Field Testing of Physiological Responses Associated with Nordic Walking

Abstract

This study compared the physiological responses (oxygen consumption and energy expenditure) of Nordic Walking to regular walking under field-testing conditions. Eleven women (M age = 27.1 years, SD = 6.4) and 11 men (M age = 33.8 years, SD = 9.0) walked 1,600 m with and without walking poles on a level, 200-m track. For women, Nordic Walking resulted in increased oxygen consumption (M = 14.9 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1), SD = 3.2 vs. M = 1 7.9 ml x kg(-1) min(-1), SD = 3.5; p < .001), caloric expenditure (M = 4.6 kcal x min(-1), SD = 1.2 vs. M = 5.4 kcal x min(-1), SD = 1.2; p < .001), and heart rate (M = 113.7 bpm, SD = 12.0 vs. M = 118.7 bpm, SD = 14.8; p < .05) compared to regular walking. For men, Nordic Walking resulted in increased oxygen consumption (M = 12.8 ml x kg(-1) min(-1), SD = 1.8 vs. M = 15.5, SD =3.4 ml x kg(-1) min(-1); p < .01), caloric expenditure (M = 5.7 kcal x min(-1), SD = 1.3 vs. M = 6.9 kcal x min(-1), SD = 1.8; p < .001), and heart rate (M = 101.6 bpm, SD = 12.0 bpm vs. M = 109.8 bpm, SD = 14.7; p < .01) compared to regular walking. Nordic Walking, examined in the field, results in a significant increase in oxygen use and caloric expenditure compared to regular walking, without significantly increasing perceived exertion.

Nordic Walking - A New Form of Adapted Physical Activity (A Literature Review)

“…there were three papers that met the inclusion criteria. [3,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19], ten papers were on the use of NW in rehabilitation [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and three items concerned biomechanical aspects of NW [2,30,31]. One publication was a case study of NW used for treating of a sacral stress fracture that resulted from training overload [32].…”

“…1), the authors analyze physiological indices in NW and those when walking without poles, or jogging executed on different conditions -in the field, or on a treadmill with different surfaces and inclinations. church et al [9] investigated walking with and without poles under field conditions. they noticed a significantly ( p < 0.001) higher caloric expenditure when walking with poles (6.2 ± 1.7 kcal · min -1 ) compared to walking without poles (5.2 ± 1.4 kcal · min -1 ).…”

Effects of Nordic walking on Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials

“…Such improvements may occur because of physiological responses as improvement in the physical sphere provided by NW show muscle groups recruitment and greater body awareness. The use of walking sticks also facilitates the promotion of this activity because of the stability provided by the equipment 37 . Similarly, NW improved balance, motor function and functional fitness of PD patients.…”

Decreased oxidized low-density lipoprotein is associated with improved trunk flexibility in Japanese community-dwelling women

“…NW leads to greater adaptations in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems as well as additional benefits in upper-body muscular strength, 17 and it results in a significant increase in oxygen use and energy consumption, compared to regular walking without poles. 18 Takeshima et al 17 have indicated that a 12-week NW provided the best well-rounded benefits when sit-and-reach improved from 6.9 ± 13.2 to 12.1 ± 11.5 cm compared to its improvement in conventional walking from 3.1 ± 18.3 to 5.0 ± 17.3 cm, resistance training from 8.2 ± 12.2 to 11.5 ± 12.4 cm, and in the control group from 10.5 ± 11.7 to 9.2 ± 11.8 cm (group X time p <0.01). Thus, in our study we conducted NW as a training to determine the effects of a 12-week exercise training intervention on trunk flexibility in community-dwelling women.…”