Analysis And Comparison Of Energy Expenditure In Walking And Nordic Walking At Self-imposed Speed

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine potential energy expenditure differences between walking and Nordic walking. METHODS: 17 female subjects (55.7 ± 9.9 years, 163 ± 0.1 cm, 70.9 ± 9.9 kg) completed a 2 km standardized walking test with and without Nordic walking poles at two different measuring times. All the subjects had good technical skills in both walking and Nordic walking, and were instructed to complete the distance as fast as possible. Energy expenditure was measured via a portable indirect calorimeter. To examine potential differences in energy expenditure between both activities, we conducted paired t-tests. RESULTS: Mean energy expenditure of all subjects for the distance of 2 km in walking was 151.82 ± 24.12 kcal, while mean energy expenditure in Nordic walking was 151.65 ± 21.23 kcal. There were no significant differences between energy expenditure in walking and Nordic walking (tdf=16 = 0.051, p= 0.960). The subjects required less time to complete the distance with the standard walking technique (1075.35 ± 99.53 sec) as opposed to Nordic walking, which took longer (1119.41 ± 84.83 sec). CONCLUSION: A multitude of existing studies show that energy expenditure using Nordic walking technique is higher than normal walking technique. Due to the fact that these studies examined energy expenditure at a defined speed, these results are rather trivial, since Nordic walking involves far more muscles than the standard walking technique. The present results of this study indicate that Nordic walkers appear to walk slower than those using the normal walking technique. Thus, the results show no remarkable differences in energy expenditure between walking and Nordic walking at a self-imposed speed.