Table of Contents
I encourage many of my client to take up Nordic Walking. It is great for balance, core strength and cardiovascular conditioning. To help my clients and you, the reader, I wrote this comprehensive Nordic Walking Pole guide for beginner level, intermediate level, and experienced Nordic Walkers.
The guide ensures that your Nordic Walking experience is fun, pain free, and effective. It covers the following:
- Explains how to choose Nordic Walking poles that are right for you.
- Identifies the Nordic Walking handgrip you want for your pole.
- Helps you decide if you should use Nordic Walking straps.
- Describes different pole adjustments (such as Nordic Walking pole length).
- Explains how to use Nordic Walking poles and sticks properly.
- Identifies health benefits of Nordic Walking.
- Provides Nordic Walking instructions and technique.
Let’s get started.
How to Choose Nordic Walking Poles
There are too many Nordic Walking poles in the market today to cover them all adequately. Instead, I will present some of the more common and popular styles of Nordic Walking poles. Follow the guidelines in this guide and you will find the Nordic Walking poles right for you.
The five variables you should consider when you choose Nordic Walking poles are:
- Nordic Walking Pole Length Adjustment
- Collapsible Nordic Walking Poles
- Hand Grips
- Shock Absorption
- Pole Length
Let’s cover each of these variables in detail.
Nordic Walking Pole Length Adjustment
I recommend that you look for an easy way to adjust the length of your Nordic Poles. This is really handy if you are sharing poles with somebody else. Adjustable pole lengths are beneficial if you provide Nordic Walking instruction and you frequently change the pole length in order to introduce different poles to your clients.
It is important that you identify the type of adjustment mechanism you prefer to adjust the length of your pole. Let’s look at the different pole adjustment options available today.
Click and Lock Mechanism
Quite a few Nordic Poles have a click-and-lock mechanism to make your poles shorter or longer in length.
Twist and Lock Mechanism
Another type of Nordic Pole length adjustment mechanism is a twist-and-lock. With the twist-and-lock, you have to loosen the connection by rotating the pole components in opposite directions and adjust the length. You lock the pole in place by looking at the arrows that are indicated on the pole.
The issue I have with the twist-and-lock rotational mechanism is that a lot of clients do not have adequate grip strength to securely tighten the pole connector. If the connection is not secure, there is a risk that the pole will collapse when you put weight through the pole.
To ensure the connection is secure follow these steps:
- Take the head of the pole and place it between your feet.
- Grip it really tight by stepping on the grips.
- Take both your hands.
- Use the leverage you gain to tighten the pole connection.
How easy or hard it is to secure the connection mechanism depends on the style of the pole grip head. Some grip heads have a flare shape to them. That allows you to get your feet on either side of the flare and hold the pole in place so they can really get a good rotation on it.
Additional Considerations
A couple of points to consider.
- First, when the weather changes to winter, the metal will constrict. If you tighten the connector during the cold weather months, you might find in the spring that the metal has expanded to the point where you are unable to loosen the connector. Oops!
- Second, if you’re still not getting quite the twist you want, garden gloves or any type of rubber glove will really help you to loosen and tighten the connection.
Collapsible Nordic Walking Pole Length for Travel
Nordic Poles can collapse into different lengths. This is really handy, actually essential, if you travel to far off places with your Nordic Poles.
There are some poles that come in a fixed, full length. They are often the lightest, more expensive poles, and wonderful to use, but very impractical to travel with because you cannot put them in your luggage.
If you want shrink your Nordic Pole to a more manageable length when you travel, consider poles that are composed of three shorter segments and allow you to telescope.
However, having said that, it’s important that when you return the Nordic Poles to their full length, that you make sure that the two poles are uniform in their length across all segments. In other words, you should readjust each part or segment of each pole to equal lengths.
I have seen some clients bring me their poles and they’ve adjusted it to five inches on one side and two inches on the other. That doesn’t make for a stable a pole. In summary, make sure that all the parts are well-tightened and equally telescoped.
Nordic Pole Hand Grips
The next thing to consider is the type of Nordic Pole hand grip that is best for you. Each manufacturer has chosen different materials for their hand grips.
I have several Nordic Walking clients who are partial to a cork surface for their hand grip. They consider it breathable and comfortable. Other clients are quite comfortable with a rubber or plastic hand grip. It really comes down to personal preferences and you should select the material you feel comfortable using since you will be using the hand grip frequently.
