What is Nordic Walking? - An Introduction

Have you ever wished that there was a bridge between gym based cross training and running? A form of training that is run specific and that perhaps hammers your body a lot less than putting in miles on the road? Well look no further because the answer is here, and it's almost too obvious to be true!

Fitness walking with Nordic ski poles was first introduced in Finland in the late 80's in a desperate attempt to improve the appalling state of the nations health. From small beginnings no one could have guessed how the concept would have exploded in Europe over the last two years.

From 1997 the Fin's labelled it "Nordic Walking" and all of a sudden, power walking with poles became the cool thing to do (- in Europe anyway!)... And in case you were wondering, it did the business with the Finnish health situation.

The training benefits of Nordic Walking

So what does this have to do with us? Just consider the complimentary training benefits of Nordic Walking (NW), whether you are a health challenged Fin or an elite athlete, they are hard to ignore. Lets look at some of the facts:

You can generate an increase in energy consumption by as much as 46% when compared to normal walking (Cooper Institute research, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sports 2002 publication). This is because, if you are doing it right, you can activate nearly 90% of your whole body musculature; consider the training effect that this will have on your cardiopulmonary system.

The increased stability and reduced joint loading provided by the poles has the potential to improve the exercise experience for many individuals who may experience pain during other forms of exercise, including running.

The lateral mobility of the neck and spine increases significantly during Nordic Walking, reducing neck, and shoulder and back pain in many cases due to the increased activity and circulation in these areas.

Heart rate is generally 15% higher with Nordic walking when compared to normal walking - but it actually feels easier because your upper body takes on a significant amount of the load.

Aside from the legs, the muscles most actively involved are the stabilising abdominal and broad back muscles, the rear part of the shoulder muscles, the large pectoral muscles and the forearm extensors and flexors.

Does not aggravate joints and knees.

Nordic Walking raises the calorie consumption compared to walking and compared to running (at the same speed!).

Reduces the load on knees of overweight people

Burns about 400 calories per hour - compared with 280 calories per hour for normal walking.

Poles improve stability, and therefore safety, on all surfaces.

Nordic Walking is the most suitable outdoor sport for rehabilitation after sports injuries.

The minimum gear requirements make Nordic Walking accessible to everyone.

The Nordic Walking poles can be used for special stretching and strengthening exercises.

Using the upper body during Nordic Walking can increase bone density, improve postural strength and develop increased core stability.

With a partner you can do exercises which would usually have to be done with special machines in a gym; do them in our great British countryside instead.

Strengthening and stretching exercises using Nordic Walking poles, jumping and walking exercises as well as games, can make Nordic walking a real laugh and gives you a break from the norm.

Nordic Walking provides runners of all abilities with an ideal alternative to long endurance runs. It stresses the heart and lungs to the same degree as lower intensity, high mileage runs and the resulting muscular conditioning is very specific to running. The evidence isn't just anecdotal either, scientific studies of high intensity NW have demonstrated heart rate levels reaching 75% of maximal values while participants were still walking.

Running with Nordic walking poles allows you to crank up the intensity even further.

The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is much less during NW because the load is spread over more muscles, and also it's less likely to lead to overuse or high impact injuries for the same reason.

Try it while wearing a heart rate monitor. The lowered RPE experienced during Nordic Walking means you might be surprised at just how hard your heart is working, while you are feeling relatively comfortable. The whole body muscular activity, high heart rate response and yet lowered RPE found with NW means you can work at a higher intensity, for longer and with more ease than in many other types of training techniques - in effect, this is ideal cross-training.

For the more advanced runner, Nordic Walking can also provide an opportunity to increase the intensity of specific workouts. In particular during bounding, or plyometric, and hill work, as well as providing an opportunity to include some intense aerobic upper body work into their routine - often neglected by the running hardcore.

