By Nordic Walking Watford at
You will remember from your Nordic Walking training that there are 4 GEARS with Nordic Walking. Apart from Gear 4, they each build in intensity as you progress through the gears and enable you to go faster and work harder through your walk.
So, let’s have a little recap:
Gear 1 is a nice gentle pace and ideal for walkers who are recovering from illness or injury, are starting to exercise for the first time, or simply enjoy a more relaxed walk, enjoying nature and chatting as you go. Speed is around 20+min/mile
Gear 2 is a moderate pace and ideal for walkers who are confident in their technique and want to work a little bit harder, whilst still enjoying nature and the sociability of what we do. Speed is around 17-18 min/mile.
Gear 3 is an intense pace and perfect for walkers who really want to get into that workout zone and work at the highest intensity. Speed is around 15 min/mile and you can expect to cover 4 miles in an hour. You need to have done a POWER OF POLES 2 session to join these walks. But you also need to be confident that you can maintain a Gear 3 for at least an hour.
Each gear builds on the previous one and GEAR 4 applies to ALL of the gears so a good strong technique is key to achieving the most benefits from your Nordic Walking. Whilst each walk is governed a little by pace, it’s the technique you use to achieve that pace that will get results.
Whilst in our Gear 1 and 2 walks, we will walk at the pace of the slowest and use different techniques to manage a mixed ability group, our Gear 3 walks are FAST, and we want to keep them that way.
If you are not sure of the difference between the GEARS, then it’s time for a refresher! We run several different technique sessions so that you can refine your technique and remove any bad habits!
And don’t forget all these training sessions are FREE if you are on our Direct Debit payment package
TOP TIP: Check your activity tracker to see what pace you have been walking – is it where it’s meant to be?
TRACY REEVE
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
NORDIC WALKING WATFORD