To witness Kendra Densmore striding down the American River Parkway with her specialized poles is to wonder if Nordic walking isn't really the next big step in fitness.
True, smart alecks often ask if she's a misguided cross-country skier in search of snow. But others see the fluidity of movement in a higher gear – a gear walkers sans poles rarely achieve.
Nordic walking.
It's an outdoor walking technique using poles (different from trekking or trail-hiking poles) to propel you down your path. It's trending up in the United States and is already hugely popular in Europe, especially Scandinavian regions where several of the larger pole manufacturers, such as Leki and Exel, are headquartered.
Nordic walking got its start as a summer training regimen for cross-country skiers – although it's debated when and whether Europeans or Americans were the first to do the "Nordic."
But let's back up. Who needs poles to walk? Who wants to spend $100 to $200 to buy said poles, which you really don't need to be able to walk? And who wants to take a class to learn how to walk with poles that you really don't need to be able to walk?
Maybe you.
That is, once you're convinced Nordic walking provides more bang for your stride: more stability on the road, more upper-body involvement, more miles in less time, more progress in total-fitness results.
Though seemingly an activity for hard-core folks who like to time their routines, it appears to be just as popular with older walkers or recuperating walkers who are empowered by the poles.
Walkers, meet your poles
On a recent Saturday morning, Densmore, a certified Nordic walking instructor and a fitness and wellness coordinator at the University of California, Davis, was getting ready to lead a dozen beginners on a three-mile stroll along the streets and parks of east Sacramento.
She explained that the poles are collapsible, height-adjustable and lightweight. They are right- and left-hand specific and come with glovelike straps that easily fasten and unfasten. The removable rubber ends meant for pavement (which in turn cover carbide tips, better for gravel and grass trails), are angled to allow the user to push off when the proper arm-swing and momentum are achieved.
But the latter doesn't happen right away. Even Densmore, who began using poles over a year ago, says it took her months to find her inner Nordic walker.
"It's a bit of a skill and does require a technique," Densmore told her class. "Erase everything you thought you knew about walking with poles."
Indeed, it took a little while for the group to get comfortable incorporating the poles into a proper stride.
"Walk with a natural arm swing … keep the poles behind you," Densmore called out to her charges. And then: "Walk and drag – work on bringing the legs up."
Away from the group, Densmore observed: "You'd be surprised. You put poles in peoples' hands and they forget how to walk."
But, over a two-hour outing on the pavement, there was definite progress. And certainly some revelations. In a parking lot along the route, Densmore divided the class into two groups: half using poles, the other half not. There was a race from one end of the lot to the other. And those with poles won handily in every heat – underscoring that the use of poles increases speed and would result in more distance if that was a goal.
(It should be noted that walking with poles requires a little more space to operate, from front to back and from side to side. Pole walkers should consider routes that will give them room to swing and stride.)
What's the payoff?
As shown by the parking-lot experiment, the claim that Nordic walking is a more physically engaging activity is partly self-evident.
But it's also partly based on research.
The Cooper Institute in Dallas is a renowned fitness center where the advantages of aerobic activity were first published decades ago by Kenneth H. Cooper, a medical doctor who wrote the best-selling book "Aerobics."
Call The Bee's Bob Ehlert, (916) 321-1101.
