Intensity your workout with walking poles

Walking may be your go-to workout for fitness and that’s great if it is.  But what if you want to make your walking workout just a little more intense to get a better calorie burn boost or heart health benefit?  If so, then consider using walking poles.

Walking poles are often thought of as useful for hiking or the elderly who need extra help with their balance.  They can be but anyone will see a fitness payoff by adding walking poles to their daily jaunt.

You may feel a little silly at first using them as you will stand out from the crowd, but don’t let that minor issue distract you.  Resembling ski poles, seeing people using walking or trekking poles is not that common, but when you do see it, it gets your attention.  Maybe they’re not the norm for most people who walk but it is a perfect low-impact, incredibly versatile tool helping individuals of all ages achieve maximum benefits for their health, wellness, and fitness.

There are several studies supporting this style of walking for anyone who engages in walking as their form of exercise.  A 2016 study found that both healthy people and those with chronic heart failure were able to increase the intensity of their aerobic training in a safe manner using Nordic walking poles.  Another study showed that using walking poles helps improve postural alignment and restored a person’s gait to a more natural, normal pattern.  A third 2016 study looked at the use of walking poles on muscle and cartilage damage in obese women and found that using the poles helped reduce muscle and cartilage damage after downhill walking. 

Other studies have found walking poles to be beneficial for faster weight loss, better cardiovascular health and better posture.  Even people who are recovering from knee or hip surgery can benefit from using walking poles by getting back to moving again sooner.

Walking without poles primarily uses the muscles in the lower half of the body.  When a person walks with walking poles, this engages the use of upper body muscles – arms, back, shoulders, and neck turning walking into a whole-body workout.  In fact, when comparing the amount of muscles used in various forms of exercise, those who use walking poles use a higher percentage of their muscles:

·      Riding a stationary bike uses about 30-40% of your muscles

·      Walking/jogging uses about 40-50% of your muscles

·      Using walking poles uses 90% of your muscles

Here are other benefits of using walking poles:

1.  They help you keep your strike or pace – You may think you can hike or walk easily without walking poles, but add them into your walking regimen and you’ll find yourself getting into a rhythm making the miles fly by.  Using the poles help sync your stride with your breathing maintaining your pace keeping your focused.

2.  Going up hills is easier – When walking up a hill, your legs get an extra workout.  This is good but walking poles help boost your arms as you plant the poles into the ground helping take some stress off your leg muscles keeping your feeling more energized.

3.  Going downhill is easier – Just like going uphill is easier with walking poles, the same can be said going downhill.  Long descents can cause added stress on knees and ankles.  With trekking poles, you can catch some of your weight with your arms helping lessen the jolt to your joints.  Poles can also aid stability on steep downhill treks.

4.  Increases cardiovascular workout – Using the poles allows you to take longer strides and gets you in a better rhythm for deep breathing while elevating the heartrate.

5.  Burns more calories – An hour of walking with walking poles can blast up to 500 calories, almost as many as you would jogging but with significantly less impact on your joints of the hips and knees through the support of the poles.

6. You’ll sculpt a lean upper body – Each time you push off the pole, your work your arms, chest, shoulders, and back, as well as our abs, legs, and butt. 

Other benefits one can expect from using walking poles include:

·      Improves posture and balance

·      It’s perceived as less workout than the actual true physical exertion

·      Improves upper body mobility

·      Reduces upper back, neck, and shoulder pain

·      Is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels