| In this article, Danny Dreyer shares on Chi in | | | | starts when people normally stand, which I |
| motion. Danny Dreyer is the author of ChiWalking | | | | mentioned earlier, when people normally stand |
| and ChiRunning. | | | | their hips are always forward. So when they walk, |
| Kevin: Let talk a little about how Chi works in | | | | there hips are a little forward. That means that |
| motion. I think that's a pretty cool concept and | | | | they are leading with their legs. Now I would say |
| how if you are being supported on your spine, | | | | that if you walked out on the street right now |
| how everything else kind of rotates around that. | | | | and looked at people walking by, I would say 95 |
| Danny: Yeah, now what we do, in walking and | | | | percent of them you would see lock their legs in |
| running, we have your whole weight supported by | | | | front. They throw it, they kick their foot in front |
| your spine, and your alignment basically; we call it | | | | of them; they lock their leg, and come down on |
| your column. | | | | their heel. |
| Kevin: OK. | | | | Kevin: Got you. |
| Danny: Once you can practice that every time | | | | Danny: And you would see that their heel lands in |
| you foot comes down, your weight is supported | | | | front of their shoulders and in front of their hips. |
| by your column, then we have runners and | | | | So if you are moving down the road, now this is |
| walkers both choke their entire body forward just | | | | Tai-chi in action and this is how injuries happen at |
| slightly. This engages the pull of gravity. It's like if | | | | the same time. If you are walking down the road, |
| you watch little kids run or little kid walk, they | | | | however, fast you are walking, that's the same |
| always lead with their upper body. | | | | as having a force coming at you because you are |
| Kevin: Oh Yeah. | | | | moving across the road, but you have to consider |
| Danny: Yeah. Because they are falling, controlled | | | | there is a road coming at you. And how do you |
| fall and half the time the fall isn't controlled | | | | want to deal with that force coming at you, right? |
| [laughter] That is why we all got stitches in our | | | | In Tai-chi it's a martial art and the whole training is |
| chins. | | | | about this, how do you co-operate with the force. |
| Kevin: [laughs] | | | | Someone is throwing a punch at me the last thing |
| Danny: Abrasions in our elbows, is that as kids, | | | | I want to do is throwing a punch at them at the |
| we learnt how to use the pull of gravity to propel | | | | same time. I want to absorb there punch or |
| ourselves, you know, kids don't have strong legs, | | | | re-direct it, OK. So if there is a force called the |
| so they have to use this balance, this forward | | | | road coming at you, the last thing you want to do |
| balance to do it, to move around, and so once | | | | is stick your leg out into it. |
| your body is aligned and you allow it to just | | | | Kevin: Sure. |
| slightly fall forward, gravity takes over to pull you | | | | Danny: Because that force is going to travel either |
| forward, then your job is just to allow your body, | | | | into your heel give you a plantar fasciaitis or heel |
| your arms, your legs to rotate around the central | | | | bruises, or it's going to go up into your knee and |
| axis and really relax your arms and legs so that | | | | get you knee problems, it's going to go into your |
| they are not pouncing anywhere. And so if | | | | IT bands or your hip joint or your lower back, |
| gravity is your proportion, then your legs aren't. | | | | wherever your weak spot is you walk far enough |
| Kevin: That is an interesting point. | | | | you will feel it. OK. That's if you put your foot out |
| Danny: Your legs are just your support system, | | | | in front of you. So it's like every step you take |
| they are not your propelsion system which is a | | | | you are putting the brakes on. |
| big mistake a lot of runners make and that is | | | | Kevin: Wow. |
| why people, you know, hit the wall and get | | | | Danny: That is a repetitive motion injury, you |
| hammered quads in races and even hikers and | | | | know, there's an impact, every time you come |
| walkers, you know, their legs feel it because their | | | | down moving a long the road with you leg out in |
| legs are working too hard. | | | | front of you. OK. So there is a lot of injuries that |
| Kevin: OK, that's an interesting point. | | | | can happen from leading with your leg as I call it. |
| Danny: So then when you can move forward, let | | | | That is striking on the back of your heel. So what |
| gravity do the work of propelling you, then your | | | | I have people do is take this posture stand and |
| job is just to relax everything else so that gravity | | | | have them tilt their upper body just slightly |
| can do its job. If you are blocking, if you holding | | | | forward bending at the hips not at the waist. |
| tension in your shoulders, or tension in your hips | | | | Kevin: OK. |
| and a lot of people have tension in their ankles | | | | Danny: Slightly forward so that as they are |
| even, anywhere you hold tension it's going to | | | | walking along, their hips are always directly over |
| restrict the flow of your mobility, period. There is | | | | that lead leg when it comes down on the ground. |
| now way around that. | | | | Kevin: OK. And how do you make that not feel |
| Kevin: OK. | | | | awkward? |
| Danny: You hold tension, you are not going to | | | | Danny: I'll tell you the truth, it doesn't feel |
| swing your arms or move your body as easily. | | | | awkward, it just feels really different. |
