Walking poles, also known as walking sticks, hiking sticks, hiking staffs, and trekking poles, can increase the benefits of walking. They can reduce strain on your joints, help balance, and increase your fitness payback by making walking a total-body workout without feeling the added exertion.
When you use a single pole, it's usually called a stick or staff. When you use two, they are usually known as trekking poles. The benefits can be significant, but there are a few possible drawbacks to be aware of.
1. Burns More Calories
Using poles can make walking for exercise more of a workout. Using the Nordic walking technique, you can burn an estimated 18% to 22% more calories than a brisk walk without using poles. In Nordic walking, a pole is swung in opposition to the movement of each leg, pushing off behind the body.
Those extra calories can make a difference if you're interested in weight loss. Say you burn 150 calories in an hour-long energetic walk without poles. With poles, you could hit about 180 calories, getting you more quickly to the 3,500-calorie deficit you need to lose a pound.
2. Boost Workout Without Feeling Added Exertion
When you use poles, you get more of a total body workout. You don't have to walk faster to work your muscles harder and build strength and endurance. By some estimates, you're engaging up to 80% or 90% of your muscles using poles, compared to about 50% without poles.
One study found that Nordic walking using poles provided more overall benefits than resistance training or conventional walking, improving upper body strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular performance.
3. Builds Upper Body and Core Strength
When you use poles, you use arm motion and push the pole against the ground with your arms and upper body. These actions help build strength in those muscles. Walking without poles involves mostly your legs and lower body, but the poles make you work your core and your legs.
Poles also require using the upper back, shoulders, abs, and pelvic muscles, which can help stabilize joints.
4. Improves Balance and Stability
Walking and trekking poles provide added stability and improve balance by providing additional contact with the ground. You can use a single pole or a pair of poles and don't have to use any specific technique to achieve this benefit.
Using a pole can help you avoid injury, especially if carrying a backpack or other gear that could throw your balance off. If you have mobility challenges, poles can increase your ability to enjoy your walk.
5. Supports Achy Joints and Reduces Strain
Walking with poles allows you to shift some of the load from your body to the poles. That takes the strain off your feet, legs, knees, hips, and back.
One older study found that you could experience up to 25% less force when you walk downhill when your feet strike the ground if you use poles, making exercise much easier on your knees and shins.
6. Improves Posture
Using poles affects your body's biomechanics (the science of how you move), including posture. A study of Nordic walking showed improvements in postural alignment over eight weeks. Postural alignment is how thehead, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles line up with each other.
Another study in which the participants used two walking sticks showed that posture can improve due to increased strength and confidence. Walking poles can help older individuals improve how they control their position and make themselves more stable and better-oriented in space.
7. Aids Heart Health
Walking with poles can raise your heart rate anywhere from 4% to 18% higher than walking without poles. A higher heart rate during exercise is desirable for cardiovascular exercise's benefits.
Studies using Nordic walking poles found that people with heart disease significantly improved their performance on stress tests, no matter what kind of walking poles they used. They could also walk farther in six minutes after the six-week study ended.
8. Helps Prevent Injuries
Walking poles can stabilize you on uneven or rough terrain and prevent falls—think of yourself as a three- or even four-legged stool rather than two. For people with mobility challenges, poles can be an important aid in preventing injury. You can use them to catch yourself if you do stumble. Practice walking slowly at first so you understand how poles change your walk.
Potential Downsides
There are some potential negatives to using poles:
- They affect what and how you can carry things. Water bottles, cameras, and other gear are less accessible if you have them in a backpack, for instance.
- If you walk in an area with brush or rocks, the poles can get snagged or caught, raising the risk of a fall in some cases.
- If you have health concerns that make you weak or fatigued, the poles can make you work hard enough to become sore and tired.
Who Should and Shouldn't Use Walking Sticks
If you have shoulder pain or vision challenges that could prevent you from seeing hazards or don't want to limit how you use your hands and arms while you walk, think twice about using walking sticks.
Walking sticks can benefit people who want to make their walks more energy-intensive and are interested in improving their fitness, losing weight, or building upper body and core strength. They can also help relieve joint pain, add stability, and improve balance and posture.
How to Use Walking Poles
How you use walking poles depends in part on what kind of poles you have.
If you have trekking poles:
- Adjust the pole length so your elbow is bent when the tip of the pole is on the ground.
- Use a relaxed grip, relying primarily on your thumb and forefinger to hold the handle.
- Keep your elbows close to your body, which will help your center of gravity.
