Pole Walkers use their Whole-Body
I don’t know about you – but I like the idea that when I’m out walking with my Poles “I’m getting a total-body workout while I walk!” Let’s face it I’ve always had good intentions of doing some push-ups, some sit-ups & throwing around some dumbbells after a walk . . . but yah, well – I don’t enjoy doing any of those things – in turn it just never happens! But with my Poles I get my push-ups, sit-ups & dumbbells with every step!!
Walking – [that’s regular walking without Poles] is one of the most popular activities out there! Walking is great, it’s fun, you can do it alone or with a friend or a group, you can do it any time or anywhere, you can do it as fast or as slow as you like.
Yet still, it is quite often NOT considered ‘exercise’ & rightfully so. When walking, ‘without Poles’, we engage less than 50% of our major muscles, depending on our pace, we use minimal cardio & we impact our lower joints with the full load of our body’s weight. No matter how hard you swing your arms walking regularly or how fast you go, you may increase your cardio expenditure but you will never use more than 50% of your body’s major muscles (there is no resistance against your upper body no matter how fast you pump your arms through the air). It is resistance that we need, to build muscle – like when you use weights or resistance bands. And for those regular walkers who feel they are changing things by carrying weights while they walk – please STOP-DON’T! – Adding weights will increase your cardio, yes, because your body has to work harder to carry the extra weight. BUT now you have just increased the impact on your lower joints & depending on the strength of your back if you are not careful your chance of twisting & over rotating your spine is very high.
By simply adding Walking Poles you not only naturally improve your posture by aligning your spine but you contract all the muscles around your spine in that proper alignment – so that you start to sit, stand & walk taller all the time. We take approximately 2000-steps during a 30minute walk. Think about it that’s – 2000 tummy-crunches, 2000 triceps-extensions & 2000 back-contractions.
If I asked you do 2000 of anything, would you – or even could you? I know I sure couldn’t – but I can take my Poles & GO Pole Walking!