At it’s most basic Nordic Walking is walking in a particular way, with two mid-length, thin, lightweight, sturdy poles. These Nordic Walking poles generally have straps attached to the hand-grips, which if used correctly, make the process of walking into a full body exercise.
Terminology: Nordic Walking v Nordic Trekking.
Ok, so depending on where in the world you live you may come across different names for this activity. It seems that part of the world uses the term Nordic Walking and another part Nordic Pole Walking. My view is that the latter makes more sense, but the former is dominant in the UK . As for when you’re doing a multi-day trip I have coined the term Nordic Trekking, or Nordic Pole Trekking.
In Australia there is an organisation called Nordic Academy, great bunch of guys and girls I’m sure. Their introduction provides a great summary about the pros of Nordic Walking, and they have a whole bunch of research stuff on their site, and it’s good to have some science behind us pushing on up that hill. Here is what they write. Nordic Walking is a form of fitness walking using specially designed poles and a learned technique, resulting in a low impact, high results, and total body fitness that increases cardio fitness, burns more calories and activates 90% of muscles.
Nordic Walking can be performed by anyone, anywhere, at any time, is affordable and most importantly lots of fun! It is perfectly suited to Australia’s climate and can be performed on any terrain — from sandy beaches, park trails and grassy fields to urban footpaths.
Nordic Walking is cheap, safe, and easy to start, more or less anywhere in the world. The only ‘vital’ pieces of equipment are a set of poles, and some suitable footwear. Good nordic walking poles will set you back about £140, or roughly the same in USD or €. In the UK they are commonly Leki or Exel. I personally use the Leki Carbon Traveller and my wife uses the Aluminium version. They were supplied for us to trial and we both love them. If you’re against using Amazon, or they’re not in stock then try the Lake District based instructor Nicola Sproson who has an online shop, or Nordic Walking UK
Nordic Walking is generally more of an activity than a sport, although there are certainly those who treat it as the latter. If you like the sound of the latter, there are a range of competitions around the world.
Don’t try using skiing, hiking or even trekking poles, these are designed for a totally different purpose. They will just cause grief in some form or other.
I will address footwear in a later blog.
Nordic Walking can be a sociable exercise, if you are so inclined, with groups in abundance. If, like me, you are essentially an anti-social type then walk by yourself, or in my case with favourite other-half (When we did the Tour de Queyras we happily saw no other Brit’s at all!). It does actually make a fabulous family holiday, and if you are a parent then it is for you a great way to introduce children to non-screen based activity. It’s a great time to think deep and meaningful’s, and it can be done in various environments, we prefer the mountains, but when they’re not available go for whatever is around.
Nordic Walking v Walking
In terms of exercise benefit, Nordic Walking is superior to walking without poles or even with trekking poles. The involvement of the upper body, used to transfer energy to the poles when pushing back at each step, uses more energy than walking. Estimates of how much more energy it actually burns varies. From what I can glean from third-party reports there is a range from 45% to 80% more consumption than walking. This extra burn depends on how well developed your technique is, how fast you go, and perhaps how enthusiastic the researcher is in interpreting results.
Nordic Walking is recognised as bearing considerable health benefits. Many doctors agree that Nordic Walking is one of the most effective cardiovascular workouts, using all the major muscle groups in the body. In the UK it is referred to by the National Health Service with what might be termed ‘moderate enthusiasm’
It’s vital to learn properly.
I recommend you do learn properly. I look at some ‘so-called Nordic Walkers’ who seem to do little more than stab the poles daintily towards the ground whilst chatting loudly and continuously, and wonder whether the verbal consumes more energy than using the poles. (Or perhaps they are merely practising a tribal dance.) In the UK the premier organisation is Nordic Walking UK, they have, over a number of years developed advanced training techniques, and I would judge are the ‘go to” for an initial enquiry about learning. They have an array of well trained instructors around the country so get in touch and see how they can help.
Nordic Trekking
Now most Nordic Walking is limited to short to medium length walks, with only a low degree of uphill – downhill. Our return to the activity involved a change from this when we decided to apply the Nordic Walking technique to high altitude long distance treks in the French Alps. Whilst the technique is very much the same, the kit carried, the variation in use of the technique, the location and duration, sets it apart. As much as I enjoy a good Nordic walk, the ‘brain-food’ provided by Nordic Trekking, as I call it, is on a different level. If you’re interested, and are patient, then have a look at my account of treks in the Alps.