Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here. |
---|
@David this made me smile. Your observation about a test conducted this way is perfectly correct, but your conclusion is completely wrong. The reason that there will be no difference in doing a test as you have described is that the downward force exerted by the poles will be exactly matched by a reduction in the downward force exerted through your feet. Any redistribution of the forces by using poles cannot be measured as you have suggested. You are correct - you won't weigh any less using poles.You think they alleviate weight?? Nope! Try this at home - stand on your bathroom scale and press your poles down as hard as you possible can either side - any difference on the scale reading? Nope, none at all -
Thanks @David. Here's the followup (but on a 1 km trail with an average 47% slope with "athletes [loaded] with approximately 40% of their body weight".):Here is a real scientific "real world" analysis, properly done in different conditions - though not weatring packs - the results?
"this was also the first study which attempted to assess the effect of trekking poles on performance outside of a laboratory. Based on our limited results, it seems as though trekking poles have little to no impact on outdoor, horizontal, unloaded walking efficiency."
Read it here - https://mtntactical.com/research/trekking-poles-make-efficient/
You should be using the poles more to push you than pull you.noticed it worked better when I really didn't try to "use" them. Just let them land naturally without using them to pull me.
I really discovered this last year on the Norte to change my technique on the uphill so that my poles were giving me a good push uphill.You can actually help propel yourself uphill and take a lot of effort off your quads by using a "nordic" technique and pushing off strongly.
I find that my poles are almost always more helpful in my hands than as extra weight in my pack. They keep my fingers my from swelling and help to keep my arms toned. No way I'm going to let my legs have all the fun!I can see where walking poles might come in handy for people unsteady on their feet either up or down hill. I find it hard to believe they are necessary on the flat.
I can see where walking poles might come in handy for people unsteady on their feet either up or down hill. I find it hard to believe they are necessary on the flat. In the past when tramping (trecking for those from the USA) I have taken a branch out of the bush (forest) to help me across a river with a full pack and then put it back in the bush on the other side. On steep tracks in the bush I would rather have my hands free to grasp the odd tree branch or whatever to help me up or down. I am 75 and have been doing this for a long time. A university professor friend who was also a tramper once did a study on walking poles under different conditions and in the end concluded that they could be helpful in some situations, but you spent a lot of time carrying them on flat ground where they were not needed. It is not so bad if you carry them collapsed and attached to your pack but if you continue to use them on the flat you end up expending a huge amount of energy lifting both your arm and your pole at each step whereas a normal (?) walker with their arms by their sides or with just a natural swing does not use any at all. Calculations showed that you could use 40% more energy using poles up or down a slope than without and up to 20% more energy just using them on the flat. This could work out, over a 25 kilometre day, of using the same amount of energy over that distance as a person without poles would use to cover 30 kilometres. No wonder some people are tired when they reach the next albergue. Please do not think I am running down people with any sort of disability which makes it possible for them to participate in walking a Camino but it just seems to me that a lot of people seem to think they are a necessary thing nowdays. Please do not crucify me, it is only my humble opinion.
Most interesting. Could we see the "calculations" please? And a professor in which field?I can see where walking poles might come in handy for people unsteady on their feet either up or down hill. I find it hard to believe they are necessary on the flat. In the past when tramping (trecking for those from the USA) I have taken a branch out of the bush (forest) to help me across a river with a full pack and then put it back in the bush on the other side. On steep tracks in the bush I would rather have my hands free to grasp the odd tree branch or whatever to help me up or down. I am 75 and have been doing this for a long time. A university professor friend who was also a tramper once did a study on walking poles under different conditions and in the end concluded that they could be helpful in some situations, but you spent a lot of time carrying them on flat ground where they were not needed. It is not so bad if you carry them collapsed and attached to your pack but if you continue to use them on the flat you end up expending a huge amount of energy lifting both your arm and your pole at each step whereas a normal (?) walker with their arms by their sides or with just a natural swing does not use any at all. Calculations showed that you could use 40% more energy using poles up or down a slope than without and up to 20% more energy just using them on the flat. This could work out, over a 25 kilometre day, of using the same amount of energy over that distance as a person without poles would use to cover 30 kilometres. No wonder some people are tired when they reach the next albergue. Please do not think I am running down people with any sort of disability which makes it possible for them to participate in walking a Camino but it just seems to me that a lot of people seem to think they are a necessary thing nowdays. Please do not crucify me, it is only my humble opinion.
