'Nordic Walking' the Smart way to walk that uses up to 90% of the bodies musclesLook at the Healthy Benefits that you get with this exercise; a low-stress, total body workout:* Nordic Walking Poles reduce stress on lower back and knees-add stability * Burn up to 40% more calories compared to walking without poles and increases your cardiovascular efficiency by up to 25%. * Strengthens upper body muscle groups-arms, shoulders, upper chest, and back History. Nordic Walking is a technique first developed in the 1930s by Finnish cross-country skiers for summer training. It became a recreational activity in the early 1980s. It is now one of the fastest growing fitness sports, with enthusiasts in over 20 countries. In Europe, it is estimated that there are now 3.5 million regular users and 3000 instructors teaching the technique for fitness and for the sport. They are like a ski pole but have a rubber foot on the end
Nordic pole striding has become an accepted form of exercise training for athletes. Physiological responses (oxygen consumption and energy expenditure) were compared to ordinary walking on the track. The use of them resulted in a significant increase in oxygen use (23%) and caloric expenditure (22%) compared to regular walking, without an increase in perceived exertion (Church et al 2002) (Porcari 1997).
In Willson’s study it was found that the use of them allowed the participants to walk at a faster speed, with reduced vertical ground reaction and vertical knee joint reaction forces. It also changed the biomechanics of the knee extensors. When you use them your legs, your arms, the rear part of your shoulders, and your chest and back muscles. Although you are using more muscles and doing more exercise, the effort is spread across your whole body and, therefore, Nordic Walking can actually feel easier and less tiring than normal walking! The forces normally placed through your lower limbs during walking or running is distributed through the arms in Nordic Walking. This decreases the load on your knees by up to a third and other joints allowing you to exercise more comfortably. This is particularly beneficial for people with joint problems and those who are overweight. If you were to use a heart rate monitor, the lowered rate of perceived exertion (RPE) felt whilst using them means you might be surprised at just how hard your heart is working, while you are feeling relatively comfortable. This whole body muscular activity, high heart rate response and yet lowered RPE found with Nordic Walking means you can work at a higher intensity, for longer and with more ease than in many other types of training techniques - ideal cross-training.
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Walking poles have also been recommended by Orthopaedic Surgeons for patients with arthritic knees to decrease the load on their joints and hence increase their walking ability (Willson et al 2001). 