Walking is the most natural way of movement for a person. Scientists have long proved that walking is essential for maintaining good health. Everyone wants to stay in good shape and good mood, feel strength and vigor, but few people think how important it is to walk regularly . Just 20 minutes a day can extend a person’s life by up to 30%! What muscles work when walking? How is it healthy? This is what will be discussed in the article.
The benefits of walking
With a sedentary lifestyle, especially with sedentary work at the computer, the chance of getting heart problems, obesity, even cancer, increases.
Walking at a fast pace, you strengthen the cardiovascular system, blood circulation, and the respiratory system. With regular classes, cholesterol levels are reduced, which prevents the development of atherosclerosis and varicose veins. No massage can replace walking if you have problems with the intervertebral discs. Even digestion improves. When walking, all organs are saturated with oxygen, toxins and toxins are excreted.
What muscles work when walking? Involved is almost the entire musculature of your body: the press, muscles that support the spine, lower back, buttocks, lower leg, calves.
At any level of stress, walking will make you more resilient and relieve stress.
On average, a person walks 2-3 thousand steps a day. The Japanese, famous for their longevity, consider it necessary to pass 10 thousand. This is quite realistic if you replace public transport with walking, abandon the elevator, travel to shops by car, etc.
Availability of this sport.
Increasingly, you can meet young people taking long walks with special gadgets, taking steps, elderly people with sticks, vigorously strolling through the park, dog owners who enjoy walking with their pets for several hours. Walking is accessible to everyone and useful to everyone.
- Walking does not need to learn. Your body already knows the movement, just follow the intensity and duration of walks.
- It's free. People who are not engaged in their physical training often attribute this to a lack of finances to visit fitness centers. It's amazing how many people spend an hour to get to the gym by car, and there they walk on a treadmill. The same time, devoted to a walk in the park, would bring the same benefits and keep a good mood and the time spent in traffic jams.
- With such sports exercises, the risk of injury is minimized, as the joints and bones are not overloaded.
- A person can start walking at any level of physical fitness and at any weight, since there is no “phase of flight” when both feet are off the ground.
Types of walk
There are many types of walking, choosing which you can adjust the load on different muscle groups. What muscles work when walking different types? Now this will be discussed.
Walking up the stairs
Walking up the stairs intensively strengthens the muscles of the hips and calves. If you climb the stairs, place only the toe on the surface, and, with an effort resting on the upper part of the foot, take the next step. When you get used to the load, try walking through the steps. Walking up the stairs is a great workout for your body!
Walking on the spot
For such a training, it is not necessary to even leave the house. Try to raise your knees as high as possible, do not put your foot on the heel, the foot should be level when walking, take soft steps. Hand movements will help increase intensity and maintain balance.
Fast walk
Accelerated, or athletic walking is carried out in fast and wide steps. One of the feet should always be in contact with the surface, that is, you can’t go running. The supporting leg remains straight, hands in heavy motion. This is a very effective way to lose weight, but it is not recommended for people with flat feet.
Nordic Walking
This is the best option for working out almost all the muscles. The arms move as opposed to the legs, which increases the pitch and the upper half of the body works more. When Nordic walking, special sticks are used, thanks to which the shoulders work, as a result, almost 90% of all muscles are involved, which allows you to burn much more calories. Nordic walking is recommended for people of age, since it reduces the load on the legs, sticks absorb shock, which usually affects the knees and back.
Advice
What muscles work when walking, you already know. Before you begin this kind of training, listen to some valuable tips:
- During walks at your usual pace and at short distances, the load on the muscles is minimal. Try to walk about 5 km per day, with an average speed of 6 km / h.
- The optimal walking speed is often individual and depends on the stride length of a person. Therefore, it is considered to be the intensity of walking in the number of steps per minute. For example, 60 steps per minute is very slow walking, more than 140 is very fast. Special bracelets, applications on smartphones can help monitor this indicator, because it’s almost impossible to take steps in your mind. With them it’s easy to notice how fast you get tighter and stronger.
- The load must be increased. When you feel that it is becoming easy for you to move at a certain pace, try to walk the same distance faster.
- Remember: if you want to replace walking sport, then your walk should be a real workout. That is, your pulse should increase, your muscles should tighten, if it’s easy for you, then your body has adapted to the load and needs to be increased.
- Be patient, the result will not be lightning fast. The regularity and duration of classes is the key to success and health.
- Do not forget about comfortable shoes and clothes.
- Any training should not be carried out on a full stomach.
- Watch your posture if you stoop, the benefits of walking for the spine will become harmful.
- Try to breathe evenly, inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.
Forward to health and longevity!