I started walking with poles when I joined a Nordic Walking group, recommended by my physio. Nordic walking is an established and beneficial activity/exercise in Northern Europe and much-promoted by physiotherapists and exercise physicians. It was a good decision for me, to support therapy I need to manage chronic health problems. And, happily, all the training helped enormously on my first Camino last year. Not a con, when poles are used appropriately.I think that,for some,they are a bit of a fad. Years ago on the Le Puy route I met a lecturer in biomechanical engineering and he bluntly asked someone why he had them..the reply was because others were using them even tough he thought they were doing no good. I've lost count how many times I've seen these poles trailed along the ground,slung across the shoulders or gently tapping on asphalt..the benefit?..nil. Another time someone was walking across a small slipway with ankle deep water and as he slipped he came down and missed spearing himself in the leg with the point. I also find it odd that you need to "learn" how to use them properly. To me they seem like a con from the skiing pole manufacturers..I can just hear them.."look fellas how can we flog these things out of skiing season?...I know lets say they take 40% pressure off your knees,hang on that's too much..make it 25%"
You have given me such a good laugh, Jeff. I will combine this with another post saying that sore arms is a good sign. My whole body is in tatters after only a 6km walk with nordic poles, and followed by half an hour in the gym, and 20 lengths of the pool. Ok, so pacer poles? Do I need to investigate? Are they better than my regular, basic Leki? Go on, persuade me!Most interesting. Could we see the "calculations" please? And a professor in which field?
Just back from a "tramp" through the local woods (uphill, downhill and on the flat using PacerPoles all through the walk) and thinking about recent posts regarding use of poles I came to the conclusion that:
I no longer lean to the left
I no longer stoop so my posture in general has improved (6'1" Englishman - we tend to stoop when our brethren are shorter than ourselves and only look up to Dutchmen)
I see more of my surroundings as I'm no longer looking at the ground in front of my toes all the time
My breathing is easier
Ascents are less taxing
At the end of a walk I feel more refreshed
I get less tingling in my hands* as they're elevated all the time (* side effect of post-stroke medication)
It took a little time to stop myself from charging along on the flat at full speed but, now that's under control, I feel quite comfortable with them.
Thanks @David. Here's the followup (but on a 1 km trail with an average 47% slope with "athletes [loaded] with approximately 40% of their body weight".):
AT STEEP GRADES USING TREKKING POLES IS 20% EASIER AND 10% MORE EFFICIENT
https://mtntactical.com/research/steep-grades-hiking-trekking-poles-20-easier-10-efficient/
I could never be persuaded to use two poles - they always seemed to push me to go faster than I liked.You have given me such a good laugh, Jeff. I will combine this with another post saying that sore arms is a good sign. My whole body is in tatters after only a 6km walk with nordic poles, and followed by half an hour in the gym, and 20 lengths of the pool. Ok, so pacer poles? Do I need to investigate? Are they better than my regular, basic Leki? Go on, persuade me!
Thanks Doug, though I did write to 'press the poles down as hard as you can either side' - my assumption being that all would assume I meant either side of the scales, not on the scales!! hahaha
as for soldiers - route marching isn't battle ready. They don't use them as they believe that they are a waste of time- no specialist troops use poles unless they are standing on skis.
Here is a real scientific "real world" analysis, properly done in different conditions - though not weatring packs - the results?
"this was also the first study which attempted to assess the effect of trekking poles on performance outside of a laboratory. Based on our limited results, it seems as though trekking poles have little to no impact on outdoor, horizontal, unloaded walking efficiency."
Read it here - https://mtntactical.com/research/trekking-poles-make-efficient/
I think it is great that MTI, which appears to be a one man coaching organisation that doesn't employ a single scientist, has done some very preliminary work on this. It would have more credibility if it were conducted by appropriately qualified researchers, peer reviewed and with sample sizes where statistical significance would be not be the methodological issue it clearly was with sample sizes of four and three (in the later article). These are nice on-line articles, but hardly the stuff of real scientific research. I read both articles, and must admit that I was dismayed that you thought that this was properly conducted scientific analysis.Thanks @David. Here's the followup (but on a 1 km trail with an average 47% slope with "athletes [loaded] with approximately 40% of their body weight".):
AT STEEP GRADES USING TREKKING POLES IS 20% EASIER AND 10% MORE EFFICIENT
https://mtntactical.com/research/steep-grades-hiking-trekking-poles-20-easier-10-efficient/
They do have a strap of sorts, made of shock cord. I just loop it loosely on my wrists, then if I stop to take a picture or something the poles kind of hang from my wrists so that I don't drop themThere are no straps either.
