What is Nordic walking, what does it do and how to walk correctly?

Nordic walking is a type of race walking that uses special equipment (poles). Synonymous names: Nordic Walking, Finnish, northern or Nordic walking.

Walking with poles became a separate sport not so long ago - in the late 1990s. Before this, poles were used in rehabilitation physical education, summer ski training and trekking. The origin of this physical activity is associated with the training of skiers during the off-season. To maintain shape, skiers used poles to simulate walking with skis. The special way of movement subsequently became the basis for a new direction in fitness.

Today Nordic Walking is considered an independent sport and has many supporters around the world. According to statistics, more than 20 million people around the world practice Nordic walking.

What is special about Nordic walking?

Nordic walking appeared not so long ago, but has already managed to win the hearts of millions of people. This sport is very similar to ordinary race walking, but Nordic walking has a peculiarity, which is the use of special poles (Nordic). It is the use of these Nordics that allows people of all ages to turn to this sport.

The fact is that special walking poles allow you to use almost all the muscles that exist in the human body (90%). And this includes the shoulder girdle, biceps, triceps, leg muscles, oblique abdominal muscles, calf muscles and many others. This load on all parts of the body allows you to burn more calories during training than when running or cycling. That is why the Scandinavian type of walking is often used for weight loss.

Nordic walking is used not only as a stand-alone sport, but also as an addition to various workouts. For example, in athletics, in order to move from intense loads to lighter ones and finish the workout.

Nordic walking gets its name from its place of origin: Finland. It was there that they came up with the idea of using ski poles for walking and exploring in the fresh air. But Nordic walking is not an easy walk, but a special technique that can be easily learned in order to achieve the desired result.

Today, all over the world, many old and young people practice Nordic walking because it is useful. However, this sport is recommended even for unusual categories of people for whom regular training is contraindicated. For example:

Pregnant women. They are recommended to take long walks in the fresh air and moderate exercise, without risking the health of the unborn child.
Disabled people who move using wheelchairs and learn to walk with prostheses. Such walking will allow you to train those muscle groups that could atrophy due to constant sitting in one position.
People who are overweight (obese) or have diabetes (type 2).
People suffering from problems with the musculoskeletal system.
People who have problems with the cardiovascular system, blood pressure, and circulation.
People with Parkinson's disease who have difficulty maintaining balance.

Recommendations for Nordic walking for such categories of people are not accidental, since this particular sport can help and maintain people’s health.

Harm

Nordic walking with poles brings many benefits. Everyone talks about this, everyone firmly believes that the activity is absolutely safe. In principle, this is true. As always, there are a few “buts”.

And this is immoderate human enthusiasm, which can drive the heart even with such a harmless activity. If you walk too hard with poles, you can hurt yourself. In addition, if you dress incorrectly, you can sweat and catch a cold. You can also slip, break a stick, or get scratched on a piece of it.

In general, there are many risks. But they are all determined by a conscious factor, since Nordic walking with poles has no contraindications, in the medical sense, as such. Of course, you should not give physical activity to people with serious heart or musculoskeletal diseases.

To minimize risks, we do the following:

We choose sticks wisely.
We choose clothes and shoes - everything should be comfortable and reliable. It makes sense to spend money on one pair of good sneakers; you can’t skimp on this. High-quality shoes will absorb movement, fit comfortably on your feet, and will last you at least 5 years. In other words, one pair of good shoes is better than several pairs of bad ones.
We pay attention to our well-being. If you feel weak, have a cold, are injured or are overtired, it is better to stay at home and recover. Older people with heart disease or who have had a heart attack should walk slowly and gradually increase the duration of their walks.
Contrary to the previous point, you should not cancel walks because of a bad mood or household chores. Your health comes first. Let’s not forget the benefits of Nordic walking with poles and head to the park!

The benefits of Nordic walking

Nordic walking as a modern sport was originally used for the rehabilitation of people after operations or for pensioners. However, after scientists examined all the positive aspects that this walking leads to, it became clear that it can be applied in other areas.

