Pacerpole

Improving walking performance is not just about having Pacerpole's contoured handles in your hands - but learning how to use them to best effect. The information here is to check through to see that you can get the best out of yourself - to maximise your potential whatever your ability. Perhaps think of Pacerpoles as 'more than walking'; it's retraining the whole body so it works better…

My aim is to help folk get the best out of themselves for the long term ...and retraining is all part of this. It's not just about 'exercise' per se but 'how' the body moves eg when we hear of professional tennis players "working on their serves" over the winter etc - it's not just a matter of doing more and more serves - but deconstructing the actions, and putting them all together in a better way to get the best results ....it's the same with walking i.e. it's not just more of the same - there is a need to re-think.

"Walking" is not an "Art" form but a "Science". It's all about Loads and Levers; trunk as Load and limbs as Levers (and how this Load is positioned will affect how efficient the Levers can be in lifting-and-shifting it around as our "Walking gait" - and stabilising it too).

In general - our 'Walking' gait is the same for us All, the difference being the Length and Rate of our stride (Length x Rate = Speed) ... those who are fitter tend to have longer and quicker strides than those not as fit (or on rehab…) but the Trunk/Load alignment should be the same for everyone ...so keep muttering the Mantra “Shoulders Down ...and marginally back" as you go, whatever the speed ...and then keep them there all the time - with the Crown of the head directed Up to the sky, whether on level ground or on slopes. It's to fix the skeleton/shoulder girdle where it should be, and to keep it there so the arm's leverage working underneath it can be most effective by having something 'fixed' to push against (to Lever/lift the trunk Load up, onto the forefoot and shift it forward at each stride - which is our walking gait).

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

Basically, muscle tissue responds to use by increasing in strength, whatever our age ...so this isn't really so much an 'age' issue - but more of a 'use' one. In general terms - muscles work in teams, and our 'posture' is the way these teams work to hold the skeleton together - which gives it its shape or "Form". So if some muscles in the team are used more than others, their comparative strength can distort the body "Form" (posture), causing an imbalance. It means we can have some strong muscles in the team, but poor postural alignment - so that we won't be performing at our best.

By understanding how to reinforce the optimum 'team' action and sustain the best "Form" for our posture and walking "Function" - we can make a significant impact on our performance - whatever our age or fitness level. Reinforcing this better muscle 'team-work' is what Pacerpole design and use is all about.

Pacerpoles are unique; they are the only poles to address walking performance from an anatomical/bio mechanical perspective. This sets them apart from conventional ski or trekking poles, walking sticks, walking poles, or the more recent nordic walking ones, as well as the original "staff". These all perpetuate primitive man's concept of using a branch from a tree as a portable prop (only now made “high-tech” by using modern materials and engineering, whilst their primitive design concept remains the same) and offered without the "Walking" Industries understanding the biomechanics of the walking gait we want to improve, or the anatomy of the hand through which our body load is being transmitted stride after stride.

1. "FORM" (this is our body posture, or trunk 'shape').

The shoulders should be level and remain down-and-marginally-back i.e relax/lengthen the neck by dropping the shoulders downwards away from the ears; this brings the girdle framework/shoulder blades lower and together at the back - to be where they should be, if we didn't have "poor posture". Typically this is 'Round shoulders' ...a bad habit, and is one of the reasons why we under perform as it changes our trunk Load alignment. So .... by keeping the Shoulders Down (and not hunched/rounded forwards) creates the optimum body Load shape alignment - or "Form" central to the pelvis, for our walking "Function"....whether on level ground or on slopes.

Perhaps imagine having a Big Smile-line skimming just under your ‘collar’ bones, across the upper chest spanning from shoulder tip to shoulder tip ...and keep ‘the Smile’ there all the time, and as wide as possible i.e if you round the shoulders forward then the smile narrows ...and if you arch your shoulders back (sticking your chest out) then it narrows too.....so aim for the neutral position with the Big Smile!