Mine just have bits of orange stringThey do have a strap of sorts, made of shock cord. I just loop it loosely on my wrists, then if I stop to take a picture or something the poles kind of hang from my wrists so that I don't drop them
You've not come across the Burmese Army Trekking Stick then? Designed by the wonderously named Sir Jeffrey Hillpig-Smyth (I'm not kidding here) for British Special Forces in Burma during WW2.Thanks Doug, though I did write to 'press the poles down as hard as you can either side' - my assumption being that all would assume I meant either side of the scales, not on the scales!! hahaha
as for soldiers - route marching isn't battle ready. They don't use them as they believe that they are a waste of time- no specialist troops use poles unless they are standing on skis.
Calculations showed that you could use 40% more energy using poles up or down a slope than without and up to 20% more energy just using them on the flat.
TBH I don't know that Sir Jeffrey was even a real person - I saw these on sale oh, about 20 years ago, in the UK and then a few months ago spotted one in a friend's hall stand.Before any more flack comes in for having a different opinion can I say again that I have mentioned before that on rough terrain I think a pole for stability is a good idea? Burmese army pole for instance - tripod better than bipod (ask a Kangaroo) every time - and I use mine for that.
My point was the leaning forward clackity clackity on level surfaces where it is apparent that the poles are not being used as 'devices' just swung and therefore superfluous.
So - I don't like pole use - my opinion.
@doug - you must have seriously strong arms to lower your weight by 20kgs on a bathroom scales - and, I know you were being flippant, but were you able to do that you know that you would not be able to do similar walking. - oh, and I don't go to pubs and therefore don't drink with soldiers.
I think anyone who uses poles properly will get benefit - up, down and on the flat. Although anyone carrying 40% of their body mass on the camino might need other assistance!So Doug, does that mean that you don't think that 80 kg athletes carrying 32 kg packs up slopes like the Portomarin staircase will benefit from trekking poles?
I completely agree with you. This always seems to be an utter waste of time as well as being extremely annoying to everyone else.My point was the leaning forward clackity clackity on level surfaces where it is apparent that the poles are not being used as 'devices' just swung and therefore superfluous.
Over several measures, the best I got was a 26 kg reduction. But given this was a static test, and I was trying to see how much difference I could get, I don't think it in any way represents what might be achieved when walking.@doug - you must have seriously strong arms to lower your weight by 20kgs on a bathroom scales - and, I know you were being flippant, but were you able to do that you know that you would not be able to do similar walking. - oh, and I don't go to pubs and therefore don't drink with soldiers.
Backgroud: Up to this day, two caminos and many other travelling around the world without walking poles.
Simply put, I hate them: feel uncoordinated, tired, dislike the noise even with rubber tips - hate them so much that i'm concious of being biased against them.
Situation: we are going on the Camino Lebaniego in April. Lots of mountains. I gave in and got a pair of poles to help me on the uphills. I occasionally borrowed my partner's pole when going uphil in previous trails, and there are benefits in using them, so well, decided to try.
I am training with them for two months now. I'm watching videos on how to position. I had them fitted at the store. I asked help from my cousin who is a physiotherapist.
And I still feel extremely tired, with sore arms and very irritated by the end of any walk with those sticks of doom. When people ask me "but you are getting extra support, right?" Sincerely, I don't know. I totally don't feel it, even though they are apparently well fitted. Only feel it when going uphill.
Question: Should I simply ditch them and go as I always did, pole free? Or are the Picos de Europa really challenging and I would benefit from the uphill support?
Hi. May I suggest that you carry them with you and use them as required. I find mine invaluable and hardly ever walk without them. Regards Bruce.Backgroud: Up to this day, two caminos and many other travelling around the world without walking poles.
Simply put, I hate them: feel uncoordinated, tired, dislike the noise even with rubber tips - hate them so much that i'm concious of being biased against them.
Situation: we are going on the Camino Lebaniego in April. Lots of mountains. I gave in and got a pair of poles to help me on the uphills. I occasionally borrowed my partner's pole when going uphil in previous trails, and there are benefits in using them, so well, decided to try.
I am training with them for two months now. I'm watching videos on how to position. I had them fitted at the store. I asked help from my cousin who is a physiotherapist.
