Press/Media

Exerstride Method Nordic Walking Provides a Total Body Walk and Tone Workout

Madison, WI, May 2004 – Walking is America’s favorite exercise partly because it’s so convenient. You don’t need to drive to a health club, hire a personal trainer or worry about attending scheduled classes, and experts agree it can fill the aerobic part of any fitness prescription. But walking does little to build upper body muscle fitness. Core strength has become buzzword in fitness, and well-toned backs, arms and flat abs are becoming the “gold standard” of contemporary fitness. Most fitness experts agree it’s essential to do upper body resistance training in addition to aerobic exercise. It would seem that millions of walkers would have to commit even more time to do weight or resistance workouts to build upper body muscle fitness and achieve total fitness…but maybe not!

More and more walkers are discovering a hot new total body “walk and tone” workout called Nordic walking that tones the entire upper body and significantly increases the aerobic benefits of walking. It’s a cross between Nordic (cross-country) skiing and fitness walking. Nordic walkers use specially designed poles to exercise nearly all upper-body muscles as they walk. They may look like Nordic skiers who have lost their skis and abandoned snow-covered ski trails for city sidewalks, but they are actually part of a rapidly growing fitness trend.

According to fitness authority and Nordic walking pioneer Tom Rutlin, “It’s beginning to really take off in the U.S., and it’s already a very hot fitness trend in Europe.” While the early adopters of Nordic walking have been subjects of a bit of good natured ribbing, those who have tried Nordic walking say it delivers some really serious fitness benefits. “Once you use poles and feel the difference, you’ll never stop. I lost more than 75 pounds and firmed up all over thanks to walking poles,” says Andy Sherman, of Kansas. Studies published by the American College of Sports Medicine show walking with poles significantly increases the number of calories walkers burn, increases heart rate by 10-15 beats per minute and can rapidly increase upper body muscle fitness.

“My abs are hard as a rock”, says California Nordic walker Bob Moon. “And my entire body has muscle definition I once thought you had to lift weights to get!” So how can walking with poles accomplish all this? Try a simple demonstration to get a feel for how it works. While sitting erect at a desk or table, extend both arms out as if offering them both for handshakes. Make two fists and place them on the desktop. Now, alternately push down on the surface with one hand, then the other, and feel what happens. Rutlin says, “Core stabilizing muscles, abdominals, pectorals, lats, triceps and many other important upper body muscles contract approximately 1,800 times per mile in much the same way when you apply force to poles with each stride.” To learn more, visit http://exerstrider.com.

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