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Glidewalking on hills

Adrian La-Garde
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03/05/2012 - 5:21am
Glidewalking on hills

I am new to Glidewalking and starting to practise on flat surfaces. However, are there any specific recommendations for adapting the Glidewalking method to walking up and down steep hills?

For example, uphill should you keep the heel flat where possible; should you keep the same posture or lean forwards more? And downhill I assume keeping the leading leg bent to absorb the shock?

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks,

Adrian

lywillows
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03/07/2012 - 7:54am

I, too, would appreciate some guidance in this area. 

 

Thanks

 

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09/10/2008 - 8:36pm

Uphill and downhill is tricky with even more directions than in the glidewalking chapter. I usually teach this to alumni of the basic course.

The general principle is to use your muscles and spare your joints. So you push yourself uphill and lower yourself down hill, always using the rear leg muscles. 

Good luck!

Greta D'Amico
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12/12/2017 - 6:32pm

Greetings!

I took the foundations course in April with Robyn Penwell.


I have run into a quandary when walking up and down a steep hill near our home. I’m doing my best to practice glide walking, but I’m not sure what to do when coming down the hill - toe first, which is easier on the knees, or heel first. I tried heel first, but my knees were sore for days as it takes much more strength there to lower oneself steadily while the foot is approaching the pavement. In the past, I would come down toe first, which I think was probably harder on the hips, but didn't hurt.

I searched on the website and in the book, but didn’t find this topic addressed. (Maybe I missed it?)
(This might be a good topic for an upcoming blog post!)

Any guidance you can provide would be most appreciated. I recommend the method to patients almost daily!

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06/30/2015 - 1:01pm

When going down stairs or steep hills, keep the weight on the back leg heel as long as possible and keep the front knee and ankle soft as they get ready to land to help you make a smooth transition.

Most likely you will land toes slightly before heel when going down hill or stairs unless the stairs are really shallow and/or you have extremely flexible ankles.

Once your weight is on the leg you landed on, then focus on keeping the heel down aslong as possible as it becomes the back leg.

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