Walking considered strength training?
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No I never hold on and do the arm at right angles thing.
I live in a flat county - there aren't many hills here, but I do live on a hill and walk up that 5 ish times a week.0 -
As an aside I would like some advice please.
I walk everywhere as I don't have a car and use the treadmill at the gum. I can't run because of a bad knee.
I'm trying to get my legs stronger before I go into surgery (which could be a zillion years away).
Atm I do half uphill at 3mph at 10-15% and half on the flat at about 4.2mph. Roughly about 20-30 mins each time.
Could this be improved and make my legs stronger?
Walk more hills if you can and / or add some weight when you walk (like wearing a weighted vest for example. I would avoid a rucksack filled with weights though as it can concentrate undue pressure on your back and shoulders.)
Have you tried hiking?
What about cycling?
Can you do any of the leg machines at the gym (presses/curls)? What about things like squats/lunges/bridge lifts/step ups/resistance band work? Those are all things my PT had me do when I was rehabbing my torn meniscus.0 -
No I never hold on and do the arm at right angles thing.
I live in a flat county - there aren't many hills here, but I do live on a hill and walk up that 5 ish times a week.
Just do more hill repeats (walk up as quickly as you can then walk down slowly a few times) and add some weight if you can. Over time add more repeats.
Do that enough and you'll probably have a better level of conditioning and nicer legs than half the people on this forum
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As an aside I would like some advice please.
I walk everywhere as I don't have a car and use the treadmill at the gum. I can't run because of a bad knee.
I'm trying to get my legs stronger before I go into surgery (which could be a zillion years away).
Atm I do half uphill at 3mph at 10-15% and half on the flat at about 4.2mph. Roughly about 20-30 mins each time.
Could this be improved and make my legs stronger?
Walk more hills if you can and / or add some weight when you walk (like wearing a weighted vest for example. I would avoid a rucksack filled with weights though as it can concentrate undue pressure on your back and shoulders.)
Have you tried hiking?
What about cycling?
Can you do any of the leg machines at the gym (presses/curls)? What about things like squats/lunges/bridge lifts/step ups/resistance band work? Those are all things my PT had me do when I was rehabbing my torn meniscus.
Yes, those are all great suggestions as well.
Actually, they are probably an even better idea than more hills as that can place more strain than is necessary on the knee.
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Thankyou for your help - I'll start that - I've always been a bit shy of doing squats in case my meniscus tears even more. I'll start carefully and see what happens.
Plus more uphill, and yes I do cycle but I generally have two dogs on the back and so I have an electric bike as my legs can't get uphill yet
Thankyou again
FB x0 -
What if I just want to TONE my legs? I mean I don't want to get big and bulky like a bodybuilder. Then would walking work for me?0
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I know a ton as well. I have 2 that come to mind that have completed over 10 full Iron Mans and ton of halfs. Both of them are overweight.
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I know a ton as well. I have 2 that come to mind that have completed over 10 full Iron Mans and ton of halfs. Both of them are overweight.
Wait...this thread is about running? I thought the OP asked about walking.
NM my question then...I KNOW running will make my legs big and bulky.0 -
I wonder about this one, considering that for those who have lost a significant amount, if they wore a weight vest proportionate to the weight lost. Still this would be more cardio with resistance elements incorporated.0
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According to my physical therapist, walking is not strength training. I am suffering from muscle injuries after walking for exercise. Some of my muscles are overworked by walking because others are slacking. The cure is to do exercises to target and strengthen the slackers or strength training, none of these exercises involve walking in anyway as most people would define it. I love to walk and it has been a great aid to my mental health, reducing A1C, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, lipids and weight. I am hoping to be able to start again next week, but for now it is all strength training.0
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It's a weight-bearing exercise so you build up bone but not muscle.0
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lisakelsch7 wrote: »Yes I know..its not lifting any considerable weight but it does eventually build muscle in the legs. So should it be considered strength training?
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How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
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How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
The argument here was that poster said "all walkers and endurance runners are lean."
I'd agree that MANY are. But not all. Walking and running don't make you lean and there are plenty of people who are overweight and achieve great runs while still overeating and carrying extra weight.0 -
How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
The argument here was that poster said "all walkers and endurance runners are lean."
I'd agree that MANY are. But not all. Walking and running don't make you lean and there are plenty of people who are overweight and achieve great runs while still overeating and carrying extra weight.
No, I said that serious runners are usually very lean. That poster has disagreed because in his experience, serious runners are usually not very lean.
I have no intention of arguing with either answer. I'm just interested about his experience with these non-lean, but serious runners.
We all have different experiences.
