Planning to buy a pair of Nordic walking poles?
Here's what worked for me. I bought a pair of adjustable poles as my first set and was happy with that decision. I found that, although there are methods for selecting poles based on one's height, there is another consideration: We're all unique, so adjustable poles let me tweak the length as I walked to get that "just right" feel.
There's a school of thought that says buy fixed length poles because they're safer and won't collapse. After all, the locking mechanism in adjustable poles may fail on you. So far, that hasn't happened to me. The rationale for choosing fixed length poles makes sense, but I'm pretty picky about getting that "just right" feel. I'm starting to settle in on a specific length, so there may be a set of fixed length poles in my future.
What is that "just right" feel? It will depend on one's level of effort and other factors. I've experimented with running as well as walking and also with walking in different kinds of terrain and at different speeds. I may have used a formula to determine the starting length, but then I've adjusted up and down to get that "just right" feeling according to walking conditions and workout goals.
I hope my experience helps you select your first pair of poles.
Happy walking!