And I still feel extremely tired, with sore arms and very irritated by the end of any walk with those sticks of doom. When people ask me "but you are getting extra support, right?" Sincerely, I don't know. I totally don't feel it, even though they are apparently well fitted. Only feel it when going uphill.
Question: Should I simply ditch them and go as I always did, pole free? Or are the Picos de Europa really challenging and I would benefit from the uphill support?
I can see where walking poles might come in handy for people unsteady on their feet either up or down hill. I find it hard to believe they are necessary on the flat. In the past when tramping (trecking for those from the USA) I have taken a branch out of the bush (forest) to help me across a river with a full pack and then put it back in the bush on the other side. On steep tracks in the bush I would rather have my hands free to grasp the odd tree branch or whatever to help me up or down. I am 75 and have been doing this for a long time. A university professor friend who was also a tramper once did a study on walking poles under different conditions and in the end concluded that they could be helpful in some situations, but you spent a lot of time carrying them on flat ground where they were not needed. It is not so bad if you carry them collapsed and attached to your pack but if you continue to use them on the flat you end up expending a huge amount of energy lifting both your arm and your pole at each step whereas a normal (?) walker with their arms by their sides or with just a natural swing does not use any at all. Calculations showed that you could use 40% more energy using poles up or down a slope than without and up to 20% more energy just using them on the flat. This could work out, over a 25 kilometre day, of using the same amount of energy over that distance as a person without poles would use to cover 30 kilometres. No wonder some people are tired when they reach the next albergue. Please do not think I am running down people with any sort of disability which makes it possible for them to participate in walking a Camino but it just seems to me that a lot of people seem to think they are a necessary thing nowdays. Please do not crucify me, it is only my humble opinion.
You should be using the poles more to push you than pull you.
Ha Ha, you sound like me. I was doing the pull thing, and it was working for me just fine. Then someone told me that I should be using the poles to push me up the hills. My reaction was the same as yours - this is the way that I do it, and it works for me. But then I tried, it. It was a bit awkward at first, but then I found on steep uphills, that using the poles to push worked better than using them to pull.Maybe we each have our methods that work for us? I am happy with how my method works for me and do not plan to change it.
I found they really helped on the downhill bits. But I’m older and need all the help I can get. Yes they are a pain and get in the way sometimes, I have to put up with that bit.Backgroud: Up to this day, two caminos and many other travelling around the world without walking poles.
Simply put, I hate them: feel uncoordinated, tired, dislike the noise even with rubber tips - hate them so much that i'm concious of being biased against them.
Situation: we are going on the Camino Lebaniego in April. Lots of mountains. I gave in and got a pair of poles to help me on the uphills. I occasionally borrowed my partner's pole when going uphil in previous trails, and there are benefits in using them, so well, decided to try.
I am training with them for two months now. I'm watching videos on how to position. I had them fitted at the store. I asked help from my cousin who is a physiotherapist.
And I still feel extremely tired, with sore arms and very irritated by the end of any walk with those sticks of doom. When people ask me "but you are getting extra support, right?" Sincerely, I don't know. I totally don't feel it, even though they are apparently well fitted. Only feel it when going uphill.
Question: Should I simply ditch them and go as I always did, pole free? Or are the Picos de Europa really challenging and I would benefit from the uphill support?
Speaking of awkwardness, something no-one seems to ever mention...or maybe it's just me?get in the way sometimes
Marianne did that once , she has to stay focused when using here poles .It's possible to trip over one's own poles.
I already had these for trail running so took them with me on the CF and found they were perfect. They are extremely lightweight and fold up or unfold in a few seconds. I had them attached to the outside of my rucksack where I could reach for them without having to take my pack off, so it was really easy to just have them on the uphills and downhills and tuck them back away on the flats. They only weigh 115g.
Mountain King Trail Blaze Lightweight Poles Pair
Weighing from as little as 115g and packing down to around 34cm in length these Mountain King Trail Blaze Walking Poles are incredibly lightweight and compactwww.outdoorgear.co.uk
I didn't use poles on my first camino, Frances, and felt fine but when I did Chemin de Jacques I was glad I had them as the Central Massif has some steep ups and downs. I found them helpful going up, I could feel the relief on my legs as my arms shared some of the effort and going down especially they made me much more sure, faster and again spreading the load took the impact out of my knees. Even on the flat I found just maintaining a swinging motion, with the tips never getting in front of my heels, became a familiar motion and I enjoyed the momentum so I didn't bother sticking them onto my pack. It is now second nature for me but I do spend a bit of time every time I start, to fiddle until the height and the wrist strap feels right.Backgroud: Up to this day, two caminos and many other travelling around the world without walking poles.
