Speed walking for bone strength

Walking is an ideal form of exercise for many people. It's low-risk, and you don't need to belong to a gym do it. Just as you can build stronger bones by increasing the amount of weight you're lifting, you will derive more bone benefits from a faster-paced walk.

In a small study of 20 young men and women, when walkers sped up from a leisurely 30-minute-per-mile pace (2 mph) to a brisk 16-minute-per-mile pace (3.7 mph), forces acting on their hip bones increased by about 30%.

If you're not accustomed to fast walking, however, simply hitting the pavement and charging full steam ahead isn't the most effective way to reach your goal. First, you need to learn some technique. Then, intersperse your regular walks with short intervals of fast walking. Finally, you can build up to longer speed walks.

How to walk faster

One of the first things people typically do when they try to walk faster is to take longer strides. Surprisingly, that tactic slows you down because it's harder to transfer your body weight to a foot that's too far in front of you. Here's what you need to do to pick up the pace.

Stand tall. Extend your spine as if you were being lifted from the crown of your head. When your posture is good and your core muscles are activated, you have a more powerful stride.

Standing tall will also help alleviate aches and pains in your upper and lower back and allow you to take deep breaths for more energy. Also, keep your shoulders down, not scrunched up toward your ears.

Bend your arms. You wouldn't run with your arms straight—it would slow you down. The same goes for walking. When you bend your arms, it's easier to swing them fast. And since your body likes to be in sync, your legs will speed up to stay in step with your arms. Bend your elbows 85° to 90° and swing your arms forward and back—not side to side or diagonally across your body.

Land on your heel. Land on your heel and roll through your foot. As your leg swings forward, your heel should be the first part of your foot that makes contact with the pavement. Focus on keeping your toes up as you land. This facilitates the heel-to-toe walking motion that will make it easier to walk faster than if your foot slaps down on the ground with each step. Roll from your heel to your toes as smoothly as possible. Finally, push off with your toes.

Push off strong. Focus on really pushing off the ground to propel yourself forward. For maximum power, bend at the ball of your foot, raising your heel as if you were trying to show the person behind you the sole of your shoe.

Take shorter, quicker steps. This is the remedy to the common mistake of overstriding (taking longer steps than normal). Instead, focus on shorter, quicker steps—placing your front leg almost right under you as you fall into your next step. This allows for a smoother, rolling stride that makes it easier for you to shift your body weight to your front leg, then swing your back leg forward. The result: a faster walking speed.

Keep your front leg straight. From the time your foot lands on the ground until it is under your body, keep your leg straight, but not locked at the knee. This will prevent bouncing. You'll have a smoother stride and be able to propel yourself forward more easily. This may seem like a lot to think about, but you don't have to do it all at once.

Start from the top of the list and focus on one tip at a time. Pay attention to this at the beginning of your walk, and then periodically check (don't constantly focus on it) to see if you are maintaining good form. If not, simply readjust. Do this for about a week and then move on to the next tip. Some changes may happen quickly, while others may take some time to become a habit.

For tips on workouts that maximize bone strengthening while minimizing the risk of injury, check out Exercises for Bone Strength, a Special Health Report by Harvard Medical School. 

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