probably the threshold overall really as well.
@@sportwalk Thanks for the response, Roger. That’s quite an impressive pace with a sportwalk technique. You’ve said elsewhere that your top optimum cadence is about 140bpm. Can you hit 9km/h (~10:43 min/mi) at that cadence? That seems like a long stride. Am I missing something? I’m finding about 150bpm to be the cadence I need to go at to hit sub 12 min/mi. I’m 6’3”. I appreciate the time you take to respond. Ben.
When you start moving into or around phase 2 speeds with a normal walking technique, your cadence will inevitably increase, as that’s part of how you attain that extra speed above your normal pace. So, my normal optimum cadence for training & challenges is around 134-136 but if I push really hard to reach my maximum top speed with a normal technique (which I’d only ever do for a short speed test), I’ll get up to 140-142 but then when I settle into a race walking technique, because the arms are now more involved in generating speed, my cadence lowers again to around 135-138 &, also, the stride length will extend because of the different technique. It’s all a balance of your physiology - leg length & speed potential from your leg length & a good high cadence that you can hold comfortably all the time. Once you’ve settled on what that cadence should be, you’ll only gain extra speed through a good leg drive generating more power. I’m lucky in having long legs but we’re all different, so speed will always be influenced by leg length. Cadence though can be the same for different leg lengths, it’s all about finding a comfortable cadence for you. Hope that helps. Rog
Speaking of cadence you don’t just have to listen to dance music. Army rangers and marines all use cadence for very fast marching and it’s motivational.
The tip to effortlessly swinging the leg forward... has helped tremendously!
I did the 100 meter speed tests this morning and was really aware of how much I'm relying on my front foot to generate power! Tomorrow I will do the 5k, but I'll put some music on to try and get my strides shorter. My hoka speedgoats just arrived too 🙌
This was a game changer for me!
A great refresher on the fundamental techniques! This method really does make a huge difference. It feels natural and it is strain-free. Thanks again!
Yes great! Moving faster is key to motivation and flow.
Thanks for the inspiring video! This is a fantastic series! Your website also has a lot of information! As an ultrarunner, it has taught me a lot about efficient walking and in addition to my running, I now also do ultra walking tours. Very nice to have your input in the process of continuously improving form and efficiency. Keep up the good work #walkfaster
Thanks Ruben, glad you’re finding it useful. All the best. Roger
I tried it on a treadmill with music...huge improvement. Tomorrow on the road with 135 BPM tracks. Great instructions...much appreciated by this 90 year old!
135, great tempo! Hope it works well on the road too! 💪
Can't wait to try it out tomorrow morning...Thanks!
i am keep coming back to your videos, unlike with running its surprisingly hard to find content about the proper walking technique.it should be way more popular. walking became my passion over last 18 months and helped me to lose over 100 pounds. without your tutorials i think i would kinda platoed with my fitness progress. i wonder, what is your top speed on a flat ground without changing technique to something more exagerated? 135 bpm should give you something around 4 mph, right?
So great to hear that you’re having success with Sport Walking! So, I’m not sure exactly what my top speed is in mph but normally I walk at over 7kmh. I think once, when I did a speed test, I got up to 9kmh using a normal walking technique 🙂
Hi Roger - great videos - just wondered what you take is on using barefoot or minimalist shoes for sport walking? Thanks! :)
Thanks, glad you like them! I think the key issue with a barefoot approach is the heel landing you need for walking, compared to running, when a fore or mid foot land is feasible. I know people who’ve tried both barefoot & very low drop shoes for Sport Walking & had Achilles issues. The other thing is terrain & when you get out on the trails & rough surfaces, I think that could be problematic, especially over longer distances. Personally, I don’t have a problem with people using minimalist footwear, it’s more about the benefits vs the downsides. I think if you’re already established with a barefoot approach & have successfully used minimalist shoes for some time, then I think it’s potentially viable to at least try using that approach for Sport Walking but if you’re just looking at options without already having successfully used a barefoot approach, then I’d probably advise against it. I just don’t think the potential benefits are significant enough to be worth the time you’d need to give to make the transition. Don’t know if that’s helpful 😆! Be interested to hear how you get on if you try it. Cheers. Roger
Hi,
Do you think adding the race walking hand movement to sport walking without any other change in walking technique will make sport walking more effective in terms of speed and fitness?
Hi! Everything has a purpose & in Race Walking, the arm swing is necessary to achieve the speeds you can achieve with Race Walking but below that speed all the power you need, all the speed, can come from your legs. If you think of it like two phases of speed - in phase one, walking normally, everything you need can be found in your legs & any extra movement, in this case swinging the arms, is effectively wasted effort. If your leg movement is effective, you can achieve all the speed you need with your hands in your pockets. When you reach maximum speed in phase one, that’s when the arms come into play & are essential to build further momentum to reach the speed that’s possible with Race Walking. Hope that all makes sense? If you haven’t seen it already, check out our video on why Race Walkers walk as they do, it’ll help explain it. All the best!
Great question and well answered. Roger, what do you think is the threshold pace for phase 1 becoming phase 2?
In my case I hit top phase one speed at around 9kmh & from there, moving into a race walking style & phase two is the only way I can go faster & it gets me up to around 10.5-11 for short bursts. My speed with a race walking style for longer periods is about 10kmh, which is quite slow for race walking. I’d say 9kmh is probably the threshold overall really as well.
@@sportwalk Thanks for the response, Roger. That’s quite an impressive pace with a sportwalk technique. You’ve said elsewhere that your top optimum cadence is about 140bpm. Can you hit 9km/h (~10:43 min/mi) at that cadence? That seems like a long stride. Am I missing something? I’m finding about 150bpm to be the cadence I need to go at to hit sub 12 min/mi. I’m 6’3”. I appreciate the time you take to respond. Ben.
When you start moving into or around phase 2 speeds with a normal walking technique, your cadence will inevitably increase, as that’s part of how you attain that extra speed above your normal pace. So, my normal optimum cadence for training & challenges is around 134-136 but if I push really hard to reach my maximum top speed with a normal technique (which I’d only ever do for a short speed test), I’ll get up to 140-142 but then when I settle into a race walking technique, because the arms are now more involved in generating speed, my cadence lowers again to around 135-138 &, also, the stride length will extend because of the different technique. It’s all a balance of your physiology - leg length & speed potential from your leg length & a good high cadence that you can hold comfortably all the time. Once you’ve settled on what that cadence should be, you’ll only gain extra speed through a good leg drive generating more power. I’m lucky in having long legs but we’re all different, so speed will always be influenced by leg length. Cadence though can be the same for different leg lengths, it’s all about finding a comfortable cadence for you. Hope that helps. Rog
Speaking of cadence you don’t just have to listen to dance music. Army rangers and marines all use cadence for very fast marching and it’s motivational.
Exactly! As long as the tempo fits it’s good 👍