Simply put, I hate them: feel uncoordinated, tired, dislike the noise even with rubber tips - hate them so much that i'm concious of being biased against them.
Situation: we are going on the Camino Lebaniego in April. Lots of mountains. I gave in and got a pair of poles to help me on the uphills. I occasionally borrowed my partner's pole when going uphil in previous trails, and there are benefits in using them, so well, decided to try.
I am training with them for two months now. I'm watching videos on how to position. I had them fitted at the store. I asked help from my cousin who is a physiotherapist.
And I still feel extremely tired, with sore arms and very irritated by the end of any walk with those sticks of doom. When people ask me "but you are getting extra support, right?" Sincerely, I don't know. I totally don't feel it, even though they are apparently well fitted. Only feel it when going uphill.
Question: Should I simply ditch them and go as I always did, pole free? Or are the Picos de Europa really challenging and I would benefit from the uphill support?
If poles were such a good thing you would see soldiers using them on route marches, weighed down as they are by some 60 + pounds of kit - do you see that? nope! of course not - it is merely Emperor's new clothes, brilliant marketing.
There my opinion
I think that,for some,they are a bit of a fad. Years ago on the Le Puy route I met a lecturer in biomechanical engineering and he bluntly asked someone why he had them..the reply was because others were using them even tough he thought they were doing no good. I've lost count how many times I've seen these poles trailed along the ground,slung across the shoulders or gently tapping on asphalt..the benefit?..nil. Another time someone was walking across a small slipway with ankle deep water and as he slipped he came down and missed spearing himself in the leg with the point. I also find it odd that you need to "learn" how to use them properly. To me they seem like a con from the skiing pole manufacturers..I can just hear them.."look fellas how can we flog these things out of skiing season?...I know lets say they take 40% pressure off your knees,hang on that's too much..make it 25%"
Every time I see a statue or painting of a pilgrim from days of yore they always seem to have a pole or staff in hand. You can't go wrong following in the footsteps of the original pilgrims. That's the idea, isn't it?
I understand what you were trying to say, and that you were attempting to give an example to underscore your point.
Can you see how it reads as being condescending and stereotypical, though? If you had left out the word 'older' in that sentence, you would have a legitimate point. The word 'older' made your sentence a specific statement about the totality of those within that age group, labeling them as being infirm.
That is why some might view what you wrote in a negative light.
While I don't use them hiking at home on narrow trails, I get a lot of benefit from my Pacer poles on the Camino. I think they really take the stress off joints and also prevent falls on steep declines. My only dilemma is I think people walking with trekking poles look like idiots.
That is actually a cogent point. But Nordic walking is a technique for walking very rapidly and of using most of your body muscles rather than just your legs in order to get aerobic exercise and is probably not appropriate for many peregrinos.I started walking with poles when I joined a Nordic Walking group, recommended by my physio. Nordic walking is an established and beneficial activity/exercise in Northern Europe and much-promoted by physiotherapists and exercise physicians. It was a good decision for me, to support therapy I need to manage chronic health problems. And, happily, all the training helped enormously on my first Camino last year. Not a con, when poles are used appropriately.
However I suspect there was a fair bit of fashion involved in that too. Bear in mind that in medieval times a staff was not just a walking stick, it was also a weapon, a tool, and an aid to carrying things. A quarterstaff is a surprisingly effective weapon in the hands of someone who has trained with it, I once saw off 2 thugs who jumped me on the street, with the aid of the clothes prop that I had just bought and was carrying home. If I were a medieval traveller I might well be glad of a staff with which I could fend off trouble from animals and people.Every time I see a statue or painting of a pilgrim from days of yore they always seem to have a pole or staff in hand. You can't go wrong following in the footsteps of the original pilgrims. That's the idea, isn't it?
I wear sandals because I like to walk in them. There is just as much fashion in footwear for walkers as there is in poles. For a long time people have worn boots mostly because it was received wisdom that walking=boots. That has been questioned over the last 10 years or so by the long distance trail walkers and now light trail runners are as common as boots on the trails.Exactly. Which is why I wear sandals, too!
