Fitness Walking

"Fitness Walking" by Therese Iknoian is very helpful self-guided instructional to help folks get started in those activities know jointly/separately as Fitness Walking, Health Waling, Power Walking etc. This reviewer had no choice getting involved, since his knees were burned out after 30+ years of running on concrete. The tone of FW is genial and gentle throughout. Perhaps the most useful advice is printed very early in the text where the author lists her "Technique Summary". These 7 points encompass all the basics the new athletic walker will need to get started. There are more helpful admonitions, given lightly in a big sisterly fashion: > Walk using only one earphone for safety> Warm up, stretch AND cool down after each workout > Avoid injury and muscle stress by cross training via other athletic activities including bicycling and swimming >Use the hard/day easy method to give tired muscles recovery time. Most of the foregoing was not new but this reviewer had long since forgotten or dispensed with these tactics -for no good reason. FW is definitely not limited to the basics, there are charts and programs for the more ambitious to follow. Even formal racewalkers will find material they can use. This reviewer spent $50.00 on a racewalking class sponsored by a well known road runners club here in NYC, complete with overbearing instructor. The mere $12.00+is a vastly better investment. Though FW is recommended without reservation, it should not be read once and put aside. As with any self help text, athletes should keep it handy, referring back to it for reinforcement of the basics.

This book is a great place to obtain walking workout knowledge for the beginning walker, or the advanced/experienced athlete who would like to add walking to their routine. It dispells many of the myths surrounding the jogging-vs-walking debate (i.e. which is better for you) and provides ample research showing the amazing benefits of walking. Chapters include information on preparing to walk, purchasing shoes, walking the correct way, warming up/cooling down, stretches (with photos), and various self-tests to determine where your starting level is. 6 chapters are divided into different stages of walking workouts (from beginners to highly advanced) and each chapter contains 10 different workouts for that walking stage. There is not a lot of difference between the 1995 and 2005 editions of this book - the photos are updated and the scientific references and other resources mentioned are updated. But if you don't mind an older copy, most of the information provided in the 1st edition is the same. Highly recommended for everyone - even when I did not use the suggested workouts in this text, I learned a lot about how to improve my own walks (with my dog!) and get more benefit from them. I also found great responses to give people who say, "Why don't you go jogging instead" -- there are many reasons walking is the most body-beneficial workout out there and this book will explain them.

Although the author promotes outdoor walking more than inside treadmill workouts, I find that the book is perfect for use with the treadmill. There are beginning programs all the way up to athletic ones, and you can start with the one that suits you and include any others that you want by customizing your own workouts. Actually, my treadmill calculates the miles, distance, pace, etc., making it really easy to follow the programs. The book is very thorough and covers a lot of useful information regarding walking as a regular routine. This is a must-have for anyone considering walking - rather it be for health or fitness.

This is a great book for beginners who are serious about walking for fitness. The color-coded program guides were helpful and easy to read. Gave me something to start with and the explanations were easy to understand. Highly recommend if you're interested in starting a walking program.

This book is a big help in starting a walking program with (almost) all the information you need. The author has color coded the workouts to fitness level and difficulty. I could use a little more information about self-evaluation but otherwise a very nicely written book for the purpose. Beginners to early intermediates will find the book quite helpful (experts probably won't need it.)