For sports, it is not necessary to go to athletics or to the gym, long, daily walks are enough. What is the difference between running and walking? Significant changes between these activities in speed, body load, different muscle groups and endurance.
Many people believe that walking can be little comparable to jogging, however, a person who will walk 20 km in a day will experience almost the same loads if he had jogged 5 kilometers. Burning calories in this case will be almost equal. If we talk about sports or Scandinavian walking, then 10 kilometers will be enough.
Running, athletic walking and Nordic walking are all athletics disciplines. The jog is aimed at demonstrating overcoming a certain number of meters in a short period of time. Distances in this discipline are varied, ranging from a race of 100 meters to marathons of several tens of kilometers.
The main difference between running and any type of walking is the presence of the so-called "flight" phase, the state in which the body is completely in the air for a fleeting period of time. There are also differences in the muscle groups that are used during the race, as well as the presence of a low start.
The main difference between sports walking is in the rules, in track and field athletics, an athlete cannot take two legs off the surface at the same time, this is counted as running. Race walking looks so strange because of the specific movement, where it is necessary to keep the walking limb in a straightened state.
Knee angle
When running, any person has very much bent places in the knee area. This is a necessity due to which, when the leg collides with the surface, a stronger push occurs than when walking. Thus, the athlete picks up the required speed much faster.
The more the knee bends, the better the quadriceps muscles work. This is the main reason that knees may start to hurt during long running, but this is not observed when walking. When walking, any person's knee bend does not exceed 160 degrees.
Load on the spine and knees
Many people may experience pain during long or intense jogging in:
- knee joint;
- limb ligaments;
- tendons.
Pain can occur due to significant stress on the spine and knees while running. Races are more traumatic than race walking.
In addition to the possibility of sprains, damage to the ligaments while running, several factors affect the body.
- First of all, the efforts of his own body, with the help of which the athlete pushes off the surface. At these moments, a heavy load is exerted on the body and, if neglected, can lead to injuries.
- Other important factors are surface and footwear. The terrain plays an important role, the harder and more bumpy it is, the more likely it is to get injured. The choice of footwear is also very important, it is necessary to use only comfortable, light and soft sneakers, this will improve the speed and prevent pain.
When walking, all these factors are practically not important, and an injury can be obtained only through negligence or insufficient preparation of the body.
Speed
One of the main and most striking differences is speed. In race walking, beginner athletes develop speeds of 3 to 5 kilometers per hour, and professionals reach 8 kilometers. At this point, an effect called a breakpoint is achieved, when it is much easier to start running than to continue walking.
The maximum speed of a person when running is 44 kilometers per hour, and the average is about 30 kilometers. At this speed, the athlete will not be able to cover a long distance.
Contact with the ground
One of the key differences is the contact time of the limbs with the surface during movement. During any kind of walking, under any circumstances, one foot will still touch the ground.
In the case of running, everything is different, in this discipline there is a moment of "flight" when both legs are in the air. Due to this phase, a high speed is achieved, but at the same time the likelihood of injury increases.
Walking, on the other hand, can provide almost all the benefits of running with significantly less risk of injury. Running has a strong impact on joints and ligaments, which can lead to undesirable consequences.
Endurance
During running, energy consumption is much higher than during race walking, but at the same time, the efficiency of burning calories is much higher.
People who take long walks will burn about the same number of calories, but over a longer period of time.
As for the development of physical endurance, running is definitely better than walking and people who practice this discipline will be able to work longer at the wear and tear of their own strength.
Energy costs
Energy costs for a certain unit of time differ significantly. For example, a person who will run at medium speed for half an hour will get much more tired than someone who has been walking for 2 hours.
At the same time, the effect of the exercises will be strikingly different. A jogger will in any case develop his own endurance, muscle tissue and cardiovascular system faster.
Different numbers of muscles involved
During running and walking, different amounts of muscles are involved, and the effect on them is also different.
When running, almost all muscle groups in the body work, the most loaded are:
- hips;
- buttocks;
- shin flexors;
- calf muscles;
- intercostal;
- quadriceps.
When walking, more than 200 muscles are involved, but the load on them is lower than when running.
The main muscle groups that work when walking:
- hips;
- calf muscles;
- buttocks.
Running and walking are closely related and develop the same properties in the human body. Despite the similarities between these two disciplines, there are many differences. The main differences are: load on the body, movement speed, energy consumption and execution technique.
