Walking as cross training - does it do anything?

Walking keeps you going, that's a good thing.

I wouldn't expect too much from it regarding running fitness but it is a lot better than sitting on the couch.

can you bike?

No biking. My shoulder won't agree with it, and even if it did, the risk of damage if I have to break a fall is not good.

Stationary bike at the gym?

Walking should keep you 90% fit for months, depending on your starting fitness.

Do stationary biking and put your handlebar in a position that makes it doable for your shoulder, you could make some sort of pvc contraption to do this. There is zero risk of crashing and it will actually chanllenge your aerobic system unlike walking. Biking obviously doesn't have direct crossover to running but from personal experience it can keep you in pretty dang good shape. Sure when you start running again your legs are gonna be toast but aerbocially you will be doing good. Walking will do next to nothing for any sort of serious running.

Edit: You don't need an expensive indoor bike either, just get a trainer that replaces your rear wheel, they are 10x less expensive.

h and m wrote:

Do stationary biking and put your handlebar in a position that makes it doable for your shoulder, you could make some sort of pvc contraption to do this. There is zero risk of crashing and it will actually chanllenge your aerobic system unlike walking. Biking obviously doesn't have direct crossover to running but from personal experience it can keep you in pretty dang good shape. Sure when you start running again your legs are gonna be toast but aerbocially you will be doing good. Walking will do next to nothing for any sort of serious running.

There's an idea. I'll have to see if I can whip something up to help me keep a good posture, but it couldn't hurt to invest in a bike trainer anyway. Thanks, I'll give it a try,

Our marathon friends in Japan sometimes walk. They also do higher volume than our friends in the USA.

It probably depends on your staring fitness. The more in shape you were, the less waking does anything.

Walking, especially climbing, will get your heart rate up a little. If you aspire to ever get into ultras, walking uphill is a big part of the deal.

A famous early distance runner, name I cannot remember, used to add very long bouts of walking to his training plans. Like 20 mile walks that would have him on his feet for many hours.

Since rona I’ve been walking every evening with the wife. Makes room for a beer, keeps her happy and loosens the legs off; seems worth it then in my book.

Same. I'm finding that walking just about every evening is a good supplement to usual workouts.

Of course, I walk some times days FOR a workout, but all movement is good.

If you can do stationary biking that's great, but don't forget about the benefits of walking for keeping your leg/foot bones/muscles/connective tissues working as well. I'd keep walking in the program somewhere.

confined to walking wrote:

h and m wrote:

Do stationary biking and put your handlebar in a position that makes it doable for your shoulder, you could make some sort of pvc contraption to do this. There is zero risk of crashing and it will actually chanllenge your aerobic system unlike walking. Biking obviously doesn't have direct crossover to running but from personal experience it can keep you in pretty dang good shape. Sure when you start running again your legs are gonna be toast but aerbocially you will be doing good. Walking will do next to nothing for any sort of serious running.

There's an idea. I'll have to see if I can whip something up to help me keep a good posture, but it couldn't hurt to invest in a bike trainer anyway. Thanks, I'll give it a try,

Update – I set up my new bike trainer with an aluminum walker standing next to my good arm to hold onto. I can pedal at a comfortable cadence while sitting upright, but I can’t really get down into a posture to pedal at any significant intensity. This is a nice change from walking, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be that effective of a cross training method for me right now. It might be once my injured shoulder heals enough to support my weight on the bars, but before that happens I’m probably going to be comfortable running again anyway. For the time being, I will stick mainly with walking and calisthenics.

I concur with the above posters that walking will do next to nothing for aerobic strength for running. But it does wonders for building "mental strength." I find that dealing with boredom while walking alone to be helpful in making running easier. A three hour walk makes a hour run feel quick in comparison.

I power walked for awhile. I don't think that 17:30 pace will do much of anything for you, but if you get it down below 15:00 pace, and ideally below 14:00 pace, you'll retain basic muscle tone, although you'll still lose cardiac fitness. 6-8 miles is good; I averaged half of that daily. I found that I had to raise my arms to the position I'd use when running, and move them pretty vigorously, to achieve those paces.

If that's all you've got, and if cycling can't be added to the mix, then work that. It's much better than simply giving up and NOT walking that much. You'll retain basic muscle tone, and the comeback will be easier. But the comeback will still require a long time. That's just the deal, I'm afraid.

FWIW, I found that I was able to power-walk, with a high arm carriage, as fast as low 13-minute pace. That was absolutely flat-out for me, and sustainable for no more than the final mile. But it brought my HR up to about 70 %, and at that point you're actually getting a training effect. And that was NOT with classic race walking technique, just with very fast power-walking.

So I would continue to tweak your technique and get down into the 14's, keeping cadence high. Wear a Garmin or whatever you use. You can raise HR if you try, but it takes focus. I found it a worthy challenge--even as I yearned to run. (I'm back to running now and will do 10 in the morniing. Back problems sent me into power walking, but they're slowly ebbing.)

The key thing is: be where you are. Just accept it and work it. I can't stress this enough. It sounds as though you're already doing this. Embrace where you are. It's as simple as that. Figure out the variable; begin to optimize; take some new and positive pleasure in exceeding what you've done before. There were a couple of moments where I said, "I should just go out and walk hard for two hours." I never did. But you're moving in that direction. And yes: it will make a difference when you're back to running. You might even discover that you've had some new experiences as a power walker that have added to your life--and that you wouldn't have had if you hadn't been injured.

I agree with all of the people who suggest stationary biking. I fractured my humerus just below the shoulder in a crash long ago and I couldn't bear the jarring motion of running for about 4 weeks, and even fast walking felt very awkward without a normal arm swing. But on a stationary bike you can sit upright with your arm hanging at your side and still get a pretty decent aerobic workout. Obviously it works the leg muscles too, although not in the same way as running.

confined to walking wrote:

I had shoulder surgery and running is too jarring of a movement right now and probably will be for a number of months, but I am allowed to walk. I've been walking 6-7 days a week and usually 6 to 8 miles at a time, though I may up that. I basically just either hold a leisurely-yet-purposeful pace at around 17:30/mi, or I'll push it to a fast walk (though not a stiff-legged "racewalk") at a bit under 15:00/mi. I'm doing this mainly out of boredom and I don't have many other options training-wise, other than simple bodyweight stuff like squats, hip mobility, lower leg, etc.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Will this walking translate at all to any running fitness? Is there a way I can tailor it more towards running fitness? Doubles? Intervals?

I used walking after I broke my back. The best way is to walk up hill or if you can find a treadmill and walk at an incline.

Walking is a good cross training tool before you get back to running in that it still provides a load on the body.

So find a hill and that should get your heart rate up.

I still go hiking with my dog over 3-5 miles as a recovery tool after a hard Saturday morning session.

Good luck.