Hand Placement
You will feel pressure through your hand from the hand grip as you push on the Nordic Pole. Your hand placement is important to get right especially for those of you with either arthritis or a weak hand grip.
Let me explain further. In the video, around 6:34 minutes in, I demonstrate what I mean.
When Nordic Walking with the Urban Pole brand of Nordic Poles, the hand grip pressure is through the outside border of your hand. In this case, the hand is in a very neutral position. That works fine for most people except for my clients who have arthritic issues in the wrist. The loading (or distribution of weight) in this situation can be a little bit uncomfortable.
Nordic Walking Hand Grip Sleeves
Some hand grips have a sleeve to accommodate your hand. These allow you to distribute the weight or load evenly. I have used them with clients who have weakened hand grips, whether from arthritis, missing digits, or neurological issues that affect the grip of the hand. A hand grip with a sleeve is a really handy way to solve this problem.
A support sleeve allows you to place your thumb in and wrap the sleeve around your hand. Sleeves are identified with right and left on the sleeve portion in most Nordic Poles.
If you decide to go with a pole set with sleeves, consider how easy it is to attach and remove the sleeves. Some sleeves are fixed in place and cannot be removed. The more cost-effective poles that have them often will not let you detach the sleeves (or release your grip from the pole) when you are using the poles. For me, that’s a big issue.
Nordic Poling in the Winter Season
My hands get really cold in the winter. If I use my Nordic Poles in the wintertime, it’s really important that I can easily detach from my poles without taking off all my warm clothing.
Picture this. I’m bundled up. I have my mitts on or my gloves on. The poles are slipped into place with my mitts or gloves. It’s not till the end that I go out and I clip the straps onto the poles.
I also find it easier to have detachable sleeves because sometimes it is so cold that I can’t actually grip the Nordic Pole! It is important that the sleeves easily detach.
Some Nordic Pole manufacturers cleverly put a little tag (or tail) on the Velcro strap of the sleeve so it doesn’t slip out. For most people, it is intuitive how to put your hand into it.
Whereas, in other cases, as in the case of a Nordixx Nordic Pole, there’s no tag (or tail). As a result, it is easier to slip out. This is one more thing you have to consider when you make your purchase decision.
Adjusting the Sleeve
When adjusting the fit of the sleeve, it’s important that you check, in the store or when you order the poles, that it fits and accommodates your hand.
I am rather petite. This one here (the Nordixx pole) is very, very big on my hand despite it being a small size. I try to wrap it around, but I find it too big where my hand is to sit in the sling (or sleeve).
As well, you should consider if you are able to adjust the length of the sling (or sleeve). With some manufacturers you can make the sleeve closer or farther from the pole using an adjustment mechanism.
The LEKI click-on sleeve does not support the adjustable length. With some LEKI styles, you have a length adjustment that allows you to modify the distance your sleeve is from the pole.
Other Nordic Poles have a sleeve system that is very similar to a standard cross-country ski pole, where you have the loop. Unfortunately, I often see the people using the loops incorrectly.
When using your loops, you want to imagine that you’re reaching for a little bunny in a hole. You grab the little bunny ears that you see as you insert your hand in the hole. This will create a little hammock that you use when you push off. The pushing off happens behind you and is through the slings of the straps.
Sleeves Can Confuse Some Nordic Walkers
Another point to consider when selecting poles and grips for yourself or the person that you love is that some of these hand grips can be confusing for individuals whose cognitive status is starting to decline. I bring this up because it was one of the first signs I had when my Mom started to get Alzheimer’s.
She was a big walker and the concept of looking at the grip, figuring out where to put the hand in, and where to loop it was all very confusing to her.
Nordic Pole Shock Absorption
Another important consideration when selecting Nordic Poles is the ability of the poles to absorb and distribute shock. Specifically, if you have any issues with your wrists, elbows, or shoulders, evaluate how the design of the pole takes into consideration the ground impact forces.
For instance, in the Urban Pole, there is a divot that shouldn’t be touched when adjusting the pole length. One of the jobs of this piece of rubber is to absorb some of the shock coming from the ground up towards your hand. The Urban Pole hand grip is designed to absorb impact away from your hand.
In other designs, some of the forces from the ground are lost through the sleeve.
Having said all that, it’s sometimes hard to decide which pole is best for you from a shock absorption point of view. However, I encourage you to try the poles before purchase. When trying any poles, if you hear a clanging sound or you feel a significant vibration occur, then you should not purchase those poles.
