Friday fundamentals: Improving your Nordic walking technique

An interesting coaching video. More to come.

History of the US Army’s physical fitness test

Here’s a monograph describing the history of the US Army’s physical fitness test. Wait, what? Where’s Nordic walking in all this?

First, veterans of the US military will recall the fun mornings doing pushups in the dirt and running with others as a unit while someone sings cadence songs. Spouses will enjoy knowing what their veterans experienced.

The takeaway for Nordic walkers? The Army general’s statement in the foreword says it all: “Our culture is becoming increasingly ‘unfit,’ due to poor nutrition, a lack of adequate and formal exercise, and too much technology.” Fitness can lead to happier living for us everyday people.

In other words, fitness starts with a mindset, and Nordic walkers can set an example for others. Maybe we can turn the trend around.

Is Nordic walking hard work?

A study of Nordic walkers walking uphill using their poles shed some light on the level of effort in Nordic walking. The study looked at:

• Rate of perceived exertion (how hard you think you're working)
• Physiological variables
• Oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) (rate of oxygen consumption during exertion)
• Heart rate (HR) (heartbeats per minute)
• Non-protein respiratory exchange ratio (RER) (a muscle's ability to get energy)
• Total energy expenditure (TEE) (energy used in all life processes)

The test subjects were in their early 20s.

Using poles increased oxygen consumption and total energy expenditure more than not using poles. Respiratory exchange rate and heart rate were slightly but not significantly higher in those who used poles.

Most importantly, rate of perceived exertion, how hard people thought they were working, was not significantly different between those using poles and those not using poles. This suggested those who used poles burned more energy but didn't think they were working harder.