Nordic walking

[smifffymoto]

Any body do it? Looks like a decent,low impact excercise for a larger chap.
Just had a week snow shoeing with ploes and that was more physical than I thought it would be,so nordic walking should be similar.

[Hoofy]

smifffymoto said:

Any body do it? Looks like a decent,low impact excercise for a larger chap.
Just had a week snow shoeing with ploes and that was more physical than I thought it would be,so nordic walking should be similar.

Seems like a great all-round exercise. Works the lat and shoulders as well as the legs if you do it right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTufkzpo8E

Note the feet never land in front of you like with normal walking poles. You'll end up walking faster than normal as you're pushing with your arms, too, rather than just using your legs to walk. I know someone who does it and when I went walking (normal walking), I struggled to keep up the pace.

[llewop]

I do it, although not as often as I’d like to. As stated above you can walk faster and further with the poles once you get the hang of it. Which is perfect for me as I have a muscle condition that causes stamina, cramp and balance issues, so the poles are also great for helping with balance on slopes or uneven ground.

If you search for ‘Nordic walking uk’ you should be able to find a local instructor who does ‘taster’ sessions, where you can borrow poles and have an introduction to it. If you decide it is something for you getting your own poles makes sense.

[Bill]

The local instructors pretty much insisted on giving us a taster session at work. They're very evangelical...

Personally (saying this as someone who's used trekking poles in the mountains...) I found it faintly ridiculous, however it is a way to burn a bit more energy and work your upper body while walking. And obviously, if you are a cross country skier, it's great training.

[smifffymoto]

I use poles for walking and snowshoeing so can’t imagine nordic is difficult to get the hang off.