How to choose the right poles for Nordic walking? Tips from an expert

Nordic walking continues to grow in popularity. When choosing this sport as an alternative to fitness, many people make the same mistake: they start by going to the store to buy sticks and buy the first ones they come across. We tell you how to properly prepare for this shopping, so as not to waste money.

How to choose poles for Nordic walking. Are ski poles suitable?

Nordic walking poles are special sports equipment that has nothing in common with trekking or ski poles. This is not due to another marketing ploy, but to the technique of Nordic walking. For its performance, that is, for effective Nordic walking training, we need poles of a certain height and design. They can be telescopic or height, aluminum or with carbon content – the choice is yours.

The main thing you need to check when buying a pole is the handle. The very thing that attaches to the handle of the stick. It should look like a cut mitten, put on the hand as well: four fingers together, the thumb separately. Temlak is tightly fixed on the wrist and should be as comfortable and sized as possible. Ideally, it is attached to the stick with a special mechanism and, if necessary, can be detached from the handle. At the same time, the distance between the point of attachment and the handle should be as small as possible. This design of sticks will allow you to easily perform the Nordic walking technique and its basic elements: pushing yourself forward with your back muscles and active work with your hands.

The most difficult element of Nordic walking is working with your arms and torso. The task is as follows: bring the arm forward, put the stick in the fulcrum at an angle of 45 degrees to the surface, transfer the weight to the stick, and, without bending the elbow, push yourself forward from the stick, involving the muscles of the back and even the abs. In the back position, the arm opens to the same height relative to the torso as the front. You’d be surprised, but most even young and fairly athletic debutantes can’t perform this element the first time. One training session with an instructor will be enough to feel the level of load and forever get rid of the stereotype about sports for grandmothers.

How to check that the poles are chosen correctly?

Put on the temples, raise your hands in front of you, open the hand and release the sticks from the palm of your hand – they should remain exactly in the same place, hanging in them. As for the height of the stick, its correctness is tested at the moment of training: when you bring your hand forward, the stick stands in the fulcrum at an angle of 45 degrees, and you calmly hold the handle with your fist, without pulling the whole body behind the stick and without bending the elbow. The second option is to stand up straight, feet shoulder width apart, and put the stick directly in front of you, close to your body. The place of attachment of the bow should be approximately at the level of your navel. An error of one centimeter is allowed.

It takes an average of 3-5 training sessions with an instructor to fully master the technique, and then you will be able to determine which sticks are ideal for you. Training is based on a standard scheme: warm-up for warming up, practicing technique on a short distance, a small circular route and stretching.

How much do Nordic walking poles cost?

The minimum price of good sticks for Nordic walking starts from 2500 rubles. The most famous world manufacturers are Finnish, German and Italian companies. These brands have approximately the same price range: from 3.5 to 15 thousand rubles for a set of sticks, depending on the model. Carbon triple-fold telescopic poles for traveling are usually the most expensive.