Like you, my experience has been that when a person is a serious runner, they'll almost always have a very lean body.0 -
How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
By "serious" do you mean "competing" (in other words winning podium places in races?)0 -
How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
The argument here was that poster said "all walkers and endurance runners are lean."
I'd agree that MANY are. But not all. Walking and running don't make you lean and there are plenty of people who are overweight and achieve great runs while still overeating and carrying extra weight.
No, I said that serious runners are usually very lean. That poster has disagreed because in his experience, serious runners are usually not very lean.
I have no intention of arguing with either answer. I'm just interested about his experience with these non-lean, but serious runners.
We all have different experiences.
Like you, my experience has been that when a person is a serious runner, they'll almost always have a very lean body.
Sorry, my bad. The conversation started WAY before that and I wasn't referring to you. It was another poster that said what I quoted. I would agree that most serious runners are lean. Key word being "most."0 -
A serious runner, the kind of person who runs a lot and would call themselves "a runner." Most of them enter races. Most of them don't win.
How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
By "serious" do you mean "competing" (in other words winning podium places in races?)
It is a big part of their life. They take it seriously and are serious about it. They're runners.
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The only thing getting strengthened is the heart along w/some endurance. Sorry to disappoint, but walking is NOT strength training.0
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A serious runner, the kind of person who runs a lot and would call themselves "a runner." Most of them enter races. Most of them don't win.
How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
By "serious" do you mean "competing" (in other words winning podium places in races?)
It is a big part of their life. They take it seriously and are serious about it. They're runners.
In that case there are plenty of serious runners who are far from lean and fall into the overweight category. Obese, not so much.
The front of pack is generally very lean though. Middle of the pack and the back there is a mix of body types.0 -
How fast does one have to walk to be considered running? Or conversely, how slow does one have to run to be considered walking?0
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I was just thinking the other day about when my cast was removed from my leg after being enclosed for 2 months. That leg had no muscle definition compared to the other. It looked scrawny, white, and hairy. haha. As soon as I began walking on it, the muscle quickly returned to the normal size. So.... ? Thoughts?0
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ceoverturf wrote: »How fast does one have to walk to be considered running? Or conversely, how slow does one have to run to be considered walking?
It isn't an issue of speed, it's an issue of gait. If you're 'walking' and there's a point at which both feet are off the ground at the same time, you're not walking, you're running (or jogging, which just a slow run). You have to have at least one foot on the ground at all times for it to be walking.
ETA: Elite speed walkers travel faster than most people's slow to moderate running speed. Some beginning runners run slower than my fast walking speed.0 -
Thankyou for your help - I'll start that - I've always been a bit shy of doing squats in case my meniscus tears even more. I'll start carefully and see what happens.
Plus more uphill, and yes I do cycle but I generally have two dogs on the back and so I have an electric bike as my legs can't get uphill yet
Thankyou again
FB x
Oh, I meant on a stationary/spinning bike at the gym--again, something my PT had me doing before she'd let me start running again. And for squats--not necessarily ATG squats--personally I like using the TRX for bodyweight squats. Do you have access to a physical therapist to maybe go over a safe workout plan?
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ceoverturf wrote: »What if I just want to TONE my legs? I mean I don't want to get big and bulky like a bodybuilder. Then would walking work for me?
I have to be careful not to walk too much. I build muscle very easily. If you don't want big muscle-y legs, you might want to invest in a scooter.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »What if I just want to TONE my legs? I mean I don't want to get big and bulky like a bodybuilder. Then would walking work for me?
I have to be careful not to walk too much. I build muscle very easily. If you don't want big muscle-y legs, you might want to invest in a scooter.
Oooh...great tip, thanks!
Would you recommend I buy one of those that are advertised during "Matlock" & "Murder, She Wrote" re-runs, or can I just go unplug one from my local Wal-Mart and drive it home?0 -
ceoverturf wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »What if I just want to TONE my legs? I mean I don't want to get big and bulky like a bodybuilder. Then would walking work for me?
I have to be careful not to walk too much. I build muscle very easily. If you don't want big muscle-y legs, you might want to invest in a scooter.
Oooh...great tip, thanks!
Would you recommend I buy one of those that are advertised during "Matlock" & "Murder, She Wrote" re-runs, or can I just go unplug one from my local Wal-Mart and drive it home?
Definitely WalMart. You want that extra calorie burn getting it home.0 -
How fat do you think most serious runners are? Like overweight or obese?
In your experience.
How are you defining "serious runner"? It's not uncommon for runners to need to lose weight (articles about losing weight are popular topics in running magazines)--obviously successful elite runners are lean, but I wouldn't define the category of "serious runner" that narrowly, and it wouldn't be relevant to almost anyone here.
And clearly lots of people who walk are fat.0
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