Finally, consider the surface that you frequently walk on. Pavement will require more shock absorption than a soft surface.
How to Determine Nordic Walking Pole Length
Your Nordic Walking pole length is important and you need to make sure that everything is set correctly for you. Make sure that the pole can be adjusted so that when you’re standing tall, your elbows by your side, bent at 90 degrees, and that your hand is setting or set to the grip of the pole. Whether it be resting on the outside or whether it be positioned so that your hands and the sleeve are resting, again, make sure it is at 90 degrees.
This is the sizing technique for Nordic Walking pole length that I use for any of the types of poles, including the Activator poles.
The only time I change it is that if I notice my clients don’t have a big arm swing in their Nordic Walking style technique. Because some Nordic Poles have a booty that sits on an angle, you want the pole to land on an angle.
As you notice in the technique I demonstrate in the video, you land on an angle. If you don’t have a big arm swing, then you’re not going to have good interface between the base of the booty and the ground. That’s when I’ll often lower the height of the pole for clients until either they develop a bigger arms swing, or they just simply keep it at that height because that’s what’s comfortable for them.
Conclusion How to Choose Nordic Walking Poles
There are many things to think about when choosing Nordic Walking poles. Hopefully, this gives you some insight into the different poles and choosing Nordic Poles.
How to Use Nordic Walking Sticks Properly
Let’s cover Nordic Walking technique and how to se Nordic Walking sticks properly. I will break this process into four easy to follow steps.
Step 1 — Gentle Arm Swing
If you’ve never done any Nordic Walking before, the very first thing we do to improve our Nordic Walking technique is hold the poles mid-shaft.
- Relax them by your side. Make sure that they are feeling evenly weighted, and that you just have a very gentle arm swing.
- Then start walking with that arm swing. Ideally, you want to have opposite arm and leg as you walk and you swing through.
- I like to have my thumbs over the top of the poles in order to bring that arm swing through. Start exaggerating the arm swing.
- People often ask me, “Well, how much arm swing?”
- Imagine going forward and shaking someone’s hand. The would be the type of arm swing you are looking for with the poling.
- In every style of poles, you are going to lead with your thumb as you reach forward. Have that nice reach as though you are greeting somebody.
You’ll notice in the technique that you will come back and weight-bear differently with the different styles of poles.
Step 2 — Drag the Nordic Walking Poles Behind You
Once you get used to the arm swing, start dragging the poles behind you. Don’t put weight through the poles just yet. Start with dragging the poles and getting used to the arm swing, with the poles following along.
Step 3 — Put Your Weight Through Your Arms
The third step is to put weight through your arms as you are Nordic Pole walking. Once you have that push through, it will allow you to get a better push off and increase your speed and your cadence as you Nordic Walk.
The other thing that it will do is engage the muscles of your latissimus dorsi, or your oblique abdominals. You’ll feel your triceps start to engage. Nordic Pole walking brings the upper body into play when you start pushing down with an outstretched arm.
Step 4 — Increase Stride Length and Push Off
The fourth step in Nordic Pole Walking technique is to increase your stride length and your push off. Doing that well comes with hours of poling practice.
Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis
Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program.
But what exercises should you do and which ones should you avoid? What exercises build bone and which ones reduce your chance of a fracture? Is Yoga good for your bones? Who should you trust when it comes to exercises for osteoporosis?
A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health — one lesson each day. You can look at the videos at anytime and as often as you like.
I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including:
- Can exercise reverse osteoporosis?
- Stop the stoop — how to avoid kyphosis and rounded shoulders.
- Key components of an osteoporosis exercise program.
- Key principles of bone building.
- Exercises you should avoid if you have osteoporosis.
- Yoga and osteoporosis — should you practice yoga if you have osteoporosis?
- Core strength and osteoporosis — why is core strength important if you have osteoporosis?
Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. I do not SPAM or share your email address (or any information) with third parties. You can unsubscribe from my mail list at any time.
Health Benefits of Nordic Walking
What are the health benefits of Nordic Walking? Here are four for you to consider.
- Better balance.
- Reduces load on joints.
- Helps with sarcopenia.
- Activates the core muscles.
Benefit 1 — Better Balance
One of the health benefits of Nordic Walking for people with osteoporosis is that Nordic Walking poles provide extra support and point of contact with the ground for these clients.
I recommend Nordic Walking to these clients because they are very fearful of falling and are afraid to exercise. Many of the clients I have taken out for Nordic Walking state “Wow. I can finally look around when I’m walking. I’m not always looking to the ground.”
