In fitness walking, the feet never move without the arms. Fitness walking and race walking coach, Jeanick Landormy, will teach you the arm technique best suited to your walking style in 6 weeks. Walking for fitness or to tone up the upper body - each to their own!
For this training programme focused on arm exercise, think of the ideal posture to adopt while walking: nice straight back, shoulders relaxed, without leaning forwards or backwards, chest loose so you can breathe better.
The aim is to learn to adapt your arm motion to meet your needs, whether you're walking for fitness or a little faster to get back in shape and tone up your arms.
The ideal posture to adopt while walking: Nice straight back, shoulders relaxed, without leaning forwards or backwards, chest loose.
For the first 4 weeks you'll alternate one 45-minute session with your arms down by your sides with one 45-minute session with bent arms. Then, for the last two weeks you'll focus on the arm position that best matches your walking style.
Tip to keep your shoulders down:
• If you walk with your arms by your sides: imagine that you're rubbing your hands on the ground as you turn to the front.
• If you walk with your arms bent: imagine that you're rubbing your elbows on the ground as you turn to the front. In this case, mastering your arm movements is essential!
Working with your arms by your sides
:First, while warming up, walk in a completely relaxed position: let your arms swing naturally with the movement of your legs, the motion will be larger or smaller depending on your speed. Walking with your arms by your sides can help you lengthen your stride.
Aim to set the pace for the frequency of arm movement with a regular stride.
At the end of the session, do a few stretches.
Bending your arms, to work on your arms during fitness walking:
Start your fitness walking with your arms by your sides and, after a few minutes, bend your elbows to swing your arms, as explained in this article. Keep them close to the body.
Your arms should move in the same direction as that of travel. Under no circumstances should the hands reach above chin level. While walking let your elbows swing backwards; they should brush your hips at each movement.
Unlike in the previous exercise, walking with bent elbows will cause you to shorten your stride as you feel yourself moving faster. You should therefore seek to have your arms at an angle that best matches your speed and think about setting their rhythm according to your steps to achieve a regular stride. At the end of the session, do a few stretches.
For the last 4 sessions of this training programme: analyse the sensations you felt according to the technique you chose and which best suits your walking style.
Without lengthening your stride, which arm technique do you prefer?