How to walk with walking poles

The technique is a simple enhancement of normal arm swing when walking. The poles remain behind and pointing diagonally backwards at all times.
• Shoulders are relaxed and down.
• Poles are held close to the body.
• The hands are opened slightly to allow the poles to swing forward - the poles are not gripped but swing from the wrist straps.
• The leading foot strikes the ground.
• The opposite arm swings forward to waist height.
• The opposite pole strikes the ground level with the heel of the opposite foot.
• The poles remain pointing diagonally backwards, they are never in front of the body.
• 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.
• 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.
• The arm motion is loose and relaxed.
Keeping the arms relaxed and keeping the poles behind the body are key elements in the proper technique. I found that my previous experience with poles used the wrong techniques, planting the poles in front of the body and bending the elbow too much.

Walkers have used a variety of techniques and equipment to add an upper body workout to their walk. Correct arm motion can relieve neck and shoulder tension while toning upper body muscles. Racewalkers use their arms effectively to give an upper body workout.

Total Body vs. Half Body:
Nordic walking poles add an upper body workout for the deltoids, lats, pecs, triceps and abdominals. By adding the upper body workout, calorie burning is increased up to 40% yet with no increase in how hard the walker feels they are exercising. Nordic walkers get a "total body" workout without feeling like they are working any harder than just walking.

Relieve Shoulder and Neck Stress:
Using the correct nordic walking technique with relaxed shoulders, keeping the poles behind the body and using a full range of motion, the walker also releases stress carried in the shoulders and neck.

Taking the arms and shoulders through the full range of motion throughout a 30 minute walk is a great antidote to the slouching many people do over desks and computers.

Leave the Weights at Home:
Exercise experts do not recommend walking with arm weights, which is another popular way to add an upper body workout to a walk. Arm weights put an unnatural stress on joints, especially over the length of a recommended fitness walk of a half hour to two hours.

Can it Work Without Poles?
Walkers can experience similar upper body effects by using correct racewalking arm motion. However, that can be difficult to achieve without coaching. At a recent workshop by noted coach Martin Rudow, all participants had to be worked with to get the proper arm motion. Loosening the shoulder, concentrating on moving the arms back and not bringing them too far forward or too high were the main objectives. Walkers using the poles can fall into some of the same poor patterns if they plant the poles too far forward rather than at the heel of their leading foot.

Nordic walking burns more calories and enhances a fat-burning walking workout by up to 40%. Most walkers will increase their workout by 10-20%.

Higher Heart Rate But Lower Exertion
I recently participated in a test at the Vuokatti Sports Center in Finland, along with other walking editors. We walked a steady pace on a treadmill with and without nordic walking poles. The poles raised my heartrate by 10 bpm at the same speed. The other editors reported that walking felt easier with the poles than without, yet their heart rates were increased.
Many fitness walkers do not like the feeling of exerting themselves, yet the best health benefits come from a moderate intensity workout rather than an easy workout. Nordic walking poles raise the heart rate into the moderate intensity zone without the walker feeling like they are working any harder.

Fat Burning Zone
Nordic walking exertion is in the fat-burning zone.

Researchers at Vuokatti showed how much fat vs. carbohydrate burning was done with and without poles. More fat-burning when using the poles was most evident with the editor who used the correct pole technique.

Better Workout at the Same Speed
Adopting a fast walking technique or racewalking is a great way to pump up your walking workout. But nordic walking poles are an alternative for those who have difficulty walking faster or do not like to walk faster. By using the nordic walking poles at your usual walking speed, you increase your workout without going faster. This is also a good alternative for those whose walking partners cannot go faster.