When i Run/walk my friends say that i run/walk like a duck or penguin, feet are to side not straight, problem?
They show that when i run or walk that i dont bend my knees enough. so that i run kind of funny. I dont notice but that what they say. They saw its like a duck or penguin that moves feet side to side instead of straight, is it a WALKING PROBLEM that can be corrected? they say when i step that i step heal first instead of toes first? Is this called something. THANKS ahead of time.
Answers:
How much can I expect to improve?
The condition you are referring to is commonly called "bow-leggedness". Contrary to what your friends tell you, it is not a walking *problem* per se because lots of runners are bow-legged and still very fast. Some people will tell you that you should correct the walking form so that your feet are more parallel. You can try, but you should only make modest changes to your running form to see if it improves your running. Any large changes may result in injury, so it's not worth it.Being a bow-legged runner puts you at a slightly higher risk of such injuries as iliotibial band syndrome (runner's knee) and plantar fasciitis (inflammed arches). However, if it doesn't bother you, you should just leave it alone and do what comes naturally. Everyone is just born differently, and there's no reason to fix what ain't broke.
I need to know the next marathon in febuary?
Just make sure your feet are pointed in the direction you are going and not angled outside so that you come off the ball of your feet and not just your big toe. Relax, do not plant your foot out in front of you. If you push off directly behind you and your feet are parallel to each other you are fine. If your feet are not in line you have a higher potential of injury. Do not go heal, but more flat footed.He might be bowlegged, but more likely, he just externally rotates his femurs, so his feet point out.
Yours is a common problem for people today who tend to sit at computers all day. You have "lazy" glutes and overactive or tight hip flexors.
So when you are walking, instead of lifting your leg up in front of you with the quad and hip flexors, you exclusively use your hip flexors (muscles in the front of your hip). This is why your knees don't bend. You basically then set your leg back down using your hip flexors as well. This is why you land flat footed and your feet point out to the side. You will find that if you concentrate on keeping your feet straight when you walk, landing on the heel, and pushing back and through the ball of your feet, that you start to feel your glutes working more.
Or just focus on pulling back with your glutes. This will automatically straighten your feet. Also try walking on your heels. This forces you to use your glutes.
To cure this problem, you have to stretch your hip flexors (look up hip flexor stretches online) and activate the glutes. Then you have to get your body used to the new movement pattern by practicing walking the correct way.
Hope that made sense, I typed it up real fast.
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