About Shoes
Q: How important is the right type of shoe?
A: As modern medicine is starting to learn, foot health is a key factor on overall body dynamics. Our feet are the tactile sensors we use to create a good foundation for movement. If our feet are uncomfortable or in pain, this affects our gait, stance, fatigue levels, and overall body mechanics. As with any building we need a good foundation that creates stability and confidence of the structure. As with any vehicle, you would want good tires and suspension to increase performance and safety. For our body this means wearing good shoes and taking care of our feet.
Be sure to pick out a good shoe that fits your type of foot. Most walking/running stores have a well-trained staff that can identify your specific needs in a shoe. Some even have you to walk on a treadmill to ascertain your gait pattern. Your foot will swell when you exercise due to the nature of gravity, heat, and an increased heart rate/blood pressure, so your shoe should be a half size larger then you normally wear. Make sure to find a shoe that fits nicely around the heel and provides stability. The shoe should have a build up in the lateral part of the shoe creating a lateral arch support. This puts pressure on the cuboids bone within the foot and helps to transition from heel strike to mid-stance more effectively.
For most people, a soft flexible insole that provides some tactile sensation to the medial arch should be sufficient to provide good arch support. For most of my patients, I recommend the more flexible insole that allows the feet to strengthen and learn as more beneficial than a hard plastic arch. (Acute injuries of the heel sometimes require this rigid of support, but only for a temporary amount of time.) It is very important to leave enough space for your toes. When the toe box is too small it can cause the metatarsal bones to become irritated, causing a variety of foot disorders that can be quite painful. The toe box should not only be wide enough, but long enough as well. Shoes do wear out with time so you will need to replace them. When you do get a new pair of shoes, be sure to break them in slowly by wearing them for increasing amounts of time before you go out and perform in them.
Remember to take care of your feet. Stretch the ankles, feet, and toes after every walk. Ice down any areas of swelling in 10 minute increments. Massaging the feet to increase circulation and healing capacity is helpful. Have your feet adjusted to increase balance, flexibility, and proprioception. If you do sustain an injury and seek professional help, be sure to bring in your old shoes to your physician because the wear pattern will often reveal some information as to why you were injured.
— Jacob May
What are Plyometrics?
Q: As I get more involved in cross training and as my mileage increases, I see more names and types of training styles. I see the term plyometrics a lot. Are plyometrics recommended for improving walking?
A: To answer your question, let me start by explaining the purpose of plyometrics. They increase the speed of muscle contraction at the neuromuscular junction, as well as at the contractile unit of skeletal muscle called the sarcomere. Increasing contractibility increases power output. More simply put, plyometrics make you more powerful.
True plyometrics are very intense and place tremendous stress on the body. The movements are eccentrically loaded, repetitious, full intensity and ballistic movements that are performed as fast as possible. One should not perform too many of them at a given time, or without adequate recovery from the last bout.
As walkers, casual or competitive, the need to increase power typically is not seen as important as compared to increasing muscular endurance. However, one might be inclined to point out that by definition, endurance athletes actually train and compete as power athletes. How? According to physics, strength equals work, and work equals mass times distance. Power is mass times distance, divided by time. The difference between strength and power is time; performing work faster is what creates power. Confused? Don’t be. Plug yourself into the equation. Mass equals your weight. Distance equals half marathon, marathon, 50k, etc. Time equals duration of walking the event. As walkers, always trying to improve your time makes you a power athlete...of sorts.
Unless coming back from an injury, I personally believe there is little need for “true plyometrics” within a walking program. Intensities of training, however, need to be varied regularly. Sure walkers do tempo work, as well as hill work, but in addition, I always recommend a well balanced weight room program that changes with your fitness goals.
Many people choose to walk to avoid using a weight room, and I acknowledge this. Those who are trying to get faster and/or looking to avoid overtraining injuries associated with walking benefit highly from weight lifting. In the weight room, resistance can be varied easily, as well as the speed of the exercises. Between pushing yourself appropriately in the weight room, and incorporating tempo work, a walker’s power output should increase plenty.
— Greg Lekas
This Issue’s Expert
Jacob May, DC, is a chiropractor practicing sports medicine diagnosis and treatment. He successfully treats sports injuries for all levels of performance both adults and children. He can be reached at Clearwater Clini, 503-279-0205.
Greg Lekas, DC, ATC/R, CSCS is a chiropractic sports medicine expert helping recreational and professional athletes resolve their sports injuries and gain maximum performance with strength training and conditioning. He can be reached at Clearwater Clinic, 503-279-0205. |