Duh... I resemble that remark. Why would you care what people think?While I don't use them hiking at home on narrow trails, I get a lot of benefit from my Pacer poles on the Camino. I think they really take the stress off joints and also prevent falls on steep declines. My only dilemma is I think people walking with trekking poles look like idiots.
I realize that was probably a rhetorical question, but I'll respond anyway!Why would you care what people think?
Exactly! But that doesn't answer the question about why you used to care what others thought?It's taken 60 years for me to not care what others think. Especially how I look with walking sticks! Meh.......
Love the idea of "a cocking tripod"Agree totally with Moorwalker re history and uses of a good staff. Also become a triped on rough terrain.
Here a photo from that Scout link - Fab isn't it!!
View attachment 61807
Believe me, I am not a rapid walker, nor even a particularly fit one! I walked the CF as a spiritual journey and the poles permitted me to walk safely, at my slow pace (very very slow on the ascents), without injury. I was still recovering from myocarditis last year and I live with chronic joint pain. So, I fit into the second and third categories described above. Nordic walking is indeed an activity which uses all muscle groups and improves aerobic fitness, and it was through my walking group that I gained the confidence to head off on pilgrimage. The poles were an important part of that journey.That is actually a cogent point. But Nordic walking is a technique for walking very rapidly and of using most of your body muscles rather than just your legs in order to get aerobic exercise and is probably not appropriate for many peregrinos.
That also reflects onto the comments about pushing with your poles, again, that is really only appropriate for someone who is already fit and who wishes to walk even faster. Someone who does not have the aerobic fitness already will find that to strenuous and will revert to the tippy-tappy motion we see so often on the Camino.
I figure that poles are effective for two main groups. First, the rapid, very fit walkers who use their poles to add extra momentum. Second, those who are using them for stability on rough ground or steep descents, or for helping them up the steeper climbs. There is perhaps a third group, those whose gait is lopsided because of injury or irregular build for whom poles help to reduce the irregularity of the gait. Most of the rest are not getting any particular benefit.
If the illustration above that text is any clue, then what you might be interpreting as a second 'c' might just be a badly formed 'o'.Love the idea of "a cocking tripod"
Edit: just realised it's 'Merican . . . Band-Aids and mis-spelt centre . . . "a cocking tripod" probably means something different "over there"
While I agree with some of this, I certainly wouldn't support the idea that the benefits of pole use are limited to the groups that @Moorwalker talks about here. Anyone who uses poles properly will get a benefit from doing that. Certainly there is a group of people who, for some reason or another, don't use the poles effectively. They are the only ones not likely to get much benefit.That is actually a cogent point. But Nordic walking is a technique for walking very rapidly and of using most of your body muscles rather than just your legs in order to get aerobic exercise and is probably not appropriate for many peregrinos.
That also reflects onto the comments about pushing with your poles, again, that is really only appropriate for someone who is already fit and who wishes to walk even faster. Someone who does not have the aerobic fitness already will find that to strenuous and will revert to the tippy-tappy motion we see so often on the Camino.
I figure that poles are effective for two main groups. First, the rapid, very fit walkers who use their poles to add extra momentum. Second, those who are using them for stability on rough ground or steep descents, or for helping them up the steeper climbs. There is perhaps a third group, those whose gait is lopsided because of injury or irregular build for whom poles help to reduce the irregularity of the gait. Most of the rest are not getting any particular benefit.
If the illustration above that text is any clue, then what you might be interpreting as a second 'c' might just be a badly formed 'o'.
Backgroud: Up to this day, two caminos and many other travelling around the world without walking poles.
Simply put, I hate them: feel uncoordinated, tired, dislike the noise even with rubber tips - hate them so much that i'm concious of being biased against them.
Situation: we are going on the Camino Lebaniego in April. Lots of mountains. I gave in and got a pair of poles to help me on the uphills. I occasionally borrowed my partner's pole when going uphil in previous trails, and there are benefits in using them, so well, decided to try.
I am training with them for two months now. I'm watching videos on how to position. I had them fitted at the store. I asked help from my cousin who is a physiotherapist.
And I still feel extremely tired, with sore arms and very irritated by the end of any walk with those sticks of doom. When people ask me "but you are getting extra support, right?" Sincerely, I don't know. I totally don't feel it, even though they are apparently well fitted. Only feel it when going uphill.
Question: Should I simply ditch them and go as I always did, pole free? Or are the Picos de Europa really challenging and I would benefit from the uphill support?
