PACERPOLING TM FOR FITNESS

Briskness is personal ………take a slightly longer stride and quicker rate than your normal one – so that you can sustain this rate for about 30 minutes (perhaps 3 times per week). Fix your elbow a few cms further back than usual (which equates to lengthening your arm’s stride range). Walk-tall and stretch-up for easier breathing. When Pacerpoling, your shoulder muscles are working to stabilise your upper arms (instead of moving them forward); having a stable shoulder means that your elbow/forearm can produce a stronger thrust action from behind when pushing down and back against the handle - it is this which powers you forward. Briskly lift each forearm in turn. Avoid a forward shoulder swing, focusing instead on the natural backward push action against the handle; this is the contoured platform designed to control your arm’s power transmission effectively – consider it as something to push against, and not to grip. Remember to keep the shafts directed behind at an angle. Check Basic Guide for more information about the hand/handle action.

When walking, your leg swings forward from the hip; this is because as your knee bends the foot goes backwards - so the hip has to swing to bring the foot forward. For the arm, when your elbow bends the hand / pole automatically comes forward - so a forward shoulder swing here is unnecessary, and wastes effort (which is why the forward arm action for the ‘nordic style’ of walking is unnatural and awkward).

(Note: if training, and want to pace walk + run: when running using the poles – always keep your elbow angled back from vertical, then lift and lower your forearm so the hand seems to be moving up and down in a vertical oval. Keep stretching yourself upwards for better chest expansion/breathing. Relax the fingers.)

back	forward

User Guide pages:
SHAFT HEIGHT - PERSONALISING SHAFT HEIGHT - BASIC GUIDE - ASCENTS - DESCENTS - FOR FITNESS WALKING - TRAVERSING - BOULDER HOPPING - SCRAMBLING TERRAIN - CARE AND MAINTENANCE - STOWING / STORAGE