Even when considering starting exercise, people may hesitate, worrying that it could strain their joints like running does.
Can Nordic walking—walking with two poles—really provide more exercise than an ordinary walk?
The key is not the distance walked, but how you push with the poles.
3-line summary
1. Nordic walking is walking propelled with poles.
2. In one study, functional improvement was greatest after 12 weeks.
3. Holding the poles upright eliminates the core of the movement.
Why It Is Not Just a Walk That Uses the Legs
Nordic walking is a method of walking in which dedicated poles held in both hands are pushed into the ground to assist each step. It looks like skiing without snow, but its basic movement is still walking. It has also been described as becoming widely known through ski athletes’ summer training in the 1990s.
What distinguishes it from ordinary walking is the backward movement of the arms. At the end of a stride, you press the pole into the ground, extend your arm behind you, briefly release the handle, and then bring the pole forward again with the wrist strap. This sequence allows the arms and torso to join the walking motion.
The Independent reported on research stating that this activity uses more than 80% of the body’s muscles. However, that figure cannot be directly used to calculate an individual’s exercise volume or body-fat changes. The actual workload varies depending on fitness level and walking technique.
The appeal of this exercise lies in changing the walking movement, rather than in elaborate equipment. If the poles become props that the arms simply carry around without doing any work, the difference from ordinary walking becomes smaller.
The Changes Reported by Research Should Be Viewed Within the ‘Conditions Compared’
In an Italian study introduced by AOL.co.uk, participants were divided into Nordic walking and brisk-walking groups and exercised three times a week for six months. Both groups improved their fitness, but according to the report, a significant reduction in body fat was observed in the group that used poles.
A study involving 80 volunteers with chronic low back pain was also introduced. The Nordic walking group completed 10 one-hour training sessions over four weeks and reported reduced pain as well as improvements in fitness, strength, and flexibility. These were results among the study participants and do not guarantee the same effects for everyone with back pain.
Dr. Jennifer Reed of the Ottawa Heart Institute described a study that randomly assigned cardiac rehabilitation patients to three groups: Nordic walking, moderate-intensity exercise, and high-intensity interval training. After doing each form of exercise twice a week for 12 weeks, improvement in functional capacity—the ability to carry out physical activity in everyday life—was greatest in the Nordic walking group.
The numbers to note here are not a ranking of which exercise is superior, but who was compared and in what way. Results involving cardiac rehabilitation patients cannot be directly applied to people with different health conditions.
If You Are New to It, Start With the Pole Angle Rather Than Speed
For beginners, the recommended order is to first walk with proper posture and a natural arm swing, then prepare poles with wrist straps. Keep your gaze forward, land heel first, and maintain a very slight forward lean from the ankles.
The most common mistake is holding the poles vertically. The poles should point backward at about a 45-degree angle so that you can push against the ground as your arms move behind you. Instructors explain that pushing the poles involves the hips, arms, torso, and legs in a single movement.
There is no need to plan a long walk from the start. One introductory example presented in the report is a five-minute warm-up walk at a comfortable pace, followed by 15–20 minutes of Nordic walking focused on technique and rhythm. Another suggested method is to check the feeling of pushing the poles harder for 30 seconds every five minutes.
When looking at Nordic walking, it may be better to first ask not only “How many more calories does it burn?” but whether the stride is using the arms and torso as well. Research findings can offer clues when choosing an exercise method, but if you have pain or are undergoing rehabilitation, it is difficult to determine your own exercise intensity based on those findings alone. Maintaining the pole angle and propulsive movement is the starting point of this form of walking.
A Guide for Reading the Next Announcement
With fitness-related news, it is difficult to draw a conclusion from a single number or sentence. It becomes clearer if you distinguish who is making the announcement, whether the statement concerns something already implemented or a future plan, and whether the target and timing are specifically presented.
Even within the same material, an explanation of need, discussion, an implementation plan, and actual implementation may be different stages. Even if an announcement appears large in scale, you should also check what it covers and what procedures remain so as not to overstate or understate the current situation.
In the next report, compare whether a new announcement repeats existing information or whether the target, schedule, or implementation status has actually changed. Reviewing the related reports below can also help identify differences in wording that are easy to miss from the headline alone.
References
Tags #NordicWalking #PoleWalking #WalkingExercise #FullBodyWorkout #LowImpactExercise #WalkingPosture #ExerciseBeginners #AerobicExercise #CoreExercise #ExerciseMethod #HealthyWalking #ExerciseRoutine