Did you know that in fitness walking, just like in Nordic walking, the foot motion plays a very important role? Why should you work on this foot motion, and how? Discover the secrets of the Xtense technology, which could really help you in your walking.
When you walk, you spend 80% of your time with your weight on one foot. With each step, you transfer your weight from one foot to the other. The challenge of fitness walking is therefore to use a foot motion that will support your weight and push you forward, all while protecting your joints. Therefore you need to pay particular attention to carry out this weight transfer in a balanced way between the foot that is striking the ground and the other that is pushing you forward off the toes. That's why in fast walking, the foot movement needs to be deliberate rather than automatic!
The heel strike: when you place your heel flat on the ground, doing so gently will cushion the impact and spread the weight over a larger surface area, thus protecting the joints in your foot. The foot motion: when your heel is on the ground, you should then roll your foot out completely. It is this specific fitness walking movement that will avoid the impact travelling up to your knees, hips and back. Once your foot is flat, you can push against the ground with your toes: this is the propulsion phase, which will give you a more powerful and longer stride, and therefore improve your performance.
In Nordic and fitness walking, you are advised to choose shoes that have a flexible sole, and which offer good propulsion, so you can achieve the right foot motion more easily. Newfeel offers an innovative, brand-new sole technology: Xtense. This system is made of elastic and stretchy material on the sole, joining together the different support zones on the foot, and creating a double H-shaped system of grooves.
Biomechanical studies have shown that during the stance phase in fitness walking, the foot lengthens and widens by several millimetres. A sole that offers good cushioning is not enough to guarantee comfort and propulsion. The new Xtense technology, thanks to its elasticity, allows the sole to follow and accompany the natural movement of the foot to offer optimum comfort and provide better propulsion. With a shoe boasting an Xtense sole, it is a lot easier to achieve a good foot motion, which is essential for strengthening your muscles without the risk of injury.
Thanks to the Xtense technology, you will be able to work on achieving the right foot motion, which will improve your fitness walking sessions and give you increased comfort: and voilà, you'll be twice as likely to make fast progress!