OK, Let's GO! How to use your nordic walking poles

Good technique evolves from your own natural walking rhythm; long confidant strides, and arms swinging by your sides. Using NW poles, this progresses into an increase in stride length while pushing diagonally backwards through the poles, poles remain behind and pointing backwards at all times, emphasising the propulsive effect you are trying to capture (visualise the glide phase of the cross-country skier if you can).

Key pointers in the early stages of learning are to keep the arms relaxed and keep the poles behind the body.

To get the most out of this, you should go along to one of the intro courses or book an instructor, see below.

Here is a 6-step breakdown to get you started on the basic Nordic Walking technique:

1. Shoulders are relaxed and down, elbows are held close to the body and arms are straight but relaxed.

2. Hands are opened slightly to allow the poles to swing forward - the poles are not gripped tightly but swing from the wrist straps.

3. The leading foot strikes the ground as the opposite arm swings forward to waist height; the opposite pole strikes the ground level with the heel of the opposite foot.

4. The poles remain pointing diagonally backwards.

5. Push the pole as far back as possible, the arm straightening to form a continuous line with the fully extended arm, the hand opening off the grip by the end of the arm swing.

6. The foot rolls through the step to push off with the toe. This lengthens the stride behind the body, getting the most out of each stride.

Getting the right Nordic Walking equipment - It's simple really, running clothing and footwear is fine, but you need a pair of poles of course. The ideal Nordic Walking pole is well balanced, light and adjustable, with a reliable and strong locking mechanism. Nordic Walking poles differ from trekking poles in a number of ways but mainly in the design of the handle and the configuration of the wrist strap.

Nordic Walking pole handles are very slim and are designed not to interfere with the snappy wrist action during the end phase of the pole push through. The straps need to be supportive and strong as they take most of the force that the upper body generates when you are doing it right. When you have the strap on and have let go of the pole handle, the handle should stay close to the hand ready for the recovery phase of the polling action. The best straps fit around your hand, almost like a glove, and can detach from the pole using a "trigger" release, allowing you to get your hands free from the poles whenever you need to.

Poles need to be set at approximately elbow height, but you may find that as you improve, you need to lengthen the pole as your arm and leg stride increases - this is why it's best to have an adjustable pole.

Nordic Walking training is available from Pete Kelly @ Head to the Hills based in Ambleside, please contact Pete by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where to buy Nordic Walking Poles? >>

Further information on Nordic Walking:

The idea of using poles while walking/running is not a new one; Nordic skiers have done this for years to compliment their off season training programmes. Cross-country Skiing has always been viewed as a whole body conditioning sport. Nordic Walking allows for the same total body workout without having to be on snow, making it a far more accessible activity to all concerned.

In Continental Europe the sport is already very well established. Walks are usually conducted as a group, or on a one to one in a personal training session, led by a qualified leader, who instructs the group in an outdoor exercise class. Strength, core stability, balance, co-ordination and stretching work are all included so the workouts can be full on and great fun into the bargain! Nordic Walking clubs and instructor led classes are slowly starting to emerge in the UK now too. If it takes off as it has in the rest of Europe, you are sure to have a budding group of Nordic Walkers bravely striding out in parks and on pavements near you soon.

It's not only we mere mortals that can benefit either, check out the list of top athletes that are currently using NW as supplementary training to their main sport:

Ed Vestieurs - 8000m peak chaser and USA mountaineering legend.

Anna McCormack - UK elite Adventure Racer

Rebecca Rush - USA elite Adventure Racer

Ricco Gross - German Biathlon World Champ
Jochen Behle - German X-Country Team Head Coach

Martina Ertl - German Alpine Ski Team member

German Alpine Ski Team - 1/3 of them use Nordic walking

Original Nordic Walking pole studies:

1981 - Dr. G. Neureuther. Pole study-using sensors in grips in order to assess the load spreading effect of using trekking poles during walking.

1998 - Drs. Steadman & Hawkins. Pole study using pressure plates in floor. Sports Medicine Foundation.

Written by Pete Kelly BSc (Hons), personal trainer and Leki Senior Nordic Walking Instructor.

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