Why walking poles held behind you burn 20% more calories

Michael Ham, retired in British Columbia, listed his walking poles in the Cool Tools newsletter What's in my NOW? and he wants you to know they are nothing like trekking poles. You hold a trekking pole out in front with a bent arm, and they mostly help you keep your balance on a steep climb. Nordic walking poles ride behind you, arms straight, and you push off them. That makes them propulsion devices, which is why they are a plus on level ground, and a trekking pole becomes a burden.

Ham's claim for them: 20 percent more calories burned without the walk feeling any harder — he says the poles actually make it easier — plus they pull the upper body into an exercise that otherwise depends almost entirely on leg muscles. His own pair, Exel Pro Curve one-piece poles, had to be ordered from the UK.

Previously:
• Elderly brain hack: How a Cold War spy test boosts fitness and sharpness
• Author Susie Bright's four favorite tools (and her new Substack)