I went hiking this weekend and used my poles for the climb up and then back down the mountain.
They were very helpful and provide an added measure of balance and “oomph” as we climbed the ~2 mile grade from the Blue Ridge Parkway http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/ at the Slacks Overlook up to Bald mountain and the jeep road there. They provided even more assistance on the return downhill trip as they helped reduce the impact and stress on my knees as I came down the steep grade.
I also enjoyed an additional endorphin buzz in my chest, shoulder and back muscles after using the poles . Hiking with poles is also a great Total Body exercise. It is known as Nordic Walking ( Nordic or Cross Country Skiing) and is quite popular in other parts of the world and can be done in town as well as the country.
Several manufacturers make and distribute fancy poles (look like ski poles) for this purpose. Many are used for hikers and backpackers but can be used around town on daily walks.
I have heavy carved and polished wooden poles that work for me but may be too heavy for others. I have experimented with the lighter poles and am getting used to the lightweight but have had trouble with the strength/stability of the poles. I have broken 3 sets of poles so far. I am not a good test case since I am a little bigger and stronger then many folks.
BENEFITS NORDIC WALKING- It has been estimated that up to 48% additional energy is used while walking with and using the trekking poles. Compared to regular walking, Nordic walkers use more of their entire body (with greater intensity) and receive fitness building stimulation not as present in normal walking for the chest, lats, triceps, biceps, shoulder, abdominals, spinal and other core muscles. This extra muscle involvement leads to enhancements over ordinary walking at equal paces such as:
- increased overall strength and endurance
- significant increases in heart rate at a given pace
- greater ease in climbing hills
- burning more calories than in plain walking
- improved balance and stability with use of the poles
- significant reduction of stress on hips, knees and ankles and feet
I do Nordic Walking: http://www.mumm50.com/6.html.
Many greetings to Charlottesville, Annette
Nice post about walking sticks and poles!
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with broken Nordic Walking poles. My guess is that the poles were twist-locking type poles. One-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-lock and flip-lock adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles.
Cheap Twist-locks and Flip-locks rattle, vibrate and sometimes collapse unexpectedly. They do not hold up to aggressive use – especially Nordic Walking, Ski Walking and Hill Bounding.
One-piece poles from The American Nordic Walking System and http://WWW.SKIWALKING.COM come in 14 different sizes, come with a perfect length guarantee, a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a life-time breakage guarantee.
Perfect length poles help us to automatically walk with a super straight back – better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low impact and yet provides a highly effective workout – burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.
Hopefully more Americans will discover the benefits of walking with a walking stick and/or walking poles soon.