Athletics March - Generalities and Training

Walking is a "basic" discipline of athletics, as it takes place over Olympic distances of 20km and 50km on the road.

Step technique and analysis

The walking technique is regulated by the rules of the I.A.A.F .:

Athletic walking is a progression of steps performed so that the athlete maintains contact with the ground without any visible loss of contact. The advancing leg must be stretched from the first contact with the ground until the moment when the leg is in the vertical position.

The movements of the march are primary and secondary; the primary ones are those of the legs suitable for translocation of the body and the secondaries of the trunk and arms suitable for compensating the movement of the lower limbs.
The walking pace of athletics can be broken down and analyzed as follows:

Single support: in the support, the leg in contact with the ground must be completely stretched from the moment of contact with the heel to the thrust on the forefoot; in this way, the supporting limb is placed in an oblique position avoiding an excessive elevation of the center of gravity
Double support: it is the moment in which the feet are in contact with the ground, it goes from the heel of the front foot to the sole of the rear foot and determines the length of the step; in this phase, by drawing a hypothetical line that divides the body into two parts, you should see a greater thrust angle of the rear leg with respect to the angle of the front leg, allowing a longer thrusting phase and less braking at the moment of the " attack.
Push: it starts from the moment in which the projection on the ground of the center of gravity goes beyond the support base and ends when the foot leaves the ground. NB: the thrust must not disperse upwards but should concentrate more towards the front, moreover, it must develop for as long as possible. Observing the walker from the side, you can see that the leg is STRETCHED back and absolutely NOT with the knee bent.

Oscillating phase and attack: after the push, the foot and the leg must be immediately thrown forward, with the foot touching the ground, placed horizontally and parallel to the ground; at the end of the action, the leg is extended and makes contact with the ground through the heel with the limb completely straight. The approach to the ground of the sole of the foot must be gradual (called "roll")
Action of the hips: the movement of the hips characterizes the movement of the march and is necessary to eliminate the excessive raising and lowering from the center of gravity with each step; in all movements, the hips perform a "circular action of 360 ° which determines fluidity and economy of the walking pace
Actions of the trunk and upper limbs: the upper part of the trunk is slightly forward when pushing and vertical during the single support; laterally, it always supports the movements of the hips with small oscillations. The use of the arms is called balancing , they move in a flexed attitude with a FIXED angle of the elbow equal to 90 °. The movement must be synchronous and wide to give fluidity and harmony to the step.

Walking training in athletics

The two areas or areas for which it is necessary to carefully choose the means of training are AEROBIC RESISTANCE and AEROBIC POWER.
Aerobic endurance is sought in order to build the athletic base, to regenerate or facilitate recovery and to lay the training bases preparatory to aerobic power sessions. Aerobic power, on the other hand, is stimulated to find the best race pace, therefore to favor the achievement of greater specific resistance; obviously, the two areas (or capabilities) are closely related to each other.
As for other sports, the resistance area (or aerobic capacity) is more extensive (quantitative), while the power area is intensive (qualitative); it follows that the young sportsman DEBBA prefers extensive and quantitative work, while the elite athlete needs greater specificity and intensity of training. Extensive work at a young age also has the function of mentally accustoming the athlete to volumes of constant and protracted work over time; on the contrary, for the advanced athlete, walking at an intensity lower than 25-30% of the anaerobic threshold (SA) or deflection value (see - see Conconi test) has NO meaning other than that of warming up, recovery or regeneration and de-fatigue. After all, it is necessary to take into consideration that: working for long periods at intensities far from the SA determines (inexorably) a lowering of the latter as well as a greater psychological difficulty in restoring this speed of execution. very important athletic training (especially in the warm-up and exhaust functions) which must NEVER be eliminated, even in conditions of shortage of time.

Reasons and ways to refer to race speed when choosing athletics walking training intensities

First of all, we specify that setting the race speed as a reference for the calculation of training intensities does not exempt it from considering it as a finishing step in the training project! By aiming to achieve a certain speed of travel through "annual training," this parameter certainly cannot be considered "literally" in the calculation formulas for the first training period; it would result in a completely inapplicable table. However, thanks to the experience of the observers and analytical technicians, it was possible to conquer the certainty that: the race pace of the walker is ALWAYS 7-9% lower than the SA (in metric terms, the difference between speed in SA and race speed is about 700-1000m / h); this is a fundamental fact since, even if it is not possible to predict a REAL race speed without resorting to a maximum test (absolutely NOT RECOMMENDABLE), it remains the possibility of carrying out a specific test for the calculation of the vd on which to establish the THEORETICAL speed first. COMPETITION and then the training intensity (based on the period and the goal). NB. The lactate concentration detectable on athletes engaged in various walking distances is approximately 2mmol for 50km and between 3.3 / 3.8mmol for 20km.

