Nordic Walking?

David W.E. Roberts said:

Saw a slightly silly feature the other day on TV about 'Nordic Walking' -
apparently the new fitness craze.

Hardly new. This is from 2002 http://tinyurl.com/4fmq4

Quoted message said:

Wonder what else we do which will become suddenly fashionable.

Goretex has been the new black for ages....

--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

David W.E. Roberts said:

So all the walkers who have been using Leki or similar trekking poles
because they make the walking easier and use the upper body to provide extra
push have really been Nordic Walking!

Up to a point, Lord Copper. NW is meant to be like Nordic (i.e., Cross
Country) ski action but without the skis. This typically involves a
much longer arm swing with a longer pole, pushing you along rather than
holding you up. It's much more vigorous than a trekking pole action, at
least usually.

However, that aside, it remains the case that the huge majority of
walkers with poles I see are doing no useful work with them at all.
They put them down every couple of steps with no obvious weight
transfer, wave them around a little and then repeat. More of a fashion
accessory than anything useful to the physical side of walking.
This has been true of most of those I see potting Munros with them, but
last weekend when we were down in the Dales and had a bimble around the
Malham Tarn/Goredale Scar/Malham Cove circuit. On this circuit we met
(as you would expect on a niceish Sunday in the Dales) hundreds of
people, a good percentage with poles. I didn't see /any/ that looked as
if they were getting weight put on them.

Complete waste of time and money beyond making people happy because they
"look the part".

Quoted message said:

Wonder what else we do which will become suddenly fashionable.

From Sunday's dander, I wonder if Red Socks will make a mainstream
return. There were certainly quite a lot of them!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

Complete waste of time and money beyond making people happy because they
"look the part".

I lug one around with me quite uselessly at times, but when there is
work to be done, I am glad of it. Very lame at the moment so anything
that takes weight off my right leg is a blessing.

As for boulder hopping burns.. what a difference.

Richard Webb

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David W.E. Roberts said:

So all the walkers who have been using Leki or similar trekking poles
because they make the walking easier and use the upper body to provide

extra

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

push have really been Nordic Walking!

Up to a point, Lord Copper. NW is meant to be like Nordic (i.e., Cross
Country) ski action but without the skis. This typically involves a
much longer arm swing with a longer pole, pushing you along rather than
holding you up. It's much more vigorous than a trekking pole action, at
least usually.

However, that aside, it remains the case that the huge majority of
walkers with poles I see are doing no useful work with them at all.
They put them down every couple of steps with no obvious weight
transfer, wave them around a little and then repeat. More of a fashion
accessory than anything useful to the physical side of walking.
This has been true of most of those I see potting Munros with them, but
last weekend when we were down in the Dales and had a bimble around the
Malham Tarn/Goredale Scar/Malham Cove circuit. On this circuit we met
(as you would expect on a niceish Sunday in the Dales) hundreds of
people, a good percentage with poles. I didn't see /any/ that looked as
if they were getting weight put on them.

Complete waste of time and money beyond making people happy because they
"look the part".

Ah, so young and yet so bitter :-))

We use them (I hope) practically.

They give a good extra push when climbing (shortened to reach up the slope)
and some knee protecting stability when coming down steep slopes (lengthened
to reach down the slope).

We certainly put weight on them in both these situations.

We tend not to use them so much on the flat (where I guess this 'Nordic
Walking' is mainly supposed to take place) and yes, we do see a lot of
people using them like the walking sticks of old i.e. swinging them, poking
interesting objects, leaning on them whilst chatting etc.

I use mine on the flat when I am walking a long distance and/or my legs are
feeling tired because I find that I still have some upper body energy when
my legs are flagging.

From reading the 'blurb' which came with the poles (all about walking longer
distances with less effort) I guess we should use them more on the flat, but
at the moment it does not feel natural to work the poles to match a brisk
walking pace.
I suppose that this would be the full body workout aimed at burning fat.
However we manage to burn enough fat without a specific attempt to use more
energy up whilst walking.

My lady wife was not so keen at first - thought they were another boy's toy
(not that I have any record of buying these whatsoever, you understand) and
then thought we should just buy one pair and share them.

I held out for a pair each, and after using them she was a convert.
Given that she is the more practical of the two of us this must be at least
a small recommendation.

I find them very useful, especially now my lower limbs have lost some of
their flexibility.

Cheers

Dave R

David W.E. Roberts said:

Ah, so young and yet so bitter :-))

I went to all the trouble of making a web page showing people how to use
them reasonably effectively
(http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/poles.htm in case you hadn't
seen it) and there are hundreds of people out there evidently not
bothering to read it! [censored] ;-/

Quoted message said:

We use them (I hope) practically.

I'm not saying /you/ don't, I'm saying most people I see with them don't.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

RJ Webb said:

I lug one around with me quite uselessly at times, but when there is
work to be done, I am glad of it.

Glad to hear it. Though the majority of owners just seem to lug them
around uselessly, period, which strikes me as a terrible waste. They
could actually benefit from them.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

RJ Webb said:

I lug one around with me quite uselessly at times, but when there is
work to be done, I am glad of it.

Glad to hear it. Though the majority of owners just seem to lug them
around uselessly, period, which strikes me as a terrible waste. They
could actually benefit from them.

Or I could benefit from them :-)

Richard Webb

Nordic Walking has not *that* much to do with using Lekis while
trekking.