| So this is a really - it's kind of like a walking or | | | | Kevin: OK. [laughs] |
| running relaxation exercise. | | | | Danny: You've watched a race walker walk. |
| Kevin: OK. | | | | Kevin: Yeah! |
| Danny: And there are so many people that are | | | | Danny: And a regular walker walk, the race |
| running and walking come back with sore muscles | | | | walker will have a shorter stride. |
| and sore muscles means that you are holding it | | | | Kevin: Yeah! |
| tight. Anytime you feel pain that means that Chi is | | | | Danny: Now that's funny because those guys are |
| not flowing through that and that's why Mai | | | | cruising along at a seven and a half minute pace. |
| Tai-chi master will tell you. | | | | Kevin: Yeah! Faster that a lot of you can run. |
| Kevin: Over and over again. | | | | Danny: Faster than a lot of people can run. But |
| Danny: While you are standing there. If you feel | | | | their stride is very short. They just increase their |
| pain it's because you are not relaxed at some | | | | turnover. |
| point. | | | | Kevin: OK. |
| Kevin: That's a whole new paradigm of running. So | | | | Danny: To go faster. Because if you over stretch |
| you are not using your legs as propelsion, but you | | | | your legs, especially if you are a race walker, |
| are actually, what, just lifting them? | | | | you're going to, you know, you're going to stress |
| Danny: Yeah. You are just picking up your feet to | | | | out your ligaments and tendons and pull muscles |
| keep up with your forward fall. | | | | and everything like that. So, as a race walker |
| Kevin: Wow. | | | | goes faster they don't increase their stride length. |
| Danny: Yeah. Just so you don't trip. [laughs] That's | | | | And it's a big mistake that a lot of walkers make |
| about all you are doing. But your legs, it's picking | | | | as they walk and power walking and that means |
| up your feet. You know, you can imagine, if I | | | | they've got to have a lot of practice years and |
| weigh 140 pounds and I am running a marathon | | | | years ago and so people are taking these huge |
| or walking a marathon, if I'm propelling myself, my | | | | longer strides, thinking that they are, you know, |
| legs, my quads, my curves, everything is pushing | | | | really burning a lot of calories. Well they were but |
| me around all day. | | | | they all ended up in the therapy office. [laughs] |
| Kevin: Right. | | | | Kevin: Right. |
| Danny: If I run three and a half hour marathon or | | | | Danny: There knees are gone, the hips are gone |
| walk six hour marathon, my legs are doing a lot | | | | and everything else. So I would suggest for |
| of work, propelling 140 pounds forward. If I am | | | | people that in order to reduce injury to your legs |
| falling forward, then my core muscles, because I | | | | and impact to your legs, um, to shorten your |
| am leveling my pelvis, I'm using all these big | | | | stride and that also allows you to stay more over |
| strong muscles to do what; to pick up my feet, | | | | your feet, over your legs. Because then as your |
| that's a big difference is muscle usage. | | | | foot comes down on the ground it gets swept |
| Kevin: Right, then those muscles are toned much | | | | behind you, rather than stopping your forward |
| more efficiently for that type of exercise. | | | | momentum in front of you. See what I mean? |
| Danny: Yeah, you know, I tell people the body is | | | | Kevin: Um! |
| set up in a very Marxist way, in that each body | | | | Danny: I'm not having people reach out in front |
| part contributes to its ability. So if you have; how | | | | with their legs. They are reaching with their upper |
| big are the muscles in your lower leg as opposed | | | | body, not their lower body. |
| to how big are your larger core muscles. | | | | Kevin: And that's with the lean. |
| Kevin: Right. | | | | Danny: That's the lean, that's the lean for running |
| Danny: So your lower leg shouldn't be doing much | | | | and walking. With walkers you don't have to lean |
| work at all and your toes definitely shouldn't be | | | | quite as much. |
| doing much either and if you push yourself | | | | Kevin: OK. But we are turning into running. And |
| forward walking or running and the last part of | | | | that's the neat thing about this. Is it correct that |
| your body to leave the ground is your toes, at | | | | once you get the form of the walking you can |
| some point that means that your entire body | | | | turn this into running very easily? |
| weight is resting on you're a very tiny appendage. | | | | Danny: It's a great step up for walkers. Great |
| Kevin: Sure. | | | | step up, because a lot of people are either |
| Danny: And that's why people get bunions, that's | | | | coming back from injury or just now getting |
| why they get stress fractures.It's over use of | | | | started on the fitness program and want to get |
| those little tiny places in your legs that really | | | | out moving and they look at runners and they go, |
| shouldn't be working that hard. | | | | "Oh, there's no way! You know, forget it!" But if |
| Kevin: Right. I think you've just touched on some | | | | they can learn to be a real efficient walker and |
| of the injuries that people have. Let's talk about | | | | fluid and smooth along the ground they start |
| how people normally walk without this information, | | | | loving their walking so much, that they just start |
| walk and run and what are some of the things | | | | going, "Well you know, I think I really could run! |
| that are happening as they are moving forward. | | | | Because the faster I walk the easier it is to |
| Danny: OK, well, when people normally walk it | | | | actually jog". |