Aerobic endurance training in walking: training means

Slow travel: it has an introductory, de-fatigue and regeneration function; it must be performed in conditions of pulsatory tranquility and is essential to build the general resistance of young athletes. During the slow march, attention is paid to the technical gesture and less to the "amplitude / frequency of the step. It is a type of slow work at a constant pace, with intensity between 75-80% of the race speed along about 10-15km in the 20ists and 15-20km for 50ists.
Walk over long distances: essential for adapting the osteo-articular apparatus, tendon and muscle structures; it is the most suitable means for the extensive development of the walker and plays an essential role in psychological development. It is a type of work that can be carried out:

long and steady
long and in progression
long with long, medium and short rhythm variations

It has a pace between 80 and 85% of the race speed, 20-40km long for 20ists and 35-55km for 50ists.
Run at a slow - medium pace: it is important for the technical aspect, it takes place at 85-90% of the race speed in a constant manner and is 10-20km long for the 20ists and 10-25km for the 50ists.
Run at a medium pace: is the link between endurance exercises and aerobic power exercises. It requires a relative physical effort but ALWAYS a high concentration and is very useful as it requires very short recoveries. It is an average job and can be done at a constant pace, medium in progression, medium with long, medium and short rhythm variations. long and short repetitions; it takes place between 90-95% of the race speed and is 15-25km long for 20ists and 20-35km for 50ists.

Aerobic power training in walking: training means

Ride at a race pace or higher speed: it serves to raise the SA and to accustom the muscles to lactate concentrations even higher than 4mmol / l while maintaining a certain technical lucidity; it is a DECISIVE feature for high performance in the race. It is a work that can be practiced at a constant but race pace, at a race pace but in progression, at a race pace with medium and short rhythm variations, and with long - medium - short repetitions; the pace is approximately between 95-105% of that race and is 10-25km long for 20ists and 10-30km for 50ists.
Muscle work: it is a work in the gym, in the form of circuits with overloads, which must be oriented towards developing: dexterity, some forms of skills and (with overloads) resistance to strength; everything must be integrated with proprioceptive, postural and muscle stretching exercises - joint mobility.
Drive uphill: unlike the previous method for muscle work, this is of a specific type; slope and distance must be correlated and adjusted but without exceeding the slope that would negatively affect the technical gesture. The function is to increase resistant strength and train the recruitment of all muscle fibers, also increasing aerobic endurance through CONTINUOUS walking, or aerobic power through long REPEATED walking; with the short REPEATED march an attempt is made to increase the special resistance. NB: The uphill work requires the transformation of the gesture on the plane. The 20ists do a job of about 10-15km while the 50ists arrive at 10-20km.

Special endurance training in the march: training means

Get involved in the phase closest to the competition (6-8 weeks before); it focuses on extensive aerobic power if the athlete has a high anaerobic threshold, or intensive if the athlete is characterized by a high degree of endurance.It is therefore essential to learn to know the running speed in order to improve one or the other ability.
For the special extensive endurance, long - medium repeats at a race pace or at a slightly lower speed can be used, for example: 2 x 5000 with 1000m recovery or 3 x 3000m with 1000m recovery or 5 x 2000m with 1000m recovery (20ists); other e.g .: 5 x 5000 with 1000m recovery or 7 x 3000m with 1000m recovery or 9 x 2000m with 1000m recovery (50ists).
For special intensive endurance, medium - short repeats at race speeds or slightly higher can be used, for example: 4 x 2000 with 1000m recovery, or 8 x 1000m with 500m recovery or 15 x 500m with 200m recovery (20ists); other e.g .: 6 x 2000 with 1000m recovery or 15 x 1000m with 500m recovery (50ists).
For the special block, on the other hand, work can be carried out at a race pace or slightly lower in the 2 daily sessions for a total of 15 + 20km at 95% of the race pace (20ists) and 20 + 20km at 95% of the race pace (50ists).
The special work consists of marching at race pace for 25-35km (for the 50ist); there ascent with short repetitions it takes place by walking on steep climbs for 100-200m for a total of 3-5km (for 20ists).

Complementary means

They are techniques and training methods that perfect the athletic gesture and improve the performance of the walker:

Increased muscle efficiency: in walking there are muscles known as "limiting", that is the most responsible for producing lactate which, if properly trained, allow to increase the effectiveness of the step. Furthermore, the muscles of the walker must bear 2 totally different resistances: the push of the step and the BLOCK of the movement, useful in compliance with the Regulations; the muscles of the walker must therefore be strong and resistant and, to obtain this kind of performance, it is necessary to carry out both general and specific exercises
Joint mobility: the walker MUST have an out-of-the-ordinary joint mobility capacity and this is essentially developed with general mobility exercises and specific mobility for walking
Walking technique: they are placed in dedicated training sessions, with distances of 200-400m, in which execution errors must be identified and IMMEDIATELY corrected.

Organization of training in the march

The training must be cycled over the 7 days of the week, within which loads and discharges of intensity will follow one another, modulating both the volume and the density of the effort itself. The periodization of the march provides for the "transition" phase at the end of October and the resumption at the beginning of November; the year must be divided into 3 different periods: general preparatory, fundamental preparatory, special preparatory. The most important competition is usually held in August, therefore in the months of April-May some high-level competitions are organized (end of the first special preparatory period ); a short period of regeneration will follow and immediately after the resumption of training for the main competition.

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