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My anlaysis re using weights is that it interferes with smooth resonant motion flow. Research we did in italy with Prof Renzo Ridi (one of the leading biomechanical researchers and prof of physical therapy at Rome U.) revealed that weights did not help at all. The body and the nervous system seeks efficiency. <the craze to strengthen using weights did nothing at all for runners. another road badly taken..
Josef
Josef
From: "Rayzwocker@..." <Rayzwocker@...>
To: newalkers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:11:57 PM
Subject: Re: [N.E.W.] Re: enjoyed your description on NEW
An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. --Isaac Newton
The weight approach won't work. Energy must be expended to get the logs or stones moving. And once they are in motion, they will cause over rotation or over-striding unless energy is expended to stop the motion. This ignores the additional fact that it takes energy to hold the log or stones.
There is some proof that the weights would work in long jumping. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1134/is_3_112/ai_99818073/
Stones may work in long jumping becaus
e the motion is unidirectional. But they would certainly be a hindrance in running, racewalking, ballroom dancing and other more complicated motions.
DMcG
-----Original Message-----
From: richard ruquist <yanniru@yahoo. com>
To: Charles Duane <boatsign@gmail. com>
Cc: NewEngland Walkers <newalkers@yahoogrou ps.com>
Sent: Thu, Jul 9, 2009 11:14 am
Subject: [N.E.W.] Re: enjoyed your description on NEW
NEW is like my journal. Here is something I will post there some day.
The Bio-Mechanics of Race Walking
Racewalking RW is all about momentum transfer from the upper body to the lower body.
The Ancient Greeks explored momentum enhancement devices for several Olympic events like broad jumping 35 feet. Momentum is of course associated
with mass. And the most conveniently sized masses available to the Greeks were high density stones. But to my reakoning they did not apply that concept to racewalking. In fact, did they actually do racewalking?
Think they just ran and there is no evidence of momentum enhancement for running.
The broadjump, however, was very appropriate for momentum enhancement by merely thrusting the two carried stones into the earth. So if such an athlete were to broad jump 35 feet with stones, I suggest that such an athlete could broadjump 25 feet without the stones., a 7/5=1.4 enhancement advantage.
I cannot predict yet what the enhancement factor will be for racewalking. But I can suggest an approach.
Rather than stones, I suggest a dense wood log that just fits your grip with a cylindrical length of 1.4-2 feet. That log, however lighter than stone, will add considerable momentum to your upper body.
Any prediction is complicated by the “landscape” of possible motions of the log and accompanying arms and shoulders. You might wonder how a log is superior to just carrying two stones in your hands. But the Greeks tried that for running and found that momentum transfer was not significant. To properly transfer momentum with efficiency, the body must20undergo multiple rotary motions.
The upper body momentum is rotary around a spinal axis which is transferred to the rotary motion of the hips. But the hips have a separate momentum cycle as they are dropped when in contact with the road. This is a rotary motion in a vertical plane whereas the upper body momentum is in a horizontal plane. This relatively small hip motion momentum vectors with the upper body momentum to thrust the body forward. The idea is to find the optimum motion of the wooden log which maximizes the thrust.
That makes racewalking experiential. The experience of spinal energy so induced is remarkable.
But there is a third rotary motion. The legs are of course just a pendulum. But the horizontal rotary motion of the hips is large and can be coupled into the legs by just rubbing your thighs together when walking. This automatically induces rotary motion in the legs which in turn couples into the foot as a rotary motion that increases thrust. When you get the technique down, you will experience three rotary motions: the arms, the hips and the ankles. Of course the lighter you are, the more easily the final ankle thrust is activated.
Richard Ruquist, PhD
July 9th, 2009 11AM
From: Charles Duane <boatsign@gmail. com>
To: richard ruquist <yanniru@yahoo. com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 10:52:32 AM
Subject: Re: enjoyed your description on NEW
My journal on walking:
On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 10:46 AM, richard ruquist <yanniru@yahoo. com> wrote:
Sure thing.
I like email.
Richard
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