Short folks with small wrists may experience this.
An element of the Nordic Walking technique is to have the poles follow you easily. Don’t grab them. If the straps are tight against your wrist, the poles come up automatically with your arm swing. If they are loose, you will have a tendency to grab them. Before long you are picking them up and will migrate them in front of you.
Rock on Nordic Walkers!! Rock on.
The key is getting that push down on each step as the pole moves back. That little push is the secret. It activates your triceps first. That means your heart has to pump more blood to power the muscles. Ipso facto, the heart is going to work harder. Your heart rate will go up. Zingo! This is one of the benefits of Nordic Walking over “just” walking.
Gloves aid Nordic Walkers
The secret to loose straps? Get bicycle gloves. The kind with the fingers cut off. Then wear them with the strap affixed. This will fill in the gap to the strap. Hey that rhymes. Gap – strap.
OK, Rick – move on. These gloves will set you back about 1 Jackson. Plus, you can use them to ride your bike. I also use them when I pull out my Trekking poles for my mini-mountaineering trips. Very similar benefits. They save your knees going downhill.
Got it? Good. Keep walking.