Speedwalking: How to Teach the Pushoff Technique

It's often said that walking is the ideal exercise. It's a relaxing, natural activity that is low-impact and requires no special equipment. However, your physical education students might prefer a faster, higher-energy exercise that still possesses the same qualities. If so, why not try speed walking! (Otherwise known as race walking).

In teaching speed walking, one of the keys is the pushoff. Here's how to improve that important part of walking technique, plus a workout you can use when speedwalking

THE PUSHOFF

The pushoff is the phase of each stride in which the toe leaves the ground after the leg has pushed backward. Unlike runners, the walker cannot rely on elastic energy to provide propulsion by bouncing off the feet when they make contact with the ground. As a result, the pushoff is vital in providing forward propulsion.

GOOD PUSHOFF TECHNIQUE

While keeping the heels on the ground as long as possible, be sure your students push fully backward on each stride - if they are doing so, the back leg will appear fully extended behind the walker.

As the leg moves backward and the heel can no longer stay in touch with the ground, your students should roll forward on the foot and push off hard with the toes and balls of the feet. They may feel their butt muscles contracting during this final push-off. As they push off, your students should feel themselves being propelled forward.

PUSHOFF DRILL

To help your students experience the feeling of a good pushoff, have them face a wall, hands on the wall, the front leg forward and bent, and the other leg back and bent.

Instruct them to lift the heel of the rear leg and, keeping that leg straight, use the ball and toes of the back foot to push against the wall. They should feel the force they generate with their back foot as they push off - that's the same feeling they should have when they push off during speed walking.

HILL DRILL

You can also give students the feeling for a good pushoff by having them walk uphill. Uphill walking forces walkers to emphasize a good extended pushoff.

INTERVAL SPEED-WALKING WORKOUT

Interval walking is an exercise you can use that involves speed walking.

This workout can be performed in any gym or even limited outdoor spaces. It's sure to get heart rates up! Great for kids young and old!

SET-UP

In a gym or long space, define the following terms:
* Single: one length of the gym
* Double: down & back (two lengths)
* Triple: down, back, down (three lengths)
* Quadruple: down, back, down, back (four lengths).

On each end of the gym, post a large sign showing the workout (see right). The idea is that students will walk two warm-up laps, then six singles (lengths of the gym) separated by short breaks, then four doubles, etc.. ...until they finish with 2 cool-down laps.

EXECUTION

Explain the workout, then have students pair up and work their way through the workout. Walk with them and encourage those who are struggling to keep up.

SUGGESTIONS

1. Stretch after the warm-up laps and after the cool-down laps.

2. After EACH single, double, triple, etc, students MUST wait 10 seconds (or other length) of time before they can walk again OR wait until their heart rate recovers to a certain BMP (120 for 18 year olds, for example).

3. Each interval MUST be walked at maximum speed. The idea is to really create a wave workout, where heart rates go up and down, up and down.

4. You can also have students perform other exercises between intervals (for example, heel raises, wall sits, squats)

REFERENCES:
1. Ruth Iknoian, Walking Fast, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1998.
2. Dr. Sandy Kimbrough, Association Professor and Assistant Department Head with the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

About the Author

Dick Moss is the editor of Physical Education Update.com, the Fun Stuff for Physical Education Newsletter and the Physical Education Update Blog.

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Why What You Think You Know about CPR is Wrong

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an excellent life saving tool that has saved many lives and has existed in many forms for hundreds of years. However, our current method of CPR was not taught to the public until the 1970s. Before that, it was determined that artificial respiration and chest compressions could save a person's life, but the method before our current one consisted of laying a person on their stomach. Fortunately, our current method is the adopted method because of its high success rate.

However, there are plenty of misconceptions when it comes to CPR because of what we see in movies and on television series set in hospital environments. The reason why Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is portrayed the way it is on television is for dramatic effect, but what that does is give people the wrong impression about how it is really done. Could you imagine sitting there and waiting for the person performing CPR to breathe into the victim's mouth twice and then do 30 chest compressions? That would be rather boring, wouldn't it? We usually see them breathe twice and do anywhere between 5 and 15 chest compressions.

How to perform CPR

It isn't the quick and glamorous lifesaving technique we see in Hollywood. There are steps to be taken. Those steps are:

You must try to wake the victim. You can rub your knuckles against their chest in a brisk manner. Any moaning or moving means CPR doesn't need to be done.

If they're not breathing, tilt their head back so their chin is lifted, and put your ear to their mouth to ensure they are still not breathing. Use your cheek to make sure they're not breathing and look at their chest. Pinch their nose and then seal their mouth with yours. Use a CPR mask if you can. Give breath for one second, let their chest fall, then give breath another second and let their chest fall.

