Interesting read about trekking poles

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Lioness
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Lioness »

rijaca wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:18 am
Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:06 am Listen to the scientists:

PROPER POLE USE

When walking on flat terrain, hold your poles so your arms are bent at about 90 degrees. Take time to readjust pole length when going up (shorten) or downhill (lengthen) so you can maintain a comfortable grip and upright posture. Researcher Dr. Knight recommends using wrist straps and a light grip on the handles.

https://www.backpacker.com/gear/the-sci ... king-poles
When walking on flat terrain. Doesn't look too flat to me....
Pilgrim w poles.jpg
Is your belly too big or your jacket too small?
Lioness
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Lioness »

timisimaginary wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:23 am

going downhill, using the straps is pointless. they're more for balance than anything else, and if you need to take stress off your knees, it helps more to place your hands on top of the grips than to put weight into the straps. also, having your wrists in the straps is more of a risk if you fall when you're going downhill. falling uphill isn't likely to lead to injury, but downhill is a different story.
A lot wrong there. First, more deaths and injuries happen going down the mountain than up.

Straps incorporate the larger triceps and back muscles. Gripping the handles engages the forearm and biceps. Also, when falling and trying to stop it by grasping the handle with small tired muscles and sweaty hands is a bad idea. Havint your wrists in the traps is only a risk if you are using them wrong.

Here's the deal. Do us all a favor; if you get hurt by not using your poles properly don't call SAR; take responsibility for your actions and crawl back to the trail head.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by nyker »

Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:02 am
nyker wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:54 am
Chicago Transplant wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:44 am

I never use the straps either, but that comes more from tree skiing - using straps is a good way to break your wrist if you catch it on a branch or something. I guess I figure the same risk comes in hiking, catching it on a branch, root, stuck in between rocks, marmot hole, etc. I like the ease of release.
agree - I'm always afraid of my poles getting stuck in the straps and then my hand would be locked into the pole as it goes down and I face plant or worse.
Watch the video I posted above. It sound as if you are using the straps wrong.
Nope, using them correctly. ...to be clear I do find straps are helpful on more straightforward terrain and work well to disperse the force from being purely on the wrist, but in sketchier terrain (if I haven't put the poles in my pack yet) any loop around my wrist is a liability where you might get stuck and need your hand in a split second to grab something.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Lioness »

nyker wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:00 am
Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:02 am
nyker wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:54 am

agree - I'm always afraid of my poles getting stuck in the straps and then my hand would be locked into the pole as it goes down and I face plant or worse.
Watch the video I posted above. It sound as if you are using the straps wrong.
Nope, using them correctly. ...to be clear I do find straps are helpful on more straightforward terrain and work well to disperse the force from being purely on the wrist, but in sketchier terrain (if I haven't put the poles in my pack yet) any loop around my wrist is a liability where you might get stuck and need your hand in a split second to grab something.
So you're saying that when you are not using your trekking poles as trekking poles but dangling from your wrist they could be a liability? I think we all would agree with that. Also, don't use your trekking poles as a can opener.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by rijaca »

Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:00 am Here's the deal. Do us all a favor; if you get hurt by not using your poles properly don't call SAR; take responsibility for your actions and crawl back to the trail head.
We don't you do the .com a favor and crawl back into the hole from which you've emerged. You haven't made a single post that demonstrates that you have actually hiked anything.
Last edited by rijaca on Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SamWerner
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by SamWerner »

Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:00 am
timisimaginary wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:23 am

going downhill, using the straps is pointless. they're more for balance than anything else, and if you need to take stress off your knees, it helps more to place your hands on top of the grips than to put weight into the straps. also, having your wrists in the straps is more of a risk if you fall when you're going downhill. falling uphill isn't likely to lead to injury, but downhill is a different story.
A lot wrong there. First, more deaths and injuries happen going down the mountain than up.

Straps incorporate the larger triceps and back muscles. Gripping the handles engages the forearm and biceps. Also, when falling and trying to stop it by grasping the handle with small tired muscles and sweaty hands is a bad idea. Havint your wrists in the traps is only a risk if you are using them wrong.

Here's the deal. Do us all a favor; if you get hurt by not using your poles properly don't call SAR; take responsibility for your actions and crawl back to the trail head.
So you're saying that somehow, when you grip the handles, you completely change the movement you're doing with poles from pushing down to lifting up? Regardless of whether you're using straps or holding the handles, you will be engaging your triceps, back, and core. Holding the handles adds forearms, but it doesn't magically subtract the other muscle groups that you're using, because you are still performing the same movement.

