Hiking can take a toll on your body, particularly when carrying extra weight in a backpack. To relieve the weight and stress placed on your lower body, trekking poles are used by some hikers. These poles place some of the weight on your arms and upper body. But trekking poles are useful in other ways as well, particularly on inclines or even ground -- the poles help you stabilize yourself, reducing a risk of a fall, and steep grades are made less cumbersome as the poles help you climb your way up. To benefit from these poles properly, though, you need to use them as intended.
Step 1
Place the trekking poles out in front of you following the same arm motions as when you are walking -- this means stepping forward with one foot and bracing with the trekking pole held in the arm opposite the forward foot. This provides balance and support on either side of your body.
Step 2
Pull your body along by placing some of your weight on the pole as you step and move forward. According to FitSugar.com, you should be able to reduce the weight on your legs by up to 25 percent.
Step 3
Move in a diagonal when hiking down hills. Walking straight down a decline places a lot of shock and stress on the knees, and it can be hard to get your trekking poles out in front of you. Walking in a zig-zag formation will reduce the rate of decline and make it easier to keep the poles on the ground.
Step 4
Mix periodic breaks into your hike to let the knee joints recover. Stretch the knee as needed when it becomes tight. Overexerting the knee by failing to take breaks can increase your risk of suffering an injury.
Tips and Warnings
- Wear shoes that have good cushioning to reduce shock blunt force on the feet, ankles and knees. You can add insoles to hiking shoes or even use sneakers instead of the more rigid hiking shoes.
Things You'll Need
- Trekking poles
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