Nordic walking: effects, techniques and tips

Nordic walking is an endurance sport that is becoming increasingly popular. Here you can find out what you should consider when choosing the training method and the selection of equipment.

What is Nordic Walking?

As the name suggests, Nordic Walking was developed in the north, in Scandinavia. From there the sport came to Germany and is one of the most popular training methods here. Nordic walking is not just a walk. Rather, you can think of it as a combination of going and the classic cross-country skiing technique.

With Nordic walking you keep a relatively brisk pace so that your cardiovascular system gets going. You also integrate your upper body muscles into the movement by swinging the sticks forwards and backwards in a powerful and controlled manner.

Nordic walking is so healthy

If you integrate Nordic Walking regularly into your everyday life and perform the movements correctly, you can, according to statements by Pharmacy magazine Strengthen your leg and upper body muscles as well as your heart and pulmonary system. You also get your metabolism going. This is how you prevent various diseases and ailments (such as high blood pressure, Back pain or osteoporosis).

The effects of Nordic walking thus roughly correspond to the effects of other moderate types of endurance (such as walking or the sport of walking or power walking, a somewhat more intense walking variant). It is scientifically disputed whether the sticks have an additional training effect and, for example, strengthen the arm muscles.

In addition, there is still the assumption that the sticks should help to relieve the joints. This thesis is scientifically refuted. Compared to walking, you put at least as much strain on your joints when Nordic walking. Nordic walking is therefore only recommended to a limited extent for overweight people and people with orthopedic complaints.

For healthy beginners and Nordic walking is usually well suited for senior sports. However, it takes some time and effort to acquire the right technique.

Nordic walking technique: this is how it works

The health effects of Nordic Walking only occur if you master the right technique. It is important that you use the sticks correctly and move them in harmony with the rest of the body. Otherwise, in the worst case, you can overwhelm your joints. It is therefore advisable for beginners to take a Nordic walking course.

If this is not possible for you at the moment, you can use the following tips as a guide:

• Use your arms to swing the sticks back and forth. Hold the sticks with you as close to the body as possible.
• Arms and legs move diagonal. That means, your left leg and your right arm are in front at the same time and vice versa.
• When the stick is in front of your waist, you should hold it firmly in your hand. If it is behind your hip, you can loosen the grip.
• Put the stick not too steep or too far in front of you on.
• Never lean on your stick. You shouldn’t push yourself off the ground with him either.
• Always swing your arms forward so that they almost completely stretched out are. From there, push the sticks to the ground in a controlled and powerful manner.
• Hold yours Upper body upright.
• When moving your legs, you shouldn’t try hard to take large or small steps. Instead, look for one natural stride length. If you want to increase the speed, you can increase your steps slowly. However, this should never feel unnatural.
• Make sure that your knees are always slightly bent are.
• Roll your feet well with every step. So focus on putting it down as flat as possible from the heel.

Nordic walking sticks: tips and advice

When it comes to Nordic walking sticks you are spoiled for choice: there are sticks made of carbon, graphite or aluminum. All of these raw materials are light – but also ecologically questionable. Their degradation is often harmful to the environment, they are further processed in an energy-intensive manner and transported over long distances. Often you will also learn nothing about the working conditions under which the materials were dismantled and processed.

Unfortunately, there are still no brands that produce completely ecologically acceptable and fairly traded sticks. Therefore, you should choose sticks that are tailored to your individual needs and last as long as possible. The best way to do this is to seek advice from experts in a specialist shop. Also make sure that there is a multi-year guarantee on your sticks. Some brands offer a repair service or at least some spare parts.

There are also differences in terms of the handle: it should feel comfortable and sit comfortably in your hand. The length of the stick should be adapted to your individual height. To find the right length for you, just do your math Body height (in centimeters) times the factor 0.66. Sometimes you will also find height-adjustable sticks. However, these sometimes have the disadvantage that they vibrate more strongly.

Nordic walking: shoes and clothes

For Nordic walking you should choose sturdy sports shoes with a springy sole. Both running shoes and special walking shoes are suitable. In a specialist shop you can get advice on which shoe best suits your foot shape and gait. You can find out which brands produce more sustainable sports shoes than the well-known large corporations in this article: Sustainable running shoes: These brands are better than Nike, Asics & Co.

As with jogging or walking, it is best to wear breathable sportswear for Nordic walking. If you get blisters on your hands from the sticks, you can use sports or cycling gloves. Here we show you where you can buy regionally and fairly produced sportswear: Is everything fit? There is better & more sustainable sports fashion here

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