Scientists have found that Nordic walking can bring the following benefits to the body:

Improving the cardiovascular system, blood circulation, stabilizing blood pressure. Nordic walking is even classified as cardio exercise, which can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. And all thanks to long-term training in the fresh air with a moderate load on the body.
Walking with poles has a beneficial effect on joints, does not allow bone tissue to become thinner, thereby preventing osteoporosis. Also helps reduce pain in the back, shoulders and lower back. This effect is achieved due to the fact that the load during such walking is dissipated and falls evenly on all parts of the body.
Nordic walking allows those who have a large reserve of fat to lose weight, while the young and energetic will have to supplement the walking complex with additional exercises.
With the help of Nordic walking, you can perform an effective massage of internal organs, which has a beneficial effect on their functioning (kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract).
Nordic walking is attributed to people who suffer from nervous disorders (neuroses, depression, internal aggression). It helps you to be distracted, but at the same time not to feel languid at the end of training, but only to have fun and a charge of vivacity.

The presence of such an impressive list of positive effects on the human body should contribute to the emergence of more and more fans of this sport.

Equipment

There are no instructions regarding clothing for Nordic walking with poles. There are some tips. Just like there is no technique for Nordic walking with poles.

If there is a walking club in your city, they will probably offer you special hats, sneakers, and pants.

In fact, you can buy clothes at any sports store. It is suitable for any hiking. You can wear regular comfortable clothes according to the season. Consider the degree of stress you want to give - if you move actively and sweat, you need to dress lighter than if you are going for a leisurely walk.

But with sticks it’s more difficult. How to choose them is described in detail in this article. Just remember that it is better to take Excel or Leki, Ergoforce. And the length is selected based on your height - multiply it in cm by 0.68 (for older people by 0.66) and round to a multiple of 5.

Nordic walking for weight loss

Since Nordic walking is recommended for weight loss, it is worth considering the peculiarities of using this type of training. Those who have a large supply of extra pounds can effectively use Nordic walking for weight loss. If a young girl who already leads an active lifestyle wants to lose weight, then she will have to supplement walking with a set of exercises.

You need to do the exercises in between or during half-hour walking. So, effective exercises for losing weight include the following:

At the beginning of training, it is worth doing a set of warm-up exercises so as not to pull a muscle and avoid injury. As a warm-up, you need to do the following exercises: stick sticks in front of you, tilt your body forward and lean on the sticks, then take your normal position. Such movements need to be carried out back and forth to feel the tension in the hands.

You can also stick sticks in front of you, lean on them and roll your feet (from heel to toe and back). This will stretch the calf muscle and prepare it for long walking.

While walking, you need to make turns left and right so as not to disturb the rhythm of movement. This is necessary in order to train the oblique abdominal muscles.
Every half hour of walking you need to stop to do static training. These workouts can include a variety of exercises, including squats. For this exercise, sticks are also used, but only to ensure that the back is straight. The Nordic loops need to be removed from your hands, put the sticks together and put them behind your back. This should be done so that they are not on the shoulders, but above the shoulder blades. Legs need to be spread apart, shoulder-width apart, then perform a set of squats. You do not need to squat completely, but until the moment when your thighs become parallel to the surface of the ground. One approach should contain 20 squats.
Exercise for the press. To strengthen your abdominal muscles, you need to focus on sticks, which should be stuck into the ground at a distance slightly wider than usual. Then you need to tilt your body forward a little, tuck your buttocks towards you, and lower your chin a little. After the pose is accepted, you can perform pull-ups of the legs to the chest one by one. One set contains 15 pull-ups on each leg.
Don't be afraid of running with poles; if you have the strength to train, you can safely go for a little run. Then the sticks need to be stuck into the ground at the same time, but not every step, but every other step. The same effect can be achieved if you do not bypass hills and difficult terrain. Then you burn much more calories.

To achieve the amazing effect of Nordic walking, you don’t need to skip training and be afraid of bad weather. This will also allow you to harden your body before the cold weather. You can also add anti-cellulite massage to a set of exercises for weight loss, which will allow you to achieve not only toned muscles, but also the external beauty of the body.

Correct walking technique

To get the proper benefits from Nordic walking training, you must first study its technique and understand how to walk correctly. So, you need to highlight the basic principles of walking technique:

Legs and arms should be slightly bent for spring. This is necessary so that the cartilage in the joints does not wear out and the legs do not feel a lot of stress.
Legs and arms need to be moved rhythmically in one beat. Moreover, the movements of the right leg should be coupled with the left hand and vice versa.
The body should not be straight or vertical, you need to lean forward a little to more easily bear the weight of the body.
You don’t just need to hold the sticks in your hands, they must serve as a support when walking, this is the only way to use all muscle groups and dissipate the load.
Walking technique for losing weight is very important. It is important to place the foot not entirely on the surface of the ground, but on the heel, smoothly stepping onto the toe. There should not be the impression of a jumping gait; everything must be done carefully and smoothly so as not to stretch the calf muscles.
The breathing technique must also be special. At the beginning of your workout, you should try to breathe through your nose to maintain calm and heart rate. As you increase the load or pace of walking, you can start breathing through your mouth, as the body will need more oxygen. In this case, you need to adhere to the proportion of 1:1.5, that is, inhale for two steps and exhale for three.