They get to enjoy looking around and feel less stressed about the potential for a fall. That extra point of contact with the ground allows you to focus on increasing your speed and enjoying a longer walk.
Benefit 2 — Off Load Joints
The second health benefit of Nordic Walking is that the poles allow you to off-weight the joints. This is particularly important for clients with hip or knee pain and that might be getting some arthritic changes.
Studies show that when you’re using your poles, it is a big advantage for arthritic knees because the poles reduce the load or demand on the arthritic joint.
The Urban Poling Activator Poles can be used in rehabilitation when you are recovering from a knee or hip replacement. The bell-shaped tip allows you to easily offload much more weight than the standard Nordic poles.
Often times, clients will exchange back and forth between Activator Poles and regular Nordic Poles as they go through different stages of rehabilitation. They might have used regular Nordic Poles prior to their surgery. Then we switch it to Activator Poles and then switch back to the regular Nordic Pole as their health and movement improves.
Benefit 3 — Sarcopenia and Nordic Walking
Sarcopenia is a big problem in our society because people do not move as much as they should. It is the loss of muscle mass with aging. Sarcopenia does not have to happen, but unfortunately it happens a lot.
A 2016 study (1) looked at women with low bone mass who used Nordic Poles. After a 12-week intervention of Nordic Pole walking three times a week, these women had regained significant amount of muscle mass, improved overall function in terms of the ability to get on and off a chair, and to go up and down stairs. These are significant things that a simple piece of equipment can provide to your quality of life and the quality of your muscles and bones.
Benefit 4 — Core Activation
One of the other health benefits of Nordic Walking is the activation of your back muscles when you’re pushing down and the activation of your core muscles. Nordic Walking is more than a lower-body or cardiovascular activity — it is a full-body activity.
You incorporate the loading through the upper body and the co-contraction of the muscles, or the activation of the muscles in your core every time you push down. A study shows that if you do proper Nordic Walking technique with an outstretched arm, that you are going to increase the cardiovascular output similar to jogging.
For those individuals that used to loved jogging but they can’t quite do so anymore, whether it be for any reasons, neurological or orthopedic, then Nordic Walking allows you to step up your game with your walking. You’ll burn more calories and get a better cardiovascular workout.
Nordic Walking Straps
I encourage you to consider the advantages and disadvantages of straps for your hand grips when choosing Nordic Walking poles.
Disadvantages of Nordic Walking Straps
Nordic Walking straps have several disadvantages. First if you use Nordic Walking straps you have to spend time adjusting and fitting the straps so that they are comfortable.
Second, Nordic Walking straps “tie” to your poles. For some people, that’s a concern for them because if you’re tied to your pole and you go to fall, chances are that, you may injure your thumb or your wrist because you’re not able to let go of the pole fast enough.
Advantages of Nordic Walking Straps
Nordic Walking straps have several advantages over going strapless. First, Nordic Walking straps allow you to use poles without a strong hand grip. If you do not use Nordic Pole straps you will need to have enough hand grip strength to hold the poles throughout your walk.
A grip strength test is often part of an assessment for many clients. I have written a blog post on the importance of grip strength and provided an exercise tutorial you can do to improve your grip strength.
Second, if it is painful to load your hands while using your Nordic Poles, I recommend that you use Nordic Walking straps to reduce that load. An advantage Nordic Walking straps have for people subject to hand pain is that it reduces the load demand and you still feel like you’re always in control of your pole.
These are advantages and disadvantages of Nordic Walking Straps. I think you should use what works best for you, what you feel most comfortable with, or follow the recommendations of your healthcare provider.
Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis
Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program.
But what exercises should you do and which ones should you avoid? What exercises build bone and which ones reduce your chance of a fracture? Is Yoga good for your bones? Who should you trust when it comes to exercises for osteoporosis?
A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health — one lesson each day. You can look at the videos at anytime and as often as you like.
I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including:
- Can exercise reverse osteoporosis?
- Stop the stoop — how to avoid kyphosis and rounded shoulders.
- Key components of an osteoporosis exercise program.
- Key principles of bone building.
- Exercises you should avoid if you have osteoporosis.
- Yoga and osteoporosis — should you practice yoga if you have osteoporosis?
- Core strength and osteoporosis — why is core strength important if you have osteoporosis?
Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. I do not SPAM or share your email address (or any information) with third parties. You can unsubscribe from my mail list at any time.
