Energy Expenditure And Comfort During Nordic Walking And Ordinary Walking

Abstract

It is a characteristic of Nordic Walking that energy expenditure is greater during this fitness activity than during ordinary walking. As much as 23% greater energy expenditure has been reported. The amount of extra energy expenditure during Nordic Walking most likely depends on how vigorously the Nordic Walking is performed. However for another important characteristic of fitness exercise, it is unknown how comfort compares for Nordic Walking and ordinary walking. PURPOSE: To compare energy expenditure and comfort during Nordic Walking and ordinary walking. METHODS: Twelve participants (mean±SEM: 171.5±1.5 cm, 67.0±2.7 kg, 50.6±2.4 years, maximal oxygen uptake of 43.4±2.8 ml kg-1 min-1) performed 6-min bouts of uphill (12°), downhill (12°), and horizontal Nordic Walking as well as ordinary walking on a motorized treadmill with their preferred pole length of 67.6±0.6% of body height. Energy expenditure was calculated from measured oxygen uptake while comfort was self-rated on a 1- to 10-point scale where 1 and 10 corresponded to "very, very uncomfortable" and "very, very comfortable", respectively. RESULTS: Nordic Walking required as much as 65±12% greater energy expenditure (p<0.05) than ordinary walking with the greatest difference observed for the horizontal condition. During uphill and downhill conditions, energy expenditure for Nordic Walking was 8±2% and 55±12% higher, respectively (p<0.05). Nevertheless, comfort was similar for the two types of locomotion for each slope (p>0.05). Illustrating the peculiarity of Nordic Walking, comfort was 7.3±0.6 at the same time as participants exercised at more than 85% of their maximal oxygen uptake during uphill Nordic Walking. CONCLUSION: Comfort responses were generally high and at the same time similar for Nordic Walking and ordinary walking for each slope condition despite greater energy expenditure during Nordic Walking. The substantially larger energy expenditure of Nordic Walking compared to previous studies reflects the particularly vigorous Nordic Walking technique used here. From a physical activity and public health perspective it is noteworthy that Nordic Walking (vs. other forms of physical activity, e.g. running) is comfortable and apparently gentle on the body for many people, even when performed at a considerable cardiovascular load.