Exploring Muscle Activation during Nordic Walking

I came across the abstracts from the International Nordic Walking Federation's annual conference. Here is some information from one of the presentations. This one was by Barbara Pellegrini, PhD Centro Ricerca Sport Montagna e Salute , Dept of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement sciences - Università degli studi di Verona.

The researchers used electrodes to measure muscle activation.

Results:

• Triceps were 16-40 times more engaged than in regular walking depending on intensity.
• The upper back was 4 times more engaged than in regular walking.
• The biceps and shoulders were 2-3 times more engaged than in regular walking.
• The abdominal muscles were more engaged than in regular walking.
• Oxygen intake was higher than in regular walking.
• There was less stress to the back muscles than in regular walking.