What’s the difference between Exerstriding, Nordic walking, pole-walking and trekking?

First of all, they are similar in that they all involve walking with poles. Since the International Nordic Walking Association itself defined Nordic walking as “fitness walking with specifically designed poles,” Exerstriding is simply the original and a particularly effective form of Nordic walking. To most people they probably all look the same, but there are significant differences. Let’s begin with an historical perspective. I coined the term “Exerstriding” around 1985. That was when I first discovered how one could use poles and simple techniques to simultaneously exercise every major muscle in my body while striding. Pole walking is a generic term that has been used (mostly by those who do not yet understand the differences between the various activities that combine walking and poles) to describe any form of walking with poles. Trekking and trekking poles have been around for many years. While trekking actually means: “making a long arduous journey,” it has come to be just another term for hiking. And trekking poles have been used by “hikers and trekkers” in their outdoor pursuits for many years to make long hikes less arduous, provide stability and alleviate pressure on the knees and other joints. What people refer to as trekking poles can range from a stick or branch you find in the woods to pairs of lightweight telescoping poles with ski pole-like grips, snow baskets and metal tips. Finally, Nordic walking is a term coined by Exel, a Finnish ski pole manufacturer, in 1997 for their version of fitness walking with poles. Nordic walking has become the most commonly used generic term for fitness walking with poles throughout Europe as a result of Exel’s formation of “The International Nordic Walking Association” in 2000, and a growing network of their certified Nordic walking instructors.

In 1988 I began to promote Exerstriding, the original version of walking with poles for the purpose of building total body fitness. By the early 90’s, my new total body exercise form and I had been written up in magazines in both the U.S. and Europe, and someone from Exel contacted me to ask how my efforts were going in promoting the use of poles by walkers as a year-round exercise form. They were of course very interested in the prospect of expanding their seasonal ski pole business, and in the prospect of year-round sales of slightly modified ski poles. I wasn’t able to paint a very rosy picture of my one-man pole-walking crusade at the time, so apparently they simply chose to wait and see how my efforts went before making a plunge into the market. Finally, in 1997 they made their entry into the fitness walking pole marketplace with the introduction of the Nordic Walker™ brand. In 2000, Exel won the top prize in a Finnish “new” product competition for “their” walking poles and an activity I had already been promoting in the U.S. for a dozen years!

In the more than eighteen years I’ve been promoting Exerstriding as a total body exercise form, lots of other former ski pole and trekking pole manufacturers have come to recognize a good idea and have entered the fitness walking pole market. I’m proud to say that my once-lonely crusade to get walkers to begin to use poles to turn their favorite activity into a total body exercise has resulted in the worldwide growth of this entirely new total body exercise form. In addition to the introduction of Exel’s Nordic Walker™ brand, German trekking pole manufacturer Leki has introduced a Fittrek™ line of fitness walking poles, and several other European and Far Eastern pole manufacturers have now offered up their own models of fitness walking poles. While the popularity of Exerstriding has grown very rapidly in this country in the last few years, the growth of fitness walking with poles has experienced positively explosive growth in Europe (especially in those cross-country ski loving Scandinavian countries)! My continued commitment to offering innovative and functional equipment which meets the most rigorous performance standards and provides customers with unmatched value is only part of what has kept Exerstrider poles the world’s #1 fitness walking poles. More than eighteen years after I began promoting Exerstriding as an effective way to promote total body fitness, it is both still both my techniques and equipment that set the standard in the rapidly expanding world of fitness walking poles and provide leadership for the entire walking pole movement. No matter how one uses walking poles, they will somewhat enhance the fitness benefits of striding. But my easy-to-learn “Exerstriding” techniques have proven that they maximize both the safety and fitness benefits of using walking poles. “Exerstriding” techniques result in a maximum amount of muscle mass being put to “good use” (rather than abuse) and feature biomechanics designed to promote maximum improvement in overall physical function. While some may insist that the differences between Exerstriding, Nordic walking and trekking are insignificant, any serious athlete knows that even subtle changes in body mechanics can significantly affect the results of any physical activity. Thousands have already experienced that there really are significant, results-enhancing differences between Exerstriding and other ways of walking with poles.

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