Nordic Walking is a Finnish invention; it has been all the Rage there
for the past ten years and today the majority of people you see in the
parks and forests in or around Finnish cities are more or less
stylishly clad in nylon tracksuits with bombastic looking trainers in
garish colours on their feet vigurously wielding their NW poles while
making a very, very serious face. Just walking around at a moderate
pace with none of that equipment makes you the odd one out in the
Finnish parks of the 21st century.

Now the further you go out into the real wilderness (which starts 30km
beyond Helsinki's city limits and right across the street in most other
cities up there), the more people trade the NW gear for the kind of
trakking and hilking equipment we are all more familiar with.

As you might know, Finns are a nation of Nordic Skiers; the problem is
that most of Finland is snow-free for a full four months a year... this
is of course unacceptable for anyone serious on training, so they came
up with this walking technique that trains to a large extent the same
parts of your upper body that you'll need for Nordic Skiing.

To be effective, NW requires a special technique (personally, I've
never learned it while I lived in Finland, preferring to go kayaking in
the summer and accepting hitting the skitracks somewhat untrained once
the first snow had come)

The technique involves first of all choosing poles that match your
height and length of legs, learning how to pose your heels and roll
your feet, what to do with your shoulders, how to breathe etc.
Some people claim that unless you really master the technique,
practicing NW as a dilettante can do more harm than good.

The reason why I think NW took so long to hit Europe south of the
Baltic Sea is that if well executed, the stride looks a bit odd...

Peter Clinch said:

RJ Webb said:

I lug one around with me quite uselessly at times, but when there is
work to be done, I am glad of it.

Glad to hear it. Though the majority of owners just seem to lug them
around uselessly, period, which strikes me as a terrible waste. They
could actually benefit from them.

I find having them in my hands helps the circulation. Without
something for my hands to do I get puffy hands.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Phil Cook said:

I find having them in my hands helps the circulation. Without
something for my hands to do I get puffy hands.

Well, if you like, but you could do that with a couple of grips (they're
available as spares) and save carrying around the long awkward bit
attached to them...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Phil Cook said:

I find having them in my hands helps the circulation. Without
something for my hands to do I get puffy hands.

Well, if you like, but you could do that with a couple of grips (they're
available as spares) and save carrying around the long awkward bit
attached to them...

Now he tells us.. I had a grip chewed up by critters one night after
it fell over.

Richard Webb

RJ Webb said:

Now he tells us.. I had a grip chewed up by critters one night after
it fell over.

I know Swix poles have replaceable grips, 'cause I saw some hanging up
in Braemar Mountain a couple of weeks ago. Leki do a good range of
spares, and I'd be surprised if a spare grip wasn't one of them. You'd
have to try other manufacturers directly.

You can usually revolve grips by dipping them in boiling water for a wee
while to soften the glue, and then twist off.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Phil Cook said:

I find having them in my hands helps the circulation. Without
something for my hands to do I get puffy hands.

Well, if you like, but you could do that with a couple of grips (they're
available as spares) and save carrying around the long awkward bit
attached to them...

But the grips wouldn't be any use for the ascents and decents where I
use the poles...

--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I lug one around with me quite uselessly at times, but when there is
work to be done, I am glad of it.

Glad to hear it. Though the majority of owners just seem to lug them
around uselessly, period, which strikes me as a terrible waste. They
could actually benefit from them.

agree.

using poles properly requires a much bigger energy expenditure than
Sunday walkers are willing to spend.

I've used poles on a 700mile trek; for fast walking with a heavy back
pack they're a must. also great for fording rivers and fending off
those wolves (well...).

so far I haven't met anyone doing Nordic Walking in Britain in the
hills. I might have been someone on tarmac once.

they're great for training, but for Sunday walks there isn't much
point. unless you have bad knees, bad balance or just need more stuff
to carry.

Ole

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David W.E. Roberts said:

So all the walkers who have been using Leki or similar trekking poles
because they make the walking easier and use the upper body to provide
extra
push have really been Nordic Walking!

Up to a point, Lord Copper. NW is meant to be like Nordic (i.e., Cross
Country) ski action but without the skis. This typically involves a much
longer arm swing with a longer pole, pushing you along rather than holding
you up. It's much more vigorous than a trekking pole action, at least
usually.

However, that aside, it remains the case that the huge majority of walkers
with poles I see are doing no useful work with them at all. They put them
down every couple of steps with no obvious weight transfer, wave them
around a little and then repeat. More of a fashion accessory than
anything useful to the physical side of walking.
This has been true of most of those I see potting Munros with them, but
last weekend when we were down in the Dales and had a bimble around the
Malham Tarn/Goredale Scar/Malham Cove circuit. On this circuit we met (as
you would expect on a niceish Sunday in the Dales) hundreds of people, a
good percentage with poles. I didn't see /any/ that looked as if they
were getting weight put on them.

Complete waste of time and money beyond making people happy because they
"look the part".

Quoted message said:

Wonder what else we do which will become suddenly fashionable.

From Sunday's dander, I wonder if Red Socks will make a mainstream return.
There were certainly quite a lot of them!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

This has always been my suspicion about theses things.

Trevor Appleton said:

This has always been my suspicion about theses things.

However, it is the case that although most are a waste of space as
deployed by their owners, they are not *of necessity* a waste of space.
They can be incredibly useful, especially if you leg joint or balance
problems, /if/ you bother getting a bit of technique.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/