These recommendations are mandatory to follow, because if you perform the movements incorrectly, you can harm your health and feel pain in different parts of the body. To prevent this, you need to remember the most popular mistakes and not make them:

Don't take too big a step.
The arms should not be pressed close to the body or spread too wide. In this case, the arms should not be straight, so as not to cause damage to the elbow joint.
Placing the entire foot on the surface, which will lead to a lack of effect from training.

Nordic walking classes can be carried out as often as the athlete wants, lasting 60-80 minutes. Upon completion, you can take relaxing water procedures that will consolidate the effect of relaxation.

How to choose walking poles

In addition to proper walking technique, it is worth mentioning equipment. For Nordic walking you will need: proper sports shoes, poles (Nordic walking shoes) and a suit for training. Shoes should be made of genuine leather or suede so that the feet can breathe, and the sole thickness should be at least one centimeter to protect the foot from injury. The sole should be soft and flexible enough to allow you to roll your foot effortlessly.
Poles are the main equipment in Nordic walking, so their choice should be given great attention. When walking, the stick is not just held in your hands, it has special loops into which you put your hands and clasp the handle. It is important that the width of these loops is wide enough to prevent chafing on your palms. The handle should be ergonomic and not slip out of the hand and not create discomfort.

Professional athletes use special gloves (lanyard gloves) instead of loops, which are fastened with Velcro and do not fall off the hand like loops. They can be included with poles or sold separately.

The next component of the Nordics are the tips. They come in two types: metal and rubber. You need to have both in the set, since they are designed for walking on different surfaces. For example, rubber ones are used for walking on concrete, asphalt, and paving slabs. And iron ones are for walking on dirt, earth, or loose surfaces.

The main part of the Nordic is the rod; it is important that it can be adjusted in relation to the height of the athlete . For this, there is a special telescopic device on the bottom of the stick. Initially, it is difficult to determine the required length of poles until you start walking with them.

As for the suit for Nordic walking, there are no special instructions here, the main thing is that it does not restrict movement and is made of natural fabrics.

Contraindications for Nordic walking

Nordic walking is such a universal sport that it has virtually no contraindications. The fact is that the intensity of training, load and duration of training can be calculated individually based on the personal characteristics of a person’s health.

However, there are still a number of caveats that should be taken into account:

Cardiovascular diseases, in which any stress on the body is contraindicated (coronary insufficiency).
Diseases of the joints, injuries to the arms or shoulder girdle, when walking can cause pain to a person. Flat feet.
Oncological diseases. The effect on this type of disease has not been studied, so as a precaution, you should not experiment.
Infectious diseases that cause a person to develop a fever, which is extremely dangerous to human health.
Anemia or anemia.
Recent surgery in the abdominal area.

In the absence of such diseases, you should still consult a doctor before starting exercise, especially for older people. Moreover, do not forget that you should start exercising with minimal loads, and increase them gradually based on your state of health.

Calculation formula to follow when choosing poles

It is unacceptable to use regular ski or trekking poles for Nordic walking. These products are not intended for this type of training and do not have the necessary properties.

Nordic walking poles may contain:

Aluminium alloy;
fiberglass alloy with carbon;
composition (carbon).

Aluminum poles are a good budget option. The disadvantages of such products are heavy weight, low level of strength and noticeable vibration when moving on hard surfaces.

At a low cost, sticks made from an alloy of fiberglass and carbon are characterized by increased durability and the ability to dampen vibrations. Such equipment is durable and can serve the owner for up to several decades.

Carbon fiber (carbon fiber) poles are considered the most expensive and high quality. They are flexible, weightless and extremely reliable. These products have a valuable property - elasticity, which allows them to ease the load on ligaments and tendons during intense training. Carbon poles absorb vibrations and relieve pressure on the hands and shoulders. They are ideal for overweight people.

