Guest guest Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 -----Original Message----- From: aequalsz [mailto:aequalsz@...] S Subject: [ ] Walk, Don't Run http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/31/health/31exer.html (Free subscription available) VITAL SIGNS Exercise: Walk, Don't Run, the Knees Say By MARY DUENWALD " In running, the leg must compress and extend like a pogo stick, " said Dr. J. , an assistant professor of biology at Brown University and an author of the study. " In walking you conserve energy because you move like an inverted pendulum. You sort of pole-vault over your legs. " ------------------------------------------------------------------ Well that's interesting. Always have read that the calories expended for walking or running a mile were roughly equal. So according to the article you get more bang for your buck by running three miles as opposed to walking three miles. And if you run on a treadmill with a flexible surface, like I do, you'll probably have no problems with your knees. So run don't walk - just do it mostly with a flexible surfaced treadmill. Aequalsz ================================ Well I don't know about " pogo stick " but yes there is a difference between running and walking. There is somewhat lower efficiency because of doing the work faster. The simplest way to look at this is that the work you are doing is not from moving forward, but from lifting your body weight with each step. Runners lift their bodies higher with each step than walkers, thus doing more work (per step). This is somewhat mitigated by covering more distance with each stride but I expect there to be a slight but measurable work difference between running and walking. If you watch an experienced race walker you will notice that their body barely moves up and down at all. Of course a race walker is still doing work even if their body doesn't move in the vertical but it is a factor. An extreme example of this is riding a bicycle on a level road which involves no " work " other than overcoming the rolling resistance of the tires. JR PS: My favorite TV ad these days is for a new exercise machine that promises a complete full body workout " effortlessly " LOL..... I've already got an effortless exercise machine it's called a couch :-) ________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by Internet Pathway's Email Gateway scanning system for potentially harmful content, such as viruses or spam. Nothing out of the ordinary was detected in this email. For more information, call 601-776-3355 or email support@... ________________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 > The simplest way to look at this is that the work you are doing is not from > moving forward, but from lifting your body weight with each step. Runners > lift their bodies higher with each step than walkers, thus doing more work > (per step). This is somewhat mitigated by covering more distance with each > stride but I expect there to be a slight but measurable work difference > between running and walking. > > If you watch an experienced race walker you will notice that their body > barely moves up and down at all. Of course a race walker is still doing work > even if their body doesn't move in the vertical but it is a factor. > That's also true for marathon runners. The elite runners have very little vertical motion compared to most of us, run of the mill joggers. At the other end of the spectrum (of runners) are the sprinters who take absolutely huge vertical leaps with each stride. They generally aren't too concerned with minimizing overall energy expenditures as are the marathon runners though. Actually at the longer sprinting distances, such as the 200 and 400 meters, it is advantageous to minimize energy expended, perhaps why , with his rigid upright stride may have been the best 200 and 400 meter athlete ever. Of course with sprinting, much larger forces are generated versus when marathon running. (I think someone on this web site mentioned that the laws of thermodynamics are always obeyed even for biological systems. Although no - or negligible - mechanical work is done holding a 5 pound weight stationary at arm's length for a hour, internal energy is expended in generating the force required to do so and is most likely manifested as heat energy.) Maybe this is why sprinters tend to retire at an earlier age than marathon runners. Aequalsz ________________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 > In a message dated 9/4/04 1:33:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > aequalsz@y... writes: > > > Maybe this > > is why sprinters tend to retire at an earlier age than marathon > > runners. > > > > I believe it's because speed declines with age more than other physical > attributes, like endurance or strength, do. > > -- > > Ken I believe you are correct. Anyway the reason for my last post was (in a spirit of jest) to shown that I can " non sequitur " along with the best of em. Comes natural to me. Aequalsz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 --- In , " john roberts " <johnhrob@n...> wrote: > While I'm not sure what this has to do with CR, yes sprinters are less > efficient that distance runners. They also use upper body strength, swinging > their arms to counter their bodies up-down motion. > > I suspect their earlier burnout is due to difficulties in maintaining high > levels of fast twitch muscle, but I'm just guessing. > > JR > According to, http://www.theharrier.com/B.html " Avoiding serious injury and the resulting training breaks, said the University of Colorado's Mazzeo, professor of kinesiology and applied physiology, has enabled to continue producing sufficient human growth hormone to stimulate muscle mass and the high percentage of fast-twitch muscle fiber needed in sprinting. " On a personal note, I try to keep my HGH supply high by ending my treadmill runs with a 150 yard " sprint " . Read somewhere that high intensity exercise promotes the production of HGH but I don't know how effectively it does this. Anyway the treadmill " sprinting " at least tends to break up the monotony. Aequalsz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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