It was almost like any of my daily walks. I slipped on my workout clothes after work, laced up my sneakers and hit the trail outside my house for a breath of fresh air and sunshine on my face.
But this time, in addition to the two legs I’ve been walking on for the last 30-plus years, I had two more appendages joining the mix: walking poles, a key tool needed for Nordic walking.
I heard the practice was an easy way to level up an average walk, so I decided to try it out myself. Instead of my arms flailing freely at my sides, my fingers gripped the handles of my poles. Straps secured my wrists in place.
My expectation? To immediately feel my walk transformed into a super walk. The reality? Lots of questioning, “Am I doing this right?”
While my legs moved as usual, my other limbs − which I rarely thought about during previous walks − now had a long, clunky device attached to them.
I talked to an expert to figure out if I was missing something. Here’s what I learned − and how I eventually transformed my walks.
What Are the Benefits of Nordic Walking?
The poles used in the Nordic walking technique help activate your upper body and core while walking, fitness expert Andrea Marcellus tells USA TODAY.
“So instead of just lower body exercise, you turn your walking time into a total body exercise, increasing all the benefits of walking without adding onto your workout time,” she says, adding that the technique can also increase caloric expenditure and aerobic capacity.
Nordic walking uses more than 90% of the muscles in your body, according to Cleveland Clinic. This includes back, chest, shoulder and arm muscles not activated in traditional walking, the clinic added. This means your heart is working out harder too.
“Many people want to just go for a walk and call it a day. This is a way to take that activity that’s familiar to you and make it much more useful for your overall well-being,” Marcellus says.
That said, Marcellus adds that this doesn’t fully replace other exercises like strategic weight training.
“But of your walking time, even just adding in the poles a few days a week if you take a daily walk, that can be enormously helpful,” she says. “We don’t want to pretend that walking is the be-all, end-all, but it really is the foundation.”
Who Is Nordic Walking For?
Since walking is a largely accessible form of exercise, this technique makes a great workout for most people, according to Marcellus − plus, the poles add a level of balance support and coordination challenge that can especially benefit older people.
“You keep training the part of the brain that has to hit the cerebellum, creating neural pathways for nerve response, so the brain stays sharp,” she explains.
A 2026 study looking specifically at older adults found both traditional and Nordic walking led to improvements in lower body strength and quality of life, but Nordic provided additional benefits, particularly in enhancing upper body strength and contributing to greater gains in functionality, self-confidence and well-being.
“Our findings suggest that Nordic walking is a safe, feasible and more effective alternative to traditional walking for promoting physical function, reducing fear-related barriers and improving overall quality of life in the older adult population,” the authors wrote.
Weighted Vests and Other Fitness Trends
Marcellus predicts Nordic walking will stick around more than weighted vests and other viral fitness trends.
“We went through the weighted vest phase, but it’s a little debunked in the idea of how much it supposedly staves off osteoporosis,” she says. “Nordic walking is wonderful because it’s been studied and proven effective.”
“I bet you, in five years, everybody has some walking poles,” Marcellus predicted. “It’ll probably be the Christmas gift of the next year.”
Are There Risks to Nordic Walking?
If you plan to pick up some poles, Marcellus notes proper form is important to prevent joint issues. Every time you plant your pole, you want to make sure you’re not straining your shoulder, wrist or elbow, she says, adding that adjustable poles can ensure proper hand placement.
The optimal position is an elbow bent at 90 degrees when holding your pole, according to Marcellus, but for a beginner, you can adjust your pole so the hand is slightly below the elbow.
To warm up your body, Marcellus suggests holding your poles midway for the first two minutes of your walk, allowing your arms to swing at your sides as normal.
To incorporate the poles, I found it most helpful to let them drag behind me a few moments, to keep my stride steady before eventually reaching my arms out (like you would to “shake somebody’s hand,” Marcellus advised) to incorporate the poles alongside my steps.
Once I had this down, I felt much more confident in my technique and my pace soared. I noticed my whole body felt more engaged than on my typical walks and even my posture improved − likely due to my core being more active.
Are Nordic Walking Poles Necessary?
If you’re looking to boost your daily stroll without picking up any poles, there are some alternative options, Marcellus says, like incorporating interval training into your walks.
She suggests aiming for three to seven intervals in your workout. This looks like getting your heart rate to “what feels like an eight out of 10 for you,” staying there between 30 and 60 seconds and then letting your heart rate come “all the way down to what feels like a four out of 10.”
You can do this by picking up the pace into a light jog for a few blocks or pausing at the curb to do some lunges or a series of squats.
For me, I plan to keep my poles around − but they may have to stay at home when I’m with my typical walking buddy, because it’s harder for our paces to stay in sync. Or maybe I’ll have to get her a pair of her own.
If you’re looking to elevate your exercise, one way or another, Marcellus simply suggests going with an option you enjoy.
“You have to love your exercise, or you won’t do it,” she says, adding “consistency is key.”
Reporting by Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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