The length of the poles is selected taking into account the height of the athlete. If you purchase accessories that do not fit perfectly, you can harm your body. If the equipment is not long enough, excessive load will be placed on the back, and other muscles will be poorly used. Using poles that are too high will prevent you from bending properly, and you will feel discomfort while walking.

To improve comfort during Nordic walking, research was carried out, initiated by Marco Cantaneva, a manufacturer of equipment. As a result, a coefficient was calculated that allows you to select the optimal length. It is equal to 0.7. Later amendments were made, and the generally accepted coefficient today is 0.68.

So that people do not have to make calculations on their own, a special table was created, which also takes into account the degree of load. A lower intensity is indicated for the health group, and a higher intensity for the fitness group.

Height, cm	Length, cm (health group)	Length, cm (fitness group)
200	140	145
190	135	140
180	130	135
175	125	130
170	120	125
160	115	120
150	110	115

1. Belt length (lanyard or half-glove):

a strap that is too short will not allow you to fully open your arms when moving. This means you need to test a stick that is a little shorter in length.
A longer stick will fit with a long strap.

The strap on the stick should not hinder movement
2. Features of the physical structure:

for short limbs, shorter equipment is suitable;
a person with long legs needs a slightly longer stick, because... he can take long strides;
Even with long legs, but with limited joint mobility, it is difficult for a novice athlete to take long steps. This means that he needs a stick of slightly shorter length than indicated in the table.

As with any sport, equipment should be tailored to the individual's body type to reduce the likelihood of injury and increased fatigue. In addition to this, a certain margin of strength, durability and sufficient build quality are required.

Important! All hiking poles (trekking models) made of fiberglass and aluminum are not suitable for Nordic Walking, they are for making walking and climbing uphill easier during mountain tourism!

Answering further the question of how to choose poles for Nordic walking, you need to consider their features. They are made from different materials and have different designs. Their choice is determined by the available amount of money and personal preferences.

Ideally, the selected equipment should:

have sufficient rigidity;
be non-traumatic;
have little weight;
have high strength;
dampen vibrations and shocks;
have a comfortable handle;
match in length.

An important condition for selecting sports equipment is its correct length. Devices must be ideally matched to the athlete’s height. Then they will solve the main problem of the Scandinavian movement: they will reduce the load on the spinal column and joints, “taking it upon themselves.”

Nordic walking poles “adjusted” to height strengthen the framework of the muscles of the body and heart, and vascular permeability. Losing excess weight, depression and constant fatigue is an incomplete list of important changes that will happen to an athlete who regularly walks “Scandinavian style”.

Knowing how to choose the right poles for Nordic walking, you achieve excellent results in training, achieving improved well-being and mood. Properly selected sports equipment must meet the following requirements:

Be light in weight so as not to create additional stress on bones and joints.
Be resilient.
Have a well-adjustable handle that can become an “extension” of your hand while moving.
Keep the tip in the form of a rubber nozzle, which will prevent slipping on the road surface.
Be created from high quality material.

Many novice athletes try to save money by using conventional ski devices for training, not understanding how they differ from “Finnish” ones. Let's look at the difference between “Finnish” and ski equipment:

Ski devices cannot be adjusted according to height.
They do not have tips for a stable position on various surfaces.
There are no special straps resembling gloves in ski equipment.

You should also not use trekking supports for exercise. This is the name given to tourists’ equipment, the task of which is to “support” the weight of a person and his backpack. These devices are heavy, too long, too thick, and therefore are completely unsuitable for intense Scandinavian training.

Devices not designed for Nordic movement will cause overload of muscle, bone and joint tissue. Therefore, saving on equipment will not allow you to achieve the main goal of Finnish walking - complete recovery.

It’s good if you have friends who are interested in Nordic walking, but what to do if you don’t have the opportunity to consult with an expert in all the intricacies? You should not panic ahead of time and purchase an accessory that attracted you with its beautiful appearance. There is a special calculation formula that will help you easily determine the length of the poles.

How to choose Nordic walking poles according to height, the table can help here, but not everyone always has it at hand. There is a much simpler way out - to calculate the length of the sticks using a simple formula. It’s easy to independently determine the length of equipment needed for Scandinavian jogging; just measure your height and multiply it by 0.66. It is the length, which was obtained through simple calculations, that will indicate which sticks to purchase.

When selecting such simple sports equipment as Scandinavian sticks, you should pay attention not only to their length, but also to the material from which they are made, the shape of the handle and its relief, etc.