- You don't have to dig the pole into the ground—a light touch is all that's needed to assist your movement. If you want more of a workout, pushing the poles into the ground will increase the force you're using.
- Move both poles ahead of you when you want added control, such as going downhill or on steps.
If you have a walking pole:
- Hold the pole straight up and down, not at an angle, slightly ahead of you.
- Push off or swing your arms lightly.
- Your stride should be similar to walking without a pole or stick, but you'll use your upper body more and have added stability.
Walking Pole Exercise Techniques
When using walking poles to increase your walking workout, there are two popular techniques.
Exerstriding
Exerstrider is the brand name for a company that manufactures walking poles and has developed an approach to using them that they claim maximizes building upper body strength and endurance.
Exerstriding uses a natural stride and a technique that involves holding the arm bent 90 degrees at the elbow with your thumbs up (a handshake position) and pressing down on the poles to push you forward. Exerstriding can enhance upper body strength and endurance.
Nordic Walking
This popular walking pole technique mimics cross-country skiing.
You angle the poles slightly behind you, keeping your shoulders relaxed. When you step, move the opposite side's pole ahead of you. So, if you step with your right foot, move the left pole forward. As you push off, your upper body moves through a full range of motion, building strength and loosening tight muscles.
A 12-week Nordic walking training routine was shown to improve shoulder mobility and reduce soreness in the major muscles of the upper back and neck, which supports good posture and head and neck mobility.
Walking Poles vs. Trekking Poles
Walking poles and trekking poles have differences, though people may refer to them interchangeably:
Walking Poles
Walking poles often have smooth handles. An attached palm pad or glove allows you to push with the poles for an extra workout. Walking poles usually have rubber tips for walking on flat surfaces. The rubber tip can be removed to expose a narrower metal tip for use on rougher terrain.
Nordic walking poles are similar in design to ski poles. They can be of a single, non-adjustable length, but some are adjustable.
Trekking Poles
Trekking poles are usually adjustable in length for use on different types of terrain. For example, you might lengthen them on a downhill slope and shorten them on an uphill slope. Many also have a telescopic or folding design, so you can pack them more easily.
Trekking poles often have an ergonomically designed grip and simple straps to prevent dropping them. They may also have a "basket" that helps prevent the pole from sinking into soft ground. They typically have a metal tip but may also have a removable rubber tip. Some designs have shock absorbers, which ease the force on your joints.
Choosing the Right Walking Poles for You
When selecting walking poles, bear in mind:
- Length: The pole should touch the ground with your hand lightly gripping the handle and your elbow bent at a right angle so that your forearm parallels the ground.
- Straps: Place your hand through the strap and gently grip the handle. Straps allow you to hold the handle more loosely and ensure you will not drop the poles.
- Handles: The handles should feel comfortable—you will hold on to them for extended periods. Cork handles may be preferable to rubber handles if your hands tend to sweat. A curved handle can help balance, which is useful for walking on rough terrain or if you have mobility issues.
- Weight: Lighter poles are better if you plan on walking long distances. Carbon fiber poles are the lightest and strongest, though they are more expensive. However, if a pole is too light, it may not be sturdy enough for you. Find what feels comfortable and gives you the stability you are looking for.
How to Find the Best Walking Sticks for Older Adults
Older adults may lack strength in their lower body, may be at a higher risk for a fall, or may have pain that stops them from exercising by walking. A walking stick can help reduce these factors. Look for walking sticks specifically designed for older individuals:
- Choose an adjustable pole. The proper height is important, but make sure the moveable parts are secure, and you can manipulate them easily. Poles with clip or button adjustment locks are more secure than ones that twist. Folding poles may be less secure than those that telescope.
- Watch out for vibration. Vibration can tire hands and arms. Look for a pole with anti-vibration features.
- Choose cushioned grips with an ergonomic design. Some come with a small "platform" to rest your hand on, so you don't have to grip tightly if you have hand weakness or pain.
- Choose poles with rubber tips that are flat and wide. They are more secure than the small ends of poles for hiking or trekking.
- Check the pole's weight limit. Some poles cannot support heavier individuals, which is a safety hazard.
It can be worth talking to a physical therapist or other specialist who can advise you on a good pole for an older adult with specific mobility or other physical concerns.
Summary
Walking and trekking poles are ways to exercise while you walk. Using some techniques, you can increase your calorie burn and build upper and lower body strength and endurance. Walking poles are good for stability, balance, and your cardiovascular system, and they take strain off your joints while building muscle.
Make sure you choose the right pole and give yourself some practice time. Walking poles can make your walks safer and provide a good workout.
