Do you know the difference between brisk walking and running? Fast walking is a very attractive sport activity for sports enthusiasts who do not need special equipment and environment. This popular sport has many health benefits and improves your quality of life. During brisk walking, the body burns calories. As a result, this exercise makes weight loss easier, but is this exercise right for you? Join us to explore the benefits and types of brisk walking together.
Brisk walking means covering about 1,600 meters in 15 minutes or less. In this type of walking, your movement speed is faster than normal walking, but your speed is not so fast that it is considered running. When walking briskly, the heart rate increases and different muscles of the body are activated. Brisk walking has several styles; From brisk walking to power walking. The competition of this sport is also held in the Olympics, and to succeed in it, you need to learn different techniques to be able to adjust your arm and leg movements.
The benefits of brisk walking
Researchers say that brisk walking improves the quality of life; It increases longevity and is very beneficial for health. Maybe you ask yourself how many calories an hour of brisk walking burns? This sport, like any other physical activity, causes fat burning and contributes to weight loss. According to research, brisk walking makes it easier for people to reduce body mass index and size.
Another benefit of brisk walking is strengthening the heart muscles. Heart rate increases during brisk walking and blood circulates faster in your body. This exercise makes the heart muscles stronger and your heart rate decreases at rest. As a result, less pressure is applied to the heart.
According to research, brisk walking reduces the risk of various diseases, including dementia and type 2 diabetes. In addition, it improves the quality of your sleep and strengthens brain function; Because of this, you will have better performance throughout the day.
Walking increases the range of motion of the joints and transfers the pressure from the joints to the muscles. Experts say that walking uphill has a greater effect on muscle growth and maintaining bone health and gradually strengthens the leg and abdominal muscles.
Types of Brisk Walking
Brisk walking has different styles. Athletes do this sport according to their goal and style and perform different techniques in each style. Fast walking competitions are also held in the world, each of which has its own rules. In the following, we introduce different styles of this sport.
- Power walking
In this style of walking, athletes move their arms to increase their speed. One of the principles of this type of walking is bending the arms. This helps the athlete to have regular movements and not get tired early. If you are planning to start power walking, you should seek guidance from an exercise expert and learn arm movement while walking. - Marching competitions
Marching competitions have their own rules and athletes in this field use a special technique. In race walking, you should keep your knee straight from the time the front foot hits the ground until your foot passes under the body. In this style, one foot is always in contact with the ground. Athletes get help from their arms in walking events such as power walking. This technique helps them to be faster and their body gets tired later. - Olympic marching competition
The marching competition entered the Olympics in 1906. This sport is one of the sub-sets of athletics in which athletes compete in distances of 20 and 50 kilometers. Races with a distance of 20 km are held for women and men, but only men participate in the 50 km race. The speed of fast walking in this style is high, with athletes covering about 1,600 meters in 6 minutes or less.
