THE ADVANTAGES OF TRAIL RUNNING POLES
You could fill entire libraries with books on scientific research into running shoes. Running with poles, on the other hand, is still a largely unexplored area. We take a look at the current state of science. Find out how trail running poles can help you save energy, maintain your pace and become more efficient.
INTRODUCTION
The status quo: No trail runner in the field of top finishers can complete a race like the UTMB without poles. For both world-class and amateur athletes, it goes without saying that poles should be used for longer races with large differences in altitude. So what exactly do the poles do? In order to scientifically understand the exact effects of poles in trail running, you have to look at it from two perspectives. Firstly, from a biomechanical perspective. This raises the question of how the movement of the body and in particular muscle activity changes. Secondly, the metabolic perspective. How do the chemical processes in our body, the oxygen uptake and, above all, the heart rate behave?
BIOMECHANICS
Basically, it is clear that the use of poles relieves the legs and shifts some of the strain to the upper body. The whole thing costs oxygen (explained later). The general opinion that poles are easy on the legs definitely has a scientific background. Research shows that the stride length increases through the use of poles, which in turn leads to a higher speed (Willson et al. [1]). At the same time, ground reaction and joint strength decrease. Basically, the aim is to put less strain on the lower limbs so that longer distances can be covered. The lower body parts have to do most of the work when running. Therefore, every percent of load that can be distributed to the arms, shoulders and core prevents the legs from tiring after countless kilometers and hours of running.
