For a better workout, walk with hiking poles

Studies Suggest Poles Can Boost the Cardiovascular Benefit of Walking

- Amanda Loudin

NEW YORK - Ms. Ashley Hawke was originally a skeptic of trekking poles. But after twisting an ankle on a tree root while descending a hill during a 2015 backpacking trip, she tried a pair.

"I couldn't believe how much easier hiking felt, especially while wearing a 40-pound pack," said Ms. Hawke, now 30. Forty pounds is about 18kg. "I used to think they were just for older people. Now, I tell everyone I know to use them."

As a doctoral candidate in integrative physiology, Ms. Hawke did a meta-analysis, scouring 40 years of research into hiking poles. There were not many papers, but the ones she found showed that using them often improved balance, took weight off the legs, made hiking feel easier and led to fewer sore muscles.

Other small studies suggest poles can make hiking gentler on your joints and boost the cardiovascular benefit of walking.

In other words, you do not need to be a long-distance backpacker or a senior to benefit from using trekking poles.

WHY USE WALKING POLES?

Put simply, poles can help you walk easier, faster and farther. One small study found that walking with poles increased the amount of oxygen and calories that subjects used by more than 20 percent.