Useful to check on www.pacerpole.com and note that there is minimal upper arm action. If the upper arm swings ahead - then the shoulder has to round as the frame of the shoulder girdle 'splays' apart at the centre back i.e. the muscles which should be holding the two shoulder blades (scapulae) together, onto the spine - have to stretch rather like elastic - to allow the shoulder 'blades' to move apart, so the upper arm can reach forward or upward (this is needed for when throwing spears, or reaching for the cornflake packet off the top shelf ....but not to sustain optimum Form for our walking gait!).

Experiment yourself: Try putting your Left hand under and behind your Right arm-pit ...and then move the Right upper arm forwards-and-back. You can feel the scapula move under your Left hand ....around the chest wall. It's this repetitive forward upper arm action favoured by the nordic style, reinforcing rounding the shoulders which becomes a habit. Losing our shoulder girdle Form/shape impacts on our posture - and our walking potential.

The scapulae are the 2 triangular flat bones which make-up the back of the shoulder girdle, and their top outer corners form the hollow socket of each shoulder joint. The inside edges of these 2 scapulae are attached to the spine by muscle. When you have poor posture and round shoulders, these muscles have forgotten how to hold the scapulae together properly. Poor posture is just a common "bad habit". You need to remind these muscles what to do, as part of the girdle 'team' i.e. to reinforce their correct memory pattern instead of the sloppy poor one, so that the girdle is automatically held in-place for better upper body alignment and balance .... which is what using Pacerpoles does, as you mutter the Shoulder Mantra.

Once the good muscle memory pattern takes over from the poor one, you have replaced a bad habit with a good one. Reinforcing this better upper body posture means that trunk loading is being directed through the more optimum range of the hip/ knee joints working below it, which in turn affects the angle of pull of their muscle attachments, making their action more effective … to improve overall performance.

In general terms muscles can "work" hard either as "Prime Movers" or as "Fixators" (such as when standing - the body isn't moving but the muscles are still working hard 'fixing' the skeleton so we don't fall).

By using the muscles between the scapulae as Fixators - they are still 'working' (but not as prime movers moving the scapulae when it isn't necessary for their walking 'function').

BETTER CHEST EXPANSION:

By keeping your shoulders down-and-marginally-back as you move, you should notice that breathing is easier as the lower chest remains wide open all the time - and your upper arm is 'weighted' central at the side of your trunk for better balance, and not rounded slightly forward of it - as is the habit of most (the warning signs of poor posture and under performance....). Remember that just by having an erect spine does not equate to an erect posture, as it is how the shoulder girdle itself relates to that vertical spine to produce the 3D trunk/body Form which is important.

Experiment yourself, when either sitting or standing: Try taking a deep breath in and out when you have your shoulders rounded/poor posture; then lengthen your neck by lowering your Shoulders Down and marginally back, and take another deep breath in-and-out ...and you'll notice that it's easier and fuller, with greater chest expansion. The ribs are like bucket handles and need space to move up-and-out, then down-and-in ...so air can flow easily to the base of the lungs which have the bigger capacity - as any singer will tell you. If you stoop/droop (eg as you tire) then this space is restricted and air flow is limited to the upper chest, making breathing more difficult….so keep muttering the "Shoulder Mantra" wherever you are (and even more important when at altitude).

2. UNDERSTANDING MANS WALKING GATE:

Basically our walking gait is where each leg (as a lever) lifts the vertical trunk Load up onto the forefoot and it "falls" forward whilst the other leg zips through to plant on the ground, as a new base to support and stabilise the body. The arms are levers too and if extended to the ground using a shaft, they too can support, stabilise and shift the body - to some greater, or lesser extent. How well this is achieved depends on where the shaft tip is placed in relation to the trunk Load (with its centre of gravity being behind the navel) - and - the shape of the handle+extension, against which the hand has to thrust against to instigate and control its own 'stride'.

Note that 'visually' the arm's walking stride action should not be confused with the familiar arm-swings from the shoulder which can happen when the the arms (without poles/sticks) just 'waft' at the side, such as when marching - without having a 'walking' role. These forward arm swings mean rounding the shoulder by "splaying" the girdle at the back unnecessarily, distorting the girdle "form" as the upper arm swings forward of the trunk, wasting effort.

