Abstract
The purpose of this study was to characterize responses in oxygen uptake ( ), heart rate (HR), perceived exertion (OMNI scale) and integrated electromyogram (iEMG) readings during incremental Nordic walking (NW) and level walking (LW) on a treadmill. Ten healthy adults (four men, six women), who regularly engaged in physical activity in their daily lives, were enrolled in the study. All subjects were familiar with NW. Each subject began walking at 60 m/min for 3 minutes, with incremental increases of 10 m/min every 2 minutes up to 120 m/min , and HR were measured every 30 seconds, and the OMNI scale was used during the final 15 seconds of each exercise. EMG readings were recorded from the triceps brachii, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior muscles. was significantly higher during NW than during LW, with the exception of the speed of 70 m/min (P < 0.01). and HR were higher during NW than LW at all walking speeds (P < 0.05 to 0.001). OMNI scale of the upper extremities was significantly higher during NW than during LW at all speeds (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the iEMG reading for the VL was lower during NW than during LW at all walking speeds, while the iEMG reading for the BF and GA muscles were significantly lower during NW than LW at some speeds. These data suggest that the use of poles in NW attenuates muscle activity in the lower extremities during the stance and push-off phases, and decreases that of the lower extremities and increase energy expenditure of the upper body and respiratory system at certain walking speeds.
Highlights
Over the past decade, Nordic walking (NW) has gained in popularity as a healthy sports activity by northern Europeans
All subjects were familiarized with the experimental procedures, and it was ensured that the attachment of the experimental device to the body did not have any effects on the physiological responses of the subjects during NW and level walking (LW)
The integrated electromyogram (iEMG) of the biceps femoris (BF) muscle during NW was significantly lower than that during LW at 110 and 120 m/min. These results corroborate the findings of Knight and Caldwell [22], who reported a marked discharge in the vastus lateralis (VL) from the early to middle stance phase, whereas there was a discharge in the BF from the late swing phase to the early stance phase, under inclining conditions
Summary
Nordic walking (NW) has gained in popularity as a healthy sports activity by northern Europeans. Schiffer et al [8] reported V O2 , heart rate (HR) and blood lactate concentration were significantly higher with NW than with LW at speeds above 1.8 m/s. Their results showed that the differences in physiological response between NW and LW were smaller than in previous studies [7,11,17,18]. The magnitude of physiological responses at different walking speeds during NW versus LW remains unclear, because of the wide variety of experimental conditions used in previous studies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
