Nordic walking: who it suits and how to start properly

You see people striding round the park with poles and it is tempting to write it off as walking with extra kit. The real question is whether the arms are working or just going along for the ride. Get the action right and the same route becomes a much bigger job for your heart and upper body, without feeling a great deal harder.

What the poles actually add

In ordinary walking the upper body is largely a passenger. With poles, every stride brings in the shoulders, back, triceps and trunk, so a far larger share of your muscle mass is doing something.

Research generally shows that at the same speed, oxygen uptake rises by roughly 10 to 20 per cent and heart rate sits about 5 to 15 beats a minute higher than walking without poles. The interesting part is that how hard it feels often stays much the same. You are doing more work without registering it as tougher.

The second benefit is stability. Two extra points of contact widen your base and make wet leaves, loose gravel and gentle descents less nerve-racking, so people who worry about falling tend to walk further and faster than they would empty-handed.

The most oversold claim is knee relief. Poles can take some load off the legs, particularly downhill, but the numbers vary between measurements and are not dramatic. This one is not settled, so nordic walking should not be sold as a fix for a painful knee.

Who it suits, and who needs care

The evidence is strongest for people who want more aerobic work without running: those carrying extra weight, anyone rebuilding fitness after a long break, and older walkers whose usual stroll no longer lifts the heart rate much.

It also fits well if you are losing muscle with age, which is the usual picture with sarcopenia, though walking with poles does not replace strength training. With reduced bone density, weight-bearing walking makes sense, subject to the same rules that apply to training with osteoporosis.

Two situations call for caution. The first is shoulder pain or restricted movement, because the backward swing needs a decent range. If your shoulders will not go the full distance, work on mobility first and keep the poles on the shorter side. The second is raised blood pressure: gripping the handle hard can push pressure up more than you would expect, so the same rules for training with high blood pressure apply here.

One thing worth stating plainly: nordic poles are not a mobility aid. If you lean on a stick or frame to avoid falling, this is not a substitute, and the choice is one to make with a physiotherapist.

Poles: length, straps and tips

Length is the one thing worth measuring before your first outing. The usual sum is about 0.68 of your height, rounded to the nearest five centimetres: roughly 110 cm if you are 160 cm tall, 115 cm at 170 cm, and 120 to 125 cm at 180 cm.

The check on the ground is simple. With the tip resting beside your foot, the elbow should sit at roughly a right angle and the shoulder should stay relaxed. If you are between sizes, take the shorter one. Poles that are too long push you into planting in front of your body, which is the classic beginner error.

The handle needs a glove-style strap that holds your hand to the pole while letting you open your fingers at the end of the swing. Without it there is no real push, and your forearms tire from squeezing. Rubber tips are for tarmac and concrete, metal tips for gravel, soil and snow.

Telescopic poles pack down for the car, fixed-length ones are quieter and stiffer. For a first month it makes little difference. What matters is that both are the same length and the strap adjusts.

The technique in five steps

1. Drag first. For the first five minutes, let the poles trail behind you while your arms swing naturally, opposite to your legs. This sets the rhythm.
2. Plant behind the leading foot. The pole meets the ground at an angle, pointing backwards, somewhere between your feet. Never ahead of your toes.
3. Push, do not stab. The force goes through the strap, and the hand travels past your hip and finishes behind you.
4. Open the hand. At the end of the swing the fingers relax and the pole hangs on the strap. You close the hand again only as the arm comes forward.
5. Lengthen the stride and let the trunk move. Shoulders and hips rotate gently against each other. When that clicks, you feel the pole driving you forward.

A realistic timeline: most people find the rhythm within three to five outings. Watch your hands as much as you need to early on; it becomes automatic soon enough.

A plan for the first four weeks

The aim of month one is not speed. It is making the technique automatic and letting your body absorb the volume. Three outings a week is enough, ideally with a rest day between them.

Week 1: three sessions of 20 minutes at a pace where you can still speak in full sentences, starting each one with five minutes of trailing the poles.

Week 2: three sessions of 25 to 30 minutes on flat ground, same easy zone.

Week 3: three sessions of 30 minutes, with four two-minute faster blocks in the middle, two easy minutes between each. In the faster blocks your breathing is laboured but still under control.

Week 4: two sessions of 35 to 40 minutes and one shorter 25-minute outing on a gentle incline. Hills are the quickest way to raise the demand without running, and that stimulus pairs neatly with using stairs as training.

Coming back after illness or a long layoff, halve week one and add five minutes a week rather than ten.

Mistakes that undo the whole thing

Planting too far forward. If the tip lands ahead of your foot you are braking, not pushing. Think about throwing the pole backwards.

A permanently bent elbow. The arm should straighten through the push. Keep the elbow folded and you are working the forearm alone.

Gripping too hard. You will feel it in your forearms after twenty minutes. The strap carries the force; the hand only steers the pole.

A short swing. An arm that never passes the hip is doing half the job. Ask someone to film ten seconds from the side and you will see it immediately.

Rounded back, eyes down. Look about ten metres ahead and keep the chest open.

When to see a doctor

Nordic walking is a gentle load, but it is not unconditional. Check with a doctor before starting if you have heart disease, have had a recent cardiac procedure, or your blood pressure is not under control.

Stop and get assessed if you develop chest pain or tightness, fainting or dizziness, breathlessness out of proportion to the effort, an unusual pounding or fluttering heartbeat, or calf pain that forces you to stop and eases with rest. Shoulder pain lasting more than a fortnight and waking you at night also deserves a look.

The short version

• With sound technique, oxygen uptake rises around 10 to 20 per cent and heart rate 5 to 15 beats above ordinary walking at the same speed.
• Pole length is roughly 0.68 of your height, with the elbow at a right angle when the tip rests beside your foot. When in doubt, go shorter.
• Plant the tip angled backwards behind your leading foot, drive through the strap, and open the hand behind your body.
• Four weeks, three outings each: 20 minutes, then 25 to 30, then intervals, then 35 to 40 minutes plus a gentle hill.
• Poles are not a mobility aid and will not solve knee pain; with heart problems or uncontrolled blood pressure, see a doctor first.