Sports Fitness Has Five Basic Components

Chapter 3 – Building the House
Walking Fitness

Components of Sports Fitness

Sports fitness has five basic components:

·  Endurance

·  Strength

·  Skill

·  Speed / Power

·  Suppleness

Endurance

Endurance must be developed first, for without it most other types of training can not be repeated enough to develop the other components of fitness. In this clinic, building an endurance base is the primary emphasis. Building a base will train the cardiovascular system to better handle the demands of exercise and will train the specific muscles involved to go the distance. The heart will become stronger and more efficient at delivering oxygenated blood to the muscles and the muscles will become more efficient at utilizing oxygen for energy and become more resistant to muscular fatigue. These training adaptations lead to enhanced aerobic fitness.

The most common way of developing aerobic fitness is with regular continuous aerobic exercise. Exercise of this nature should be intense enough to raise the heart rate to the 130 - 150 BPM range (50-70% of your minimum current heart rate) and should be maintained for at least 20 minutes, preferably 30 minutes. The easy test is you should be able to comfortably talk while walking. So do the talk test! Muscular endurance is developed somewhat during continuous aerobic training, but is better trained in the weight room by doing many repetitions of low resistance exercise. Circuit training can sometimes be used to combine both muscular endurance and aerobic training.

Strength

Strength, can be whole-body strength, as in general conditioning and specific strength, is most effective within the range of motion of a given event. Strength is critical to every walking event for both men and women. The level of strength has a positive effect on both speed and endurance.

Skill

In sports fitness, skill is a more concrete idea than the normal meaning of "the ability to do something well". A "skill" is simply a desired movement. In this sense, skill is a component of all activities to a greater or lesser degree. For walkers, the faster you want to go, the more important your skill becomes.

Speed / POWER

Speed and power are critical to high level performance. Developing these components of fitness will not be a focus for the first few weeks.

Suppleness

The flexibility in this clinic is function, that is, directly related to your walking. We don't need to be contortionists: we just need to work on the range of motion that will directly benefit the other components of our activity.

Building the House

Fitness Walking

You can choose the intensity. Fitness Walking can provide a challenge for everyone. Start at a slow stroll if you prefer. Then move to active walking, where the fitness benefits start to show. You can then learn how to power walk or the special technique of Race Walking if you want to move to higher levels of activity.

Design of a Fitness Walking Program

Your Fitness Walking Clinic is designed to cover three aspects of walking. All three will be introduced in each clinic, but any of the three may receive more attention during the clinic, depending on the preference expressed by the participants as they register. The three aspects are:

1.  Fitness Walking
For those who want to be fit for fitness' sake. Whether your goal is a healthier lifestyle around town, or to hike around the Himalayas.

2.  Speed Walking
For those who love the speed, but don't wish to run. You'll get fit learning the techniques of power walking and of Race Walking. You don't have to race but we'll show you how if you're interested.

3.  Walking Back to Running
Walking can help you former runners overcome the inactivity or injuries which have kept you away from the sport and or introduce you to walking as a new sport.

Emphasis of Fitness Walking Clinic Training

Base Training constitutes the largest and most important portion of every durance program. For beginning walkers, there will be only two components of training emphasized in the first several months. These will be the improvement of (a) the heart, lungs, and circulatory system and (b) the skill and technique of walking.

The goal of this initial phase of training is for you to feel comfortable at least one level higher than the level you indicated in your Clinic Member Profile. (Group 1 members should notice (a) that they are able to walk 7 or 8 kilometres without stopping and (b) that they are able to walk 5 kilometres with satisfying increase in the level of effort they can produce without significant discomfort.)

Hard/Easy Principle

The body adjusts to exercise by "adaptation ", the enhancing of the systems of the body that were stressed by exercise. Adaptation occurs when the body is resting from the stress of the exercise. Therefore both the exercise and the rest are necessary for improvement:

Exercise + Rest = Adaptation

Well-planned training systems respect this principle by alternating harder sessions with easier ones. The easier session may also be a day of complete rest or some other activity. A change of activity is known as "cross-training". One day per week without training is common even among very advanced athletes.

The volume and the intensity of training are also increased gradually and with care. Increments of 10-15 percent have been found to provide an effective training load while avoiding excess training stress.

Excess stress does not allow adaptation to occur and produces injury, overtraining and illness. Following training, the feeling should be one of pleasant tiredness resulting from a satisfying accomplishment. The accumalation of fatigue is a danger sign in athletes of all levels.

Training Loads in this Clinic

Base Training 50%

·  Daily Walks which are relaxed, easy and comfortable.

·  Long Walk once per week.

(Any participants ready and willing to use power walking and/or race walking techniques during these walks will be encouraged to do so.)

Strength and Endurance Training 30%

·  Walks structured to include hills and/or stairs

·  Walks structured to include periods of faster walking followed by periods of recovery

·  Walks structured to include periods of power walking and race walking.

Skill and Technique Training

·  Skills of power walking and race walking introduced and rehearsed.

Smart Walking

Guidelines for Streetwise Walkers

·  Carry identification or write your name, phone number, and blood type on the inside of your shoe. You can carry this information in a running shoe key holder that attaches to the outside of your shoe

·  Don't wear jewelry

·  Carry a few coins or a cell phone for the call home

·  Train with a partner or group, whenever possible

·  Write down or leave word of your route. Inform your friends and family of your favorite routes

·  Train facing traffic so you can observe approaching cars.

·  Train in familiar areas. Know the location of telephones and open businesses and stores. Alter your route pattern.

·  Avoid unpopulated areas, deserted streets, and overgrown trails. Especially avoid unlit areas at night. Stay clear of parked cars and bushes

·  Do not wear headphones. Use your hearing to be aware of your surroundings

·  Wear reflective material if you train before dawn or after dark.

·  Ignore verbal harassment. Use discretion in acknowledging strangers. Look directly at others and be observant, but keep your distance and keep moving

·  Use your intuition about suspicious persons or areas. React on your inuition and avoid any person or area that feels unsafe to you

·  Carry a whistle or a noisemaker

·  Stay alert to your surroundings. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable

·  Call the police immediately if something happens to you or someone else, or if you notice anyone out of the ordinary while training.

Be an Ambassador of Our Sport

Tips on Training Etiquette

Group training has many wonderful benefits, which as an athlete you will enjoy. While you are enjoying the company of the large group you need to be aware of some team rules. These rules will keep training fun and safe yet prevent the poor unprepared pedestrian, swimmer, or motorist thinking you are an angry mob on the loose. Here are some tips for you and your group which will ensure that everyone gets a fair share of the road.

Group Training

1.  Members walking at the front of the group should be sure to warn those behind of oncoming traffic and pedestrians. All members of the group should move to the right to pass. A simple, "runner ahead!", "walker on the right", can help others in the group to know where and when to pass.

2.  When passing pedestrians or other walkers from behind, you should tell them which side you would like to pass on, calling "on the right!" (or left). All members of the group should pass on the same side.

3.  Group members at the front should warn walkers behind them of oncoming obstructions such as curbs, posts, ice, small animals, etc. When close behind someone, it's easy to miss these obstructions and trip and fall

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