Ditch them...I didn't use them and saw MOSt people just carrying them.
Just started doing regular walks to prepare for my 4th Camino in May - the Primitivo and El Salvador. I use Pacer Poles, and although I haven't started carrying my pack yet - my body feels better already - Pacer Pole Mantra - shoulders down and gently back - I am so much more aware of my body this way and I just need to keep this mantra in my head always - not just when training, but all the time. My neck, shoulders and back feel the better for it.
Given that this thread is nearly a year old, I suspect that the OP is already finished with her Camino.
I would hate to think the OP is sitting beside the trail still glaring at her hated trekking poles and frozen into inaction because of it.
We are just about due for another thread on poles though...
... dislike the noise even with rubber tips...
I would hate to think the OP is sitting beside the trail still glaring at her hated trekking poles and frozen into inaction because of it.
How was your Camino Lebaniego?Backgroud: Up to this day, two caminos and many other travelling around the world without walking poles.
Simply put, I hate them: feel uncoordinated, tired, dislike the noise even with rubber tips - hate them so much that i'm concious of being biased against them.
Situation: we are going on the Camino Lebaniego in April. Lots of mountains. I gave in and got a pair of poles to help me on the uphills. I occasionally borrowed my partner's pole when going uphil in previous trails, and there are benefits in using them, so well, decided to try.
I am training with them for two months now. I'm watching videos on how to position. I had them fitted at the store. I asked help from my cousin who is a physiotherapist.
And I still feel extremely tired, with sore arms and very irritated by the end of any walk with those sticks of doom. When people ask me "but you are getting extra support, right?" Sincerely, I don't know. I totally don't feel it, even though they are apparently well fitted. Only feel it when going uphill.
Question: Should I simply ditch them and go as I always did, pole free? Or are the Picos de Europa really challenging and I would benefit from the uphill support?
None of those criteria seem to apply to the caminosThanks @David. Here's the followup (but on a 1 km trail with an average 47% slope with "athletes [loaded] with approximately 40% of their body weight".):
AT STEEP GRADES USING TREKKING POLES IS 20% EASIER AND 10% MORE EFFICIENT
https://mtntactical.com/research/steep-grades-hiking-trekking-poles-20-easier-10-efficient/
Ah yes the well known mountains encoutered on the caminosThat, and the fact that some of the best mountaineers in the world use them.
Like these?Ah yes the well known mountains encoutered on the caminos
... and pole advocates like me really appreciate your support!!And I can't believe I'm helping resurrect a topic on poles...
There is a correct way to use walking sticks and an incorrect way to use them. The incorrect way will make you hate them. On level and uphill ground, the tips of the poles never come forward past the heal of your foot. On downhill ground, place them in front of you for balance.I use to back pack when I was much younger carrying 50 lbs. was nothing. When I was in my mid 40's I broke my back where I worked. And it took a while to start walking properly. I figured my packing days were over until 23 years later my wife want to walk the Camino. I hadn't carried a pack in those years and questioned my ability to walk over 500 miles. My friend who summits high mountains told me to use a walking stick. 1 was good and I figure 1 is good then 2 must be better. Because of my previously broken body and my age we walked slow, but made it. I always use poles, even for short treks. I don't care what others think when they see me with my poles, wearing my kilt.
Good to hear you have moved past the trekking pole trauma and continue to enjoy Camino's! Gear is a very personal thing...whatever best suits each individual.You have no idea how much I laughed reading this
@davebugg is right, I already went, came back and started planning the next.
I took the infamous poles with me on that occasion (Camino Lebaniego). I will admit they were useful on the uphills.
On downhills or flat, however, I just stuck to my natural parkour-like approach to trails while the poles went to the pack.
And I can't believe I'm helping resurrect a topic on poles...
How was your Camino Lebaniego?
I was thinking maybe we could start a self help group for those that have been traumatized by trekking poles while on their Camino.
Personally, I like the noise. It brings back nice memories. That said, I recognize that I'm likely in the minority on this and use rubber tips.Ahhh... the joyous clatter of walking poles on the camino... feels a bit like nails on a blackboard to me. I dislike the noise too. My poles increasingly reside in my rucksack and only get used on very steep uphill, very slippy downhills or if I'm really tired at the end of a long day because the clack has begun to irritate me, Not sure how I would cope if I lived on the camino woke up to the clatter of poles everyday!
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?