Who is up for a little race walking in the new year.

[Realfoodieclub]

It won’t be about speed just a series that can help you get the technique and give you a different walking work out if you want.

It will be a series of weeks with you tube videos and we can all have a go together. The wonderful Duddles has agreed to help me out as he has 18 years experience at race walking. Maybe after wards we can try A Nordic Walking series maybe our Nordic Walking champion SMITHYC could give us some tips.

Happy Walking everyone,

Please join up and walking abilities welcome.

Rfc x

[Hidden]

Hi Rfc - I'd love to do this challenge, but I'm afraid there's just too much hip action for me! So I look forward to trying Nordic walking, which I think I might be able to attempt without doing myself an injury! Good luck to everyone who gives race walking a try - it looks like great fun!

[Realfoodieclub in reply to Hidden]

I understand Kay. Maybe you could do a toned down version, do you know how you place your feet on the floor when you walk. We can conserve a lot of energy in our walks but hitting the floor with the heel of our feet and rolling the foot over and pushing off from the toes. This is the basic movement but without the straight leg, you can do this movement without the hip swing and it could help to protect your joints as your distances get up and is also the basic Form for Nordic Walking, so as we go through the weeks I could do two versions. Do you think that would help? Rfc x

[Hidden in reply to Realfoodieclub]

It absolutely would! Thanks Rfc.

[Duddles in reply to Hidden]

Kay - you don't have to use any hip action - to be honest that is for the real specialists who have trained for years - it is perfectly acceptable to walk at your own pace, in your own way. The quicker you get, the more the hips naturally come into play, but most race walkers just plod on as quickly as they can in their own fashion. You can learn the hip wiggle technique but it seems to work best for those slim young things who start as youngsters and spend hours a week, over years, perfecting it. I have been doing it for years and my hips, lovely as they are, rarely get much of a swivel on, even walking at nearly 6mph pace. Walking at pace gives you just as good a work out as running, is less damaging overall on joints - including hips - and the bonus is that it gives you a lovely firm bum.....

[Hidden in reply to Duddles]

You are funny, Duddles! I'd love to have a pert little bum again! Lol However, I don't know if my trusty Sholley can cope with more than what you call the "plod!" I think I last ran (for a bus!) about 25 years ago, ha! But I'll have a go at learning the basic movement and take it from there!

[skysue16]

This sounds great! I would definitely like to give it a go I might actually be able to keep up with a speedy springer if I walk more efficiently Look forward to seeing the videos in the new year. Thank you Rfc and Duddles. Nordic walking will be interesting too - are the two techniques very different, will I get confused - easy to confuse me

[Realfoodieclub in reply to skysue16]

I am Looking forward to having a little group as we work together, should be fun. They are not that different as far as I know the actual action of foot movement is very similar as far as I can see but as I will be learning more about Nordic Walking we will all find out together 😀.

[skysue16 in reply to Realfoodieclub]

Looking forward to it - always good to try something new (keeps the old brain cells and body going!)

[runswithdogs]

I am a slow plodder, so if you can get my backside moving faster, I'm all in. I've been thinking about my walking form since you posted that vid Rfc. It ain't easy, but it's been really good to think about how I'm moving, and not just move.

[PippiRuns]

As I mentioned in another thread yesterday, I’m in 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️