[pct-l] Hiking pole study

[jim@rollercoaster.com (Jim Serio)]

At 09:11 PM 1/24/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>Howdy listers,
>Just published in the American College of Sports Medicine journal
>"Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise".  I saw the article in the
>Riverside Press Enterprise and haven't been able to find it (for free)
>on the web. Exercise physiologist Christopher Knight tested 5 men and 5
>women on a treadmill set at 5% grade carrying 30% of their body weight.

I don't put a lot of faith in treadmill exercise. I've done it for years 
with little
to no results. I've run on them and have "simulated" hiking by using the max
grade (normally 15%).

My belief is that you are merely moving your feet in order to not fall off the
machine. Whereas if you were really running, you're actually propelling
your body in forward motion, giving your legs a much better workout. I also
believe these machine are harder on the knees than running (for the same
reason above; running you are propelling your body in a forward motion,
causing less down force with your feet, which is what happens on a treadmill).
I can't see how the poles would help on a treadmill as well since you really
can't simulate them assisting your body up or down steep, rocky, uneven grades.

Just my $.02 from a NON doctor.

Jim