What are the muscles used in nordic walking ?

Rédigé par Serge - -

(Source : TOTAL NORDIC WALKING)

Right from the beginning of my first walk with walking poles, I could really feel that one great benefit of Nordic walking is activating all the upper body muscles that wouldn’t normally get activated while walking without poles. […]

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Nordic Walking works all the lower body muscles like glutes, calves, hamstrings, and quads. It also works shoulder and neck muscles, triceps, forearms, upper and lower back muscles, obliques, and abs. This brings, among other things, greater upper body muscle endurance and transforms walking into a total body workout, targeting the core and upper body in addition to the lower body.

One of the main reasons why I first got into Nordic walking was my tension neck. It is a pesky problem and something I need to pretty much plan your life around it in order to keep the neck pains and headaches in check. I absolutely love going for long walks. Once I realized I can just add walking poles to ease the tension and add some neck and shoulder maintenance it seemed like a no-brainer.

Activated Muscles

Compared to regular walking, Nordic walking activates more muscles overall and targets pretty much all the main muscles. Regular walking mostly only activates the lower body while your upper body is kind of just there for the ride. When walking with walking poles you apply force with the poles to the ground with every stride, incorporating most of your upper body to the activity as well activating in total, up to 90% of all muscles.

You will basically get an additional upper body workout at no extra cost since Nordic walking doesn’t really affect the perceived stress of walking compared to walking without walking poles.

  • Shoulders and neck. After all the hunching over desks most of us do daily, do your shoulders a favor for a change and get them moving. Stretching and mobility exercises will also be more effective and safer after your upper body is warmed up thoroughly after a Nordic Walking session.
  • Triceps. Pretty much all of the arm muscles will be affected when you walk with poles. Just be sure to not squeeze the handle too much. Actually, you don’t really squeeze at all. With the proper technique, you kind of let go of the handle. Especially at the end of the arm movement.
  • Chest. Pushing with the poles for longer strides maximizes the range of motion of your arms, activating also the chest and giving it a good stretch. This feels especially good for me since tight shoulder muscles and hunched forward posture also means shortened and tight chest muscles in my case.
  • Abs and obliques. Your upper body will ever so slightly lean forward which will activate all the core muscles, including abs. When you push yourself forward with the poles your core rotates slightly. You can really feel how you need to activate your obliques with the motion to stabilize your core
  • Back. When all the arm muscles are engaged as well as the abs your back is sure to work too.  Nordic Walking targets both the upper and lower back muscles.
  • Glutes and other lower body muscles. With longer strides also comes better glute activation. Always take good care of your glutes. Along with leg and back muscles, glutes are some of the most important muscles in terms of keeping your quality of life as high as possible when aging.

I am sure I’m not the only one who suffers from poor posture due to long work days on the computer and spending too much free time glued to the TV screen or hunched over a smartphone. Nordic walking really affects many of the muscles promoting good posture. It is also easier to maintain good posture while walking when you do it with the poles since you keep rechecking your form because you are more engaged in the activity.

Nordic Walking helps you battle back and shoulder pain by helping with thoracic spine movement and improving the muscle fitness of all the muscles that are often the cause of back, neck, and shoulder tension. Maximizing the range of motion will help stretch those muscles which are tightened and lengthen them even more.

Enhance your workout

Nordic walking is an exercise you can perform in many different intensities from a leisurely walk to Nordic Running even.

To get even more out of your workout try terrains with hills. Walking uphill greatly impacts the way you have to use both your upper and lower body muscles. It will most definitely increase the intensity of your walk.

Obviously, it’s not strength training (and you should always include strength training in your workout routine in some way, according to your own fitness level). But if you cant run, like me, Nordic walking gives you a much better total body experience than just walking would. Or maybe you just enjoy walking more than running. I know I do.

Don’t underestimate the upper body workout you can get from using the poles as a resistance tool. Activating all these extra muscles will also elevate the heart rate. Working both your upper and lower body at the same time will guarantee a higher average heart rate.

Including the upper body on your walks seems only logical. When you invest time in your physical health you should be getting the most out of it. Keeping my upper body moving keeps everything loose and relaxed. For me, it is a vital part of making my everyday life the best it can be.

Proper technique for best efficiency

I would like to point out that proper walking technique is pretty important. You will only reap all the best benefits if you do it right. Only when done right, will walking poles maximize your range of motion, stretch and tone muscles, rotate the spine the right way and loosen up the right muscles.

A poor technique might even end up doing more harm than good, by bringing more tension to your upper body muscles. You need to learn the right technique from the start so the motion will come naturally once your pace increases or the terrain gets more challenging.

Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed. The tip of your walking pole should touch the ground behind the heel of the opposite leg. Meaning you never lift the pole to a position where it is straight up vertically. This would only bring tension to your upper body muscles and our goal, of course, is the exact opposite.

The length of the pole also needs to be right. Walking poles are shorter than skiing poles. The recommended length for the poles is approximately 0,687x the walker’s height. While standing straight, elbows by your side, arms should be at a 90-degree angle or even slightly larger. Especially for beginners, shorter poles are better.

Once you know what you are supposed to do, you will get the hang of it with some practice. It’s really not difficult and the pieces kind of just fall into place when you realize what feels good and what doesn’t.

Conclusion

My understanding is that we can credit many of the benefits of Nordic walking to increased muscle activation.

It seems pretty clear that incorporating walking poles has many benefits including all of the above. Not only will it tone your back, shoulder, and arm muscles it will help with other upper body movements such as spine rotation and stiffness of the thoracic spine. You get better exercise with no added feeling of difficulty.

A good posture is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and Nordic walking will contribute towards that goal. Even just the added element of walking poles in itself will help you keep your posture in check while walking because you somewhat need to concentrate more on what you are doing.

One can’t really make any argument why you shouldn’t at least give it a go. (except if you do it wrong, don’t do it wrong) Especially if you already go for walks anyway. If you don’t then Nordic walking is surely a great way to start. You might feel a bit silly at first but you will notice the difference and if anything it will make walking more fun and enjoyable.

For me, Nordic walking is a great way to increase the effectiveness of my walking.

 

 

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