Nordic walking and a regular stroll, in terms of overall use of muscle, are poles apart, writes LORNA SIGGINS
SNOW GROUSE, phosophorescence, rose-pink skies and silence. Such Arctic images might seem somewhat out of place in a public park in Galway, but for a few seconds we are transported back to a frozen lake in Finland.
Just a few seconds, mind . . . for this time we have no cross-country skis, just poles; and the soft crunch of snow was more like the squelch of wet sod as we plant each stick firmly into the ground.
Walking behind us, Flan Kelly talks us through a type of glide – or so we imagine – where a brisk rhythm developed with poles was propelling us to walk on virtual water. “Think of a lemon underfoot,” he says, as he describes how every step should begin with the heel touching the ground and rolling forward to the ball and toe.
Kelly is a qualified instructor in Nordic walking, a type of “four-wheel drive” movement on foot which is the antithesis of a casual stroll. Developed by cross-country skiers in Finland in the early 20th century to keep them fit during summer, it has become an outdoor pursuit in its own right.
Until recently, activity in Ireland had been confined to Dublin. It was there that Kelly, recently retired from the travel trade and a keen hillwalker, spotted an advertisement for same. He became hooked after several sessions in the Phoenix Park. He signed up for instructor training with the British Nordic Walking Group, which runs courses recognised by the International Nordic Walking Federation.
Now based in Galway, Kelly has begun running weekly training sessions to introduce people to the technique. He says it takes about six 90-minute classes to acquire the skill, using carbon fibre poles which he provides at each session.
The poles are fitted with hand or wrist straps. Hands should grip the pole each time it hits the ground, releasing in the straps as arms draw it back behind the body. The “grip-n-go” technique is said to improve pole efficiency and help with circulation.
Normal walking uses up a maximum of 70 per cent of the muscle mass in the body, even with a good stride and pace, he says. With the poles, one can engage the core muscles and upper arms, and use up to 90 per cent of the muscle mass . . . while also increasing the heart rate by up to 15 per cent.
If it sounds simple, it is actually a bit more complex in practice, with “camel walking” being one of the first mistakes. “Walk normally without poles, and you’ll find your natural motion is left foot with right hand and vice-versa as you move forward,” Kelly says.
“But when you have the poles and you start thinking too hard, you can end up in a sort of camel roll where you are using left arm and left foot, right arm and right foot together.”
To banish such thoughts, Kelly advises us to start by dragging our poles behind us as we walk, letting our arms find their own natural rhythm. Once opposite arm and pole engage with opposite leg, he advises us to push our arms back from the shoulder as far as is comfortable, straightening the elbow and using our footprint, complete with lemon underfoot, to advance.
At this stage, in Knocknacarra’s Cappagh Park, we are attracting more than a bit of attention. “It’s as normal as walking or running or cycling in the Scandinavian countries,” Kelly explains, while the toning and correct body alignment it nurtures has created a craze for it in North America.
Kelly is currently taking groups out on Sunday in Rinville Park, Oranmore and in Cappagh Park, Knocknacarra.Tuition is also available with a number of physiotherapists and with the Dublin Phoenix Nordic Walkers Club in Dublin; and with instructors in Kilruddery estate, Co Wicklow; Dundalk, Co Louth, and Tralee, Co Kerry.
For further information contact Flan Kelly at flankelly@hotmail.com or see nordicwalking.ie