Instead, for the bio-mechanics of our walking gait to Lift-and-Shift its trunk Load effectively, the elbow-hinge joint needs to remain at our side, with the shaft tip placement on the ground under the shoulder - with the crown of the head being directed up to the sky.

Experiment yourself: Imagine standing between parallel bars and you want to lift the trunk up onto the forefoot - you'd place your hand on the bar at your side to Lift you. You wouldn't start with the hand stretched either on the bar behind you, or ahead of you - but under you.

Or try doing a press-up: the first time in the usual way with your hands under your shoulders, to lever your horizontal trunk load upwards. Then try moving your hands further backwards, or forwards, and do another press-up. This time you'll notice it takes more effort even though it is the same load, so you'll be under performing. If you now think about lifting your trunk when it's vertical instead of horizontal ...then the lever action shouldn't be stretched ahead/behind the trunk, as here it can't help the legs to initiate the stride by lifting the trunk onto the forefoot each time, or help reinforce the best muscle teamwork memory pattern to sustain better body posture for the long term. Our Walking gait is a Trunk-Lift-and-Shift action and not the Trunk Shift-and-Twist action reinforced by the nordic style.

When walking - after your 'back' leg has pushed-off from behind, your knee has to bend to clear the foot off the ground - so the only joint 'free' to move the leg forward is the hip; hence the familiar leg 'swing'.

For the arm/extension at the end of its stride, once it has pushed-off from behind - then as the elbow bends to lift the hand/pole off the ground it brings it forward at the same time without needing the shoulder to move (which would waste effort, and compromise the shoulder girdle Form we need to sustain as we walk).

It might be helpful to compare the limbs anatomy. Both are similar such as hip/shoulder; knee/elbow; foot/hand. Basically though, the arms have been 'pinned-on-back-to-front' in the sense that you have the familiar Biceps (brachii) at the front of the arm, whilst Biceps (femoris - one of your 'hamstrings') is at the back of the leg. Your Quadriceps are at the front of the leg, whilst their equivalent the Triceps are at the back of the arm. This means that whilst both the arm/shaft tip placement, and leg limbs can both initiate the stride from being placed on the ground under the trunk to lever it upwards - and then thrust it forward from the push-off behind ...... but visually their movements will "Look" different.......because when you bend your elbow the hand/shaft comes forward for the next stride without needing any shoulder swing/involvement......so just keep muttering the Shoulder mantra as you scoot along!

As we walk, the trunk's lifting-and-shifting can happen each time the arm (elbow hinge) thrusts the hand downwards and backwards against its artificial extension. When this happens using Pacerpoles - then the unique contours along the thumb shelf of the handle are controlling the other motion which happens at the elbow. This important motion to control, is the rolling action of the forearm - so that the forearm itself can remain in its mid-line 'working-position' (instead of starting to roll over into pronation at each stride. 'Pronation' is when the palm of the hand is rolling over to point downwards eg when playing the piano). For the function of walking, whatever the terrain, then to be really effective the arms stride leverage needs the forearm to maintain its mid-line position whilst the elbow hinge joint lifts the hand up, and then down-and-back (perhaps think of this as the wrist/handle moving above and below the hip ...rather than a train piston action of shunting the forearm/upper arm forward and back).

When our arm's forearm rotation isn't controlled it affects the whole of its leverage. So, when pushing down against a suspended strap (tensile and torsional loading), or a tube handle, the forearm will continue to roll out of midline, wasting effort by scrubbing the heel of the hand against the strap or stick top; this can make the hand sore with the friction (where friction is wasted energy!). The action is similar to when the legs are walking on soft sand or snow, where they keep rolling over to the inside of the foot/excess pronation/poor control - wasting effort so the body tires ..... and under performs.

Forearm/wrist/hand alignment. It might be helpful to think of your wrist as 2 rows of small bones on top of each other ...rather like the chains of a bicycle - so if alignment isn't controlled they become off-set and buckle as a potential cause of discomfort especially if the action is repetitive.

I hope that this has been helpful. Perhaps have a re-think about the Bigger Picture - of how you can "move" to get the best out of yourself!

Any queries just ask.

Heather Rhodes

info@pacerpole dot com