Since the beginning of the pandemic, walking as a hobby has increased in quality. In times of lockdowns, curfews and the like, the walk gave many a feeling of freedom – and the exercise they needed. But what about the sporting aspect? Does a walk also train endurance? FITBOOK has the sports physician Dr. Paul Schmidt-Hellinger asked.
A leisurely “walk” seems to be a sensible alternative, especially for people who are reluctant to jog or are unable to do so for health reasons. But does a walk train endurance just as well as “real” sport?
Study shows health benefits of walking
A study published in the specialist journal PLoS One attributes a large number of positive effects to walking. Body weight, fat mass and body fat percentage should decrease through regular walks. This effect was found in 68 employees who were mainly sedentary. The subjects were divided into three groups. The first group went for short walks several times a day, the second group took one long walk a day and the third group served as a control. Regardless of whether the walk was divided into several small «walks» or took place in one piece: the positive effects were similar.1 But how does the walk affect endurance? Can it replace normal sport?
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The sports doctor welcomes the new love of walking
Whether in the park or in the woods, alone or with a partner: a walk was obviously good for us, and not only during the Corona crisis, and many people now use this beneficial form of exercise as a substitute for sports – also to increase endurance. A trend that Dr. Paul Schmidt-Hellinger, sports physician at the Charité, observed and rated it as very positive.
FITBOOK has reported on the health benefits of the famous 10,000 steps a day (corresponds to 6.5 kilometers with an average step length of 65 centimetres). This is about longer distances. What are the health benefits of walking ten kilometers or more? How do they compare to jogging? To what extent can you improve your stamina with it? Should you pay attention to the walking speed? Does a walk train endurance as well as exercise? And at the end of life, is it perhaps even better to have been an avid walker than a competitive athlete?
walking and endurance
FITBOOK: Can long walks improve endurance?
dr Paul Schmidt-Hellinger: «It depends. When walking at a sporty walking pace (6 kilometers per hour), the load on the cardiovascular system is usually less than 50 percent of the maximum capacity. Endurance improves from 60 to 70 percent. If you are sporty, a walk will not have any training effect. But if you are very overweight or have not exercised for 20 years, you may only have half the endurance of a fit runner – and then the training effect on endurance is there. For these people, going for a walk is just the thing!”
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Apart from the psychological added value: To what extent do sporty to very sporty people benefit from long walks?
Schmidt-Hellinger: “They reduce their susceptibility to injury and can be happy about the calorie consumption. It’s actually not that low! For example, an hour’s walk burns as many calories as a 20-minute jog—about 200 calories. As a rough rule, one-third of jogging calories are burned. When walking, these calories are more likely to be burned via fat metabolism and train it. In a 10-kilometer timed run, on the other hand, you mostly burn sugar. That’s why walking doesn’t necessarily improve your 10k best time.”
Can athletes compensate for lost training by building strength with bodyweight exercises at home and walking as a supplement?
Schmidt-Hellinger: «Yes, but then you have to be careful to get into a high heart rate range when working out at home. My tip: squats, hold your breath in extreme cases!”
Walkers vs. competitive athletes
years at an absolutely high level of performance – or the one who has walked continuously throughout his life?
Schmidt-Hellinger: “At the end of life, contingency prevails (Regularity, editor’s note) everything that concerns the training effect. For example, someone who ran fast in one year will not do themselves as much good in old age as someone who has done moderate sport all their life – and that includes regular walks. This person may not be particularly capable, but they have a good baseline level and, at 90, are most likely fitter than a former competitive athlete who has exhausted their reserves and only has an athlete’s mindset left when they want to start training again.”
How many kilometers per day would be optimal?
Schmidt-Hellinger: “The human anatomy is designed to walk 15 kilometers a day. So that would be ideal. By the way, city dwellers tend to walk more than the rural population. It has been calculated that the average New Yorker walks an average of five to ten kilometers a day. It has to do with the big train stations.”
Walking speed? Doesn’t matter!
What walking speed is ideal?
Schmidt-Hellinger: “Walking should be more about mindfulness (Focus on the moment, editor’s note) go than the clock. You should go at the pace that suits you and go as long as you feel like it. Then you automatically get into a state where you feel fit and balanced.”
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How can you motivate yourself to go for a walk?
Schmidt-Hellinger: “For example, it spurs me on to see how far I can get. Then I realize: Wow, I’ve never been that far from home! That drive is in us, I think. You can z. B. also plan to go to the city limits.”
dr Paul Schmidt-Hellinger is a doctor and marathon runnerPhoto: private
dr Paul Schmidt-Hellinger (34) is a doctor, successful in the marathon distance and loves long walks. Because the athlete recently had an operation, he is currently unable to cover long distances. At the weekend he still managed 12,000 steps (Saturday) and 4000 steps on Sunday – supplemented by 30 kilometers of cycling and a visit to his own garden sauna.