Nordic Walking Revisited

By Stuart Montgomery

Ever since Nordic walking was launched in the late 1990s, there has been a fanfare of claims about its alleged benefits. Proponents say it uses 90 percent of the body's muscles. They say it burns 46 percent more energy than ordinary walking, yet they say it feels easy. They claim it is the fastest-growing fitness activity in the world. Above all, they insist that its benefits derive from the use of specialised poles.However, as Stuart Montgomery shows in this book, none of these claims can in fact be substantiated. In what he calls a "fond critique" of Nordic walking, Montgomery argues that while the basic form of the activity does offer worthwhile fitness benefits, those benefits are modest. People who are out of condition can indeed use it to get fit and lose weight, but those who are already fit will gain little advantage. He argues that attempts to remedy this by developing "advanced" Nordic walking workouts have not been convincing. Many such workouts involve very fast walking or running, and allow no significant input from the poles, or they involve static pole-exercises that bear no resemblance to basic Nordic walking. While they undoubtedly serve the interests of pole-distributors and instructors, their value for the participants is unclear.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1981689397
• ISBN13: 9781981689392
• Release Date: January 2018
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"