Have you heard the
children’s story of Goldilocks and the 3 bears? Goldilocks wandered into the 3
bears’ house, saw bowls of porridge on the dining table, and sampled each one.
Father Bear’s porridge was too hot, Mother Bear’s porridge was too cool, but Baby
Bear’s porridge was just right, and she finished the bowl of porridge. When she
lay down to take a nap, she found Father Bear’s bed was too hard, Mother Bear’s
bed was too soft, but Baby Bear’s bed was just right, and she fell asleep.
Nordic walking pole
length is like that. Like Goldilocks, we want to find the length that’s just
right.
The formal way to
determine the length of your poles is to use this formula: your height in
centimeters X 0.68.
- For example, let’s say you are 5 feet, 4 inches, or 64 inches tall. Using one of the many converters on the Internet, you can determine your height as 162.6 centimeters.
- Your Nordic walking pole length should be 162.6 centimeters X 0.68, or 110.5 centimeters. You can use one of many calculators on the Internet to determine your pole length.
- Most Nordic walking poles have marks every 5 centimeters, so you find the mark on the pole nearest the recommended pole length and set your pole length accordingly.
- If your calculated length is between marks, you can select the higher or lower mark, depending on what feels most comfortable. Often, it’s the lower mark.
But Goldilocks isn’t
quite done.
In Nordic Walking
Guy’s opinion, that length is your starting point. You’ll find certain factors
influence pole length.
- Your stride might naturally be shorter or longer than average for your height.
- Your pace might naturally be slower or faster than others at the same height.
- Your arm swing might be longer or shorter than others.
My Goldilocks pole
length is 115 centimeters. However, I have found that when I want to lower the
intensity of my walk, I can change the pole length 110 centimeters. At that
shorter pole length, I tend to take shorter strides and smaller arm swings.
That means I walk a little more slowly. I also noticed that I tend to slump
forward a bit with the shorter pole length, so I have to be more conscious of
my posture.
What I want to raise
the intensity of my walk, I can change the pole length to 120 cm. I then tend
to take longer strides and larger arm swings. That means I walk with a faster
pace. With the longer pole length, I also tend to more naturally walk with a more
erect posture.
I also found shorter
pole lengths felt comfortable walking downhill, and longer pole lengths seemed
best for walking uphill.
The lesson for me
has been not to be afraid to experiment with pole length. I enjoy changing pole
length to accommodate different goals for my walks.