Do chest compressions in the middle of the chest with the heel of one hand and the other hand on top with fingers interlaced. Compressions should be about 1 and a half to 2 inches in depth and do 30 compressions. Each compression should take less than a second, but ensure the chest rises before the next compression.

Repeat this process until help arrives unless the victim begins breathing again.

This may seem easy by reading it, but if you didn't know the steps, you now know what to do. However, it is good to gather some experience on performing CPR in case you do need to do it in a real life setting.

Sign up for courses

The best way you're going to gain CPR experience is if you sign up for a low cost Cardiopulmonary resuscitation course. In the course you learn about CPR, how it works, why it works, and you are able to practice it on dolls that are specially designed for teaching individuals. This is the best way you're going to learn. You don't have to invest in a fancy course that is expensive. What is important is that you know how to perform it when the need comes about. You just never know when something is going to happen unexpectedly and you might be the only person in the room who knows the correct way. As stressful as that may be, it is better that you know it instead of no one knowing it at all because you could very well save a life. That in itself makes taking a Cardiopulmonary resuscitation course worth your time and your money.

About the Author

Lifesaver 101 courses provides CPR Training and First Aid training that meets and exceeds current standards.

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Buying a Treadmill - Top Things You Should Know

Fitness equipments like aerobic flyers or abdomen rollers are tentative but treadmills are meant almost forever. Treadmills are not for clean-out-sale purposes from a house hold since they are largely used by people.

There are a lot of benefits of exercises at home and it is mostly applicable for those families who don't have times for other things than their daily works. It is known from several studies that people having exercise equipments at homes are more consistent about the regularity of exercise than those having membership of gyms or fitness schools. If you have a machine at home, it somehow invites you for the workouts since it is just in front of your eyes. You can easily get 20 minutes of exercise when you feel you have no such important things to do.

The treadmills are preferred to any other fitness machines because people are already aware of the movements and the use of the machine before they buy it. There are a number of varieties of treadmills in the market but to buy one, you should be very practical. You need to look for them in the stores specially deal in them. If you wish to take home one of the best of them, you need to bear some tips in your mind.

You should measure the length, the breadth and the height of the place of your room where you have decided to install it. It does not look good if your head strikes at the roof while exercising. Before going to buy a treadmill, carry with you a measuring tape and dress-up so as you are going for exercises; this is for the measurement of both, the area and the performance of the machine. Measure the machine perfectly and walk on it for around 10 to 15 minutes, that's all.

If you find the machine is rocking to and fro, leave it. Because, a treadmill is not meant for putting you in seasick. A strongly built machine ensures you with the durability and enjoyment of exercising. Different parts should have been joined by welding not by nuts and screws. Because, joints of nuts and screws are susceptible to loose when use.

Some may try out the exercise equipments in gyms by getting a short-term membership. A trial membership for one month is a common offer from the gyms. You can even find offers of one or two weeks' membership free as a trial.

More features attract more dollars. Programs like heart beat monitoring etc can enhance the motivation but then some of us may regard them to be of no use at all. If you are a little fastidious about things, find a treadmill that is well constructed and having quality parts. You do not need the programs like automatic pacing or virtual racing. To buy one thing, it is better that you know what you are looking for in it and not that a salesman lets you know about your look outs.

You have to sit with the retailer; and after you have gone through all the written matters about warranty, ask him every question you seem fit regarding the warranty. For example, are the treadmills assembled by them? Do the treadmills have any weight limit? Etc. The last one is more necessary because some treadmills have some specific weight limit and if the buyer crosses that limit, the warranty given on it is null and void from the very beginning. Then, you should keep the entire packaging in a safe place for if it needs to be returned.

The motor of a treadmill is the first and the foremost thing that is required to be examined very well. On an average, you put 80% (if you are walking) to 250% (if you are running) of your body weight on the machine each time you get up on the belt. The motor simultaneously withstands the pressure and maintains the uniform speed of the track.

'Continuous' horsepower measures the overall strength of the motor. But, some advertisement of relatively cheaper treadmills tactfully show their horsepower to of higher peak in rating to suppress the actual duty rating which is below par.

During the inspection of the belt, you should be concerned about the length and the breadth that are comfortable for you. A short belt may throw you out to the wall if you make one foul step. This is also true that a belt which is too large makes your exercise harder and adds more depreciation to the motor.

Advanced treadmills have a number of categorized workouts. They are something like your individual training coach. You may even get some workouts that are programmed in a manner that keep your heart beat at steady pulses. You also have the option to get some of your choice able exercises programmed on your treadmill.

No doubt that buying a treadmill is an expensive affair. If we go by the fitness experts' opinion, a steady and durable treadmill may loose your pocket to a minimum of $1,000. However, it saves hundreds of them if you know what is required typically for you.

About the Author

If you would like to find more resources on buying the right treadmill, please visit the #1 online resource for fitness treadmills and more: http://TreadmillBuyingGuide101.com

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