Do any of you power walking on the treadmill?

[dnourie]

I just started power walking on my treadmill today, and I must say it's fun. I cranked up music that has a fast beat, and power walked to the music. I can only get up to 3.5 miles now, but I got 9 miles in today. I'll gradually work up to 4.0 miles an hour.

Are there power walkers out there? Do you use a treadmill for this?

One thing I need to be careful of is a right knee that hurts intermitently. It started creaking two years ago, and now sometimes it hurts. But the pain never stays for long.

Is power walking safe for iffy knees? I can't run because of an old foot and ankle injury. Thank you!

[WendyB]

Good for you doing 9 miles.

You need to ask your DR if it is safe for your Knees

[dnourie]

I may end up having my knee checked, but so far my knee hurts maybe 5 minutes out of the day. I'm hoping that the yoga and pilates I'm doing will strengthen the muscles around the knee, getting rid of the pain entirely. It seems this is often the case with knee pain. But if it increases, I'll see my doc and check out what's going on in there.

[Doug]

You may want to consult with your doctor to see if something which is lower impact than walking would be better for your condition.  Such as an eliptical or skier, swimming, etc.

But to your other question, I think there are LOTS of power walkers among Fitbit users.  Or perhaps it is Fitbit users that later became power walkers.

Initially, I did the majority of my power walking on a treadmill while watching videos to help pass the time faster.  When my treadmill broke, I switched to outdoor walking listening to books on Audible or music.  I find that weather permitting, I enjoy outdoor walking more than the treadmill.

The thing I like about the treadmill is it holds my pace without paying attention to my pace.  When I walked outdoors and listened to a book, I was not keeping a consistent pace.  My solution to that was to install a metronome app on my phone (intended for musicians) and have it keep a beat in the background.  I've been known to set it at 150 beats per minute which will give me 9000 steps / hour, but I'll often go closer to 142 beats/minute to give me 8500 steps/hour.  And when I don't feel like a real power walk, I'll go 130 or even less just to finish up a book or get some extra steps at an easier pace.

[Jami · Accepted solution]

I often use the treadmill and once had trouble with my knee. My doctor told me to increase the incline. You don't hit the bed as hard if it rises up to meet you.

Another trick - and this one works especiall well on an uphill climb - is to lengthen your stride, but not in front. Instead, keep your rear foot on the ground longer, somewhat crunching your buttocks as the back end of your stride lengthens. This uses the power of the gluts - your biggest muscles - to propel you forward. This should shorten the stride at the front so that instead of crashing down heel to toe you land a little more evenly on the entire foot. If you swing your foot too far forward it calls upon the muscles around the knee to pull your body weight uphill.  I got knee injuries trying to take uphill steps too far forward. Now that I keep that rear foot on the ground as long as I can during an uphill climb, my gluts push me uphill with less effort and I haven't had a knee injury in several years.

[dnourie]

That helps in heaps! You know, I was actually doing that today, occasionally lengthening my stride, but I did it by allowing my back leg to go back farther while shortening the front stride. I need to work on those gluts too! I will increase my incline. That makes a lot of sense.

I got in another 9 miles today, and today no knee pain. So I'll take your advice, and see how that helps my knee and my weight loss.

I have the next two weeks off, and I'm fortunate enough to work remotely. So I've been exercising a lot more. While I'm off I plan on use the treadmill 3  times a day, and do yoga/pilates after dinner. I'm hoping I'll drop three pounds doing that. More would be awesome, but I don't expect it.

[Doug]

Check out the walking style of Chi Walking ( here or search You Tube).  He claims his techniques will let you walk (or run) injury free.  And he has specific suggestions for up and down hill too.  The posture for Chi Running is different than walking, but he has techniques for both.

[JoanneinCA]

I have a TV in front of my treadmill and I watch this DVD while I'm walking.  It makes me feel like I'm walking along a jungle trail and it makes the time fly by. It feels much more like taking a walk outside than being on the treadmill. http://www.amazon.com/Scenic-Trex-Beachside-Jungle-DVD/dp/B001GMYFAC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=13895615...

[lisaaggie]

I can get up to 3.5 miles but not for very long!  I rather go slower with a bigger incline.  That is how I burn the calories.  

[IndianJedi]

Great to hear someone else in the world has similar issues to me... whilst i would love to answer your questions, i cannot. But would like to hear others views.

In the meantime, i guess we can just soldier one.

K

[robin91791]

Good morning!  You might want to get an assessment on how you walk, see if you are wearing the right shoes for any activity.  The feet and how protected they are is essential for the rest of the body.

I used to run until I was injured - hip injury.  Now I walk on the treadmill, at the highest incline, steady fast pae for 30 - 45 minutes a day - which is equivelent in burning calories to a 4 mile run. 

Keep up the good work!