Speed Walking Times

Race walking, also known as speed or power walking, is an Olympic sport and a low-impact aerobic activity you can use to build fitness and burn calories. You need nothing more than a supportive pair of low-heeled, flexible shoes; a level stretch of track or sidewalk or an empty mall; a little hip action; relaxed, upright posture; and the motivation to stick with the program, to walk your way to better fitness.

  1. Power Pace

    • In speed walking, there's fast and faster. You pick up the pace as you become more fit. True race walkers maintain a 5- to 9-mph speed, according to the Tang Health Center at Berkeley University. But you can start at a brisk 3- to 3.5-mph pace -- you'll cover a mile in about 17 to 20 minutes. Fitness buffs should aim for 3.5 to 4.5 mph, and you can increase speed by adding intervals at race-walk pace to build endurance and train your muscles to go fast. If you're walking to take weight off, note that you'll burn about 100 calories an hour speed walking, depending on your pace and body weight.

    Fast Form

    • Don't just fly out the door and churn up the trail. Use good form to realize speed walking's benefits and protect yourself from injury. The rules of race walking require competitors to have contact with the ground at all times -- when one foot pushes off, the other touches down. As your heel touches the ground, your front leg remains straight until your torso has passed over it. Push off with your toes and roll through your steps as you breathe evenly and keep your abs and glutes tightened. Arms stay close to your sides -- no flapping, but you can swing them fast, front-to-back, to increase your pace. Keep your chest raised and open, shoulders down and back, head up and eyes looking forward. Don't arch your lower back.

    Prep Your Body

    • Good form for speed walking requires strong, flexible ankles, feet, hip flexors and core muscles. U.S. World Cup coach Dave McGovern recommends specific exercises to improve motion and speed for those fitness-enhancing races around the track. Try short stretches of heel and toe walking, alternating straight forward steps, toes or heels in, and toes or heels out, and build up your distance. Foot-crossing and torso-twisting in a grapevine drill improves agility and core flexibility. Walking and running backward, butt-kicking and high-stepping in place help your speed and your hamstrings. Walking lunges strengthen quads and open hip flexors. Supermans, oblique crunches and planks really work your core. Vary a speed walk workout by doing planks and crunches on a stability ball.

    Benefits of a Brisk Walk

    • Step up your daily amble to speedy to realize the health benefits of a fast walking program in short order. Aim for at least moderate intensity to challenge your cardio-respiratory system so you can count your speed walks as aerobics. Speed walking lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, builds bone and muscle strength, increases energy and stamina, protects your joints from the impact of jogging and running, reduces your risk for serious diseases such as diabetes and breast cancer, and helps you to take -- or keep -- unwanted pounds off. Check with your health-care provider if you have a medical condition, such as osteoarthritis or cardiovascular disease, before jumping into a speed-walking program. Post-walk pain in feet, knees, hips or lower back could signal a need for corrective shoes.