Nordic Walking is an endurance sport in which the fast walking is supported by the use of two sticks in the rhythm of the steps. It can be considered as a younger variant of the popular sport of walking.
Story
Nordic Walking is defined as health walking with specially designed sticks. Although the track racers, hikers and cross-country skiers had used the same concept decades earlier as a training method, Maurin was the first to define Nordic Walking as a sport. His work "Hiihdon lajiosa" was published in 1979. The concept of Nordic Walking was developed on the basis of the summer training plan for skiers. This concept included the first explanations and instructions about the sport and exercises, anatomical and psychological reasons why to do this sport.
In the same year (1997) the first canes were manufactured by Exel and put on the market. The technical term Nordic Walking was born in 1999 and was internationally known in the same year by an advertising leaflet.
General
The use of sticks turns walking into a workout, which also stresses the muscles of the upper body. Nordic Walking is just as suitable for ambitious athletes as it is for untrained people. The joints, however, contrary to contrary claims, charged more than the normal walk. According to a study of sports physicians of the Sports Injuries Hospital in Hellersen, the oxygen consumption (and consequently the endurance load) is about 5% higher with Nordic walking than with conventional walking if this is done without additional upper body movements.
Motion
Nordic Walking is a sport with cyclical movement. The right stick has ground contact whenever the left heel touches, the left stick when the right heel touches down. The sticks are led close to the body. The respective floor is inserted obliquely backwards; The pole insertion should always be done below the center of gravity, ie in the step position on the vertical body axis. There are training methods in which the hand is constantly opened and closed: When the stick goes behind, opens the back of the hand; if the stick is led in front of the body and pushed into the ground to push it off, it closes again.
Equipment
Nordic walking poles are made of lightweight materials such as CFRP, CFRP glass fiber compound or aluminum. CFRP dampens vibrations better than aluminum and is more stable. A removable rubber protection on the pole tips absorbs additional shocks and reduces noise on asphalt. Hand loops are primarily used to transfer power from the arm to the floor and secondarily to prevent slipping.
Too short or too long a stick is a hindrance in a functional movement execution. For the length of the sticks the following rule of thumb can be recommended: height (in cm) x 0,66 = stick length. In case of doubt, it is advisable to select a slightly shorter pole length than calculated so that evasive movements in the shoulder joints do not occur. Many sticks can be adjusted in length by telescopic tubes.
The requirements for a running shoe and a walking shoe are similar. Compared to the jogging shoe, the heel area and the entire sole are more rounded in the walking shoe and should thus ensure a smooth unwinding.