Do us all a favor, stop being rude to everyone on the forum for no reason.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by mtnkub »

I'm with lioness regarding use of straps. I find that they help with ease and efficiency of use in any situation that i want my poles out, including when gripping the top of the poles on the downhill. (I really don't care what YOU do with your straps though, unless it is within 6ft of me and unmasked).
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Lioness »

SamWerner wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:12 am
Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:00 am
timisimaginary wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:23 am

going downhill, using the straps is pointless. they're more for balance than anything else, and if you need to take stress off your knees, it helps more to place your hands on top of the grips than to put weight into the straps. also, having your wrists in the straps is more of a risk if you fall when you're going downhill. falling uphill isn't likely to lead to injury, but downhill is a different story.
A lot wrong there. First, more deaths and injuries happen going down the mountain than up.

Straps incorporate the larger triceps and back muscles. Gripping the handles engages the forearm and biceps. Also, when falling and trying to stop it by grasping the handle with small tired muscles and sweaty hands is a bad idea. Havint your wrists in the traps is only a risk if you are using them wrong.

Here's the deal. Do us all a favor; if you get hurt by not using your poles properly don't call SAR; take responsibility for your actions and crawl back to the trail head.
So you're saying that somehow, when you grip the handles, you completely change the movement you're doing with poles from pushing down to lifting up?
So you're attributing something to me I never wrote. You can't address what I wrote directly so you make up stuff. That's nice.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Lioness »

Tricep power: Your triceps (aka bingo wings) are at the back of your upper arm. Concentrate on using them, not your neck and shoulders, when you push the pole backwards.
Power through the pole: The harder you push through the pole the more you’ll work your triceps.
Extend the push behind you: This is an aspect of the advanced technique that is well worth focusing on if you want to tone up your arms. Try to speed up your arm swing so that you continue your arm swing behind your hips. It’s a hard but perfect workout for your triceps!
https://www.bristolnordicwalking.co.uk/ ... ng-reasons

http://www.thehappytalent.com/products/ ... e%20health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4587792/
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Dan_Suitor »

Proper use of straps is very important to avoid injury, especially to the thumbs and wrist. I use poles on class 1 – 2 terrain. On class 3 and above, I telescope them down and put them in my pack. I don’t care if others do/don’t use them, but for me, they help balance, fatigue, technique, and joints.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by SamWerner »

Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:29 am
SamWerner wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:12 am
Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:00 am

A lot wrong there. First, more deaths and injuries happen going down the mountain than up.

Straps incorporate the larger triceps and back muscles. Gripping the handles engages the forearm and biceps. Also, when falling and trying to stop it by grasping the handle with small tired muscles and sweaty hands is a bad idea. Havint your wrists in the traps is only a risk if you are using them wrong.

Here's the deal. Do us all a favor; if you get hurt by not using your poles properly don't call SAR; take responsibility for your actions and crawl back to the trail head.
So you're saying that somehow, when you grip the handles, you completely change the movement you're doing with poles from pushing down to lifting up?
So you're attributing something to me I never wrote. You can't address what I wrote directly so you make up stuff. That's nice.
"Straps incorporate the larger triceps and back muscles. Gripping the handles engages the forearm and biceps." Your biceps, when contracted, move your arm from straight to bent. Using handles does not make the fundamental action of using poles change from being a tricep/back dominant movement to being a bicep dominant movement. Regardless of how you hold the pole, you still propel yourself with it by extending your arms. I can't think of a way to significantly work your biceps while using poles without using excessively heavy poles, which is obviously a terrible idea.

I never said that straps are a bad thing. I typically use poles on terrain that is varied enough that I need to be able to quickly adjust my hand position to account for different ground levels. Using straps makes that impossible.
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Re: Interesting read about trekking poles

Post by Lioness »

SamWerner wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:46 am
Lioness wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:29 am
SamWerner wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:12 am

So you're saying that somehow, when you grip the handles, you completely change the movement you're doing with poles from pushing down to lifting up?
So you're attributing something to me I never wrote. You can't address what I wrote directly so you make up stuff. That's nice.
"Straps incorporate the larger triceps and back muscles. Gripping the handles engages the forearm and biceps." Your biceps, when contracted, move your arm from straight to bent. Using handles does not make the fundamental action of using poles change from being a tricep/back dominant movement to being a bicep dominant movement. Regardless of how you hold the pole, you still propel yourself with it by extending your arms. I can't think of a way to significantly work your biceps while using poles without using excessively heavy poles, which is obviously a terrible idea.

I never said that straps are a bad thing. I typically use poles on terrain that is varied enough that I need to be able to quickly adjust my hand position to account for different ground levels. Using straps makes that impossible.
So?, you're agreeing with me and disagreeing with many other people here?! That takes courage. (Also, you forgot that trying to grasp the handles while falling with your weak forearm muscles is a weak response.

Are you Tallgrass. (P.S. I don't know who Tallgrass is. I'm guessing it is like "Who is John Galt?")
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