Nordic Walking With Weighted Vest or Backpack
A lot of my clients have both arthritis and osteoporosis. I tell these clients that Nordic Walking will allow them to walk much further than they could without the support of the poles. In addition they will get a greater number of bone-building steps behind them when loading. When you offload your joints you also offload your bones.
Nordic Walking Poles With a Weighted Vest
Wear a weighted vest if you want to put more load through your bones. However, keep your posture in an upright position.
When it comes to posture and Nordic Walking, I see many people who improve their posture with the poling because they are pushing down and they are getting an equal and opposite force going up. Nordic Walking, in this case, helps lengthen, or what we call the axial elongation, the spine when walking.
The weighted vest coupled with Nordic Walking (with perfect posture) is a winning combination for osteoporosis.
Nordic Walking With a Backpack
Wearing a little backpack when Nordic Walking allows you to accentuate an improved posture even more. It’s nice to have a little pack to carry things when commuting.
I picked this pack specifically because it acts very similar to the weighted kypho-orthosis. The straps come right across my shoulders. You’ll see that in a lot of posture braces and it encourages an open shoulder.
I wouldn’t want to do a lot of poling with this because it impinges the front of the shoulder. But if you’re doing short distances, this is really a nice way to just open things up.
Notice how the pack rides high, and the weight sits just below my shoulder blades. That encourages a more even lift of the spine.
If you do have a tendency to be rounded, I would not recommend the weighted vest, but I would recommend a little pack that allows you to be drawn equally behind you. This will counter balance the forward kyphosis.
My clients that have kyphosis find this arrangement very helpful and I hope you will too. Happy Nordic Walking.
Suggested Readings
References
- Zbigniew MO, et al. Effects of short-term Nordic walking training on sarcopenia-related parameters in women with low bone mass: a preliminary study, Clin Interv Aging, 2016; 11: 1763 – 1771
Comments
September 18, 2018 at 1:56pm
Chantal
Hi Margaret,
Don't Nordic pole all have a kind of glove-strap making them different from a regular walking stick?
Where can we buy them? I have look around in Ottawa and Gatineau for the last 2 years and they are impossible to find.mi want a good quality pole and I am ready to pay for that.
Thanks
Chantal
September 20, 2018 at 8:51am
Betty
My poles (Exerstrider ) are marked with suggested lengths for individual heights. That adjustment is way off from what I measure in the 90/90 position you show. Is it common that the suggested lengths don't match up with the actual measure?
August 3, 2019 at 9:54pm
Wendy Seale-Bakes
Hi Margaret,
I've been looking for a pack like the one in your video - where the weight sits just below the shoulder blades - but can't find any. I'm short, just over 5' 2" and they all come too far down my back. Could you tell me where you found your pack and/or what kind it is? I live on the West Coast but could order it online. Thanks. I really love your videos, the website & your books. They've been incredibly helpful and motivating.
Wendy SB
August 11, 2019 at 5:45pm
Margaret Martin replies
Hi Wendy,
I am just a little shorter than you and I really love the Hershel bag that you saw in the video. I have another similar sized one that is actually a little more comfortable and more practical for hiking (pared straps and more compartments) but not as cute. The make is Avanti which I got at SAIL. I cannot recall the name of the store (in Quebec) where I got the Hershel bag.Both are well made.
Thank you for the feedback on my videos. It means a lot to me. Good luck shopping.
Margaret
August 17, 2019 at 4:45pm
Wendy Seale-Bakes
Thank you! Couldn't find an Avanti but am looking at a couple of bags by Hershel. Jansport also looks promising.
January 31, 2021 at 6:32pm
Carol
Hi, Margaret - Thank you for so much clear information about Nordic walking. I have just bought my poles, thanks to your helpful advice, and I am quite astonished at how much difference they make to my ability to be upright. I have some kyphosis, and had a mild compression fracture a few years ago, and lately while walking, I have had so much trouble just remaining upright enough to be comfortable. I was about ready to give up the walking! But after even the first day of using the poles, I was so much more comfortable, didn't have to stop and rest at all, and even felt more upright for the rest of the day at home. It's only been three days now, but I am so delighted with the results. My husband can't believe the difference it's made. One curious thing though, is that my fitbit registers walking with the poles as if it thinks I'm using an elliptical - I hope that doesn't mean that my heart isn't getting as much of a workout! The heart rate seems to be about the same. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Thanks again....