BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
This study tested whether trekking poles reduce leg strain during steep uphill movement. Fifteen trained trail runners performed treadmill and outdoor uphill climbs with and without poles, both at moderate and maximum effort. Using force sensors and metabolic testing, researchers found that poles consistently reduced impact on the legs—especially during hard efforts—without making the climb more physically taxing. Poles also improved performance during an outdoor max-effort climb. The study supports the idea that poles “save the legs” by offloading force to the upper body without adding extra fatigue.
Purpose of the Study
The researchers wanted to:
- Measure how much poles reduce the force going into the legs during steep uphill walking.
- See if using poles increases breathing, heart rate, or energy use.
- Test whether poles improve performance in real-world uphill efforts.
Subjects and Research Methodology
- Participants: 15 experienced male trail runners
- Average age: 36.8 years
- Pole experience: 6.4 years
- All were highly fit and well-trained
- Test Sessions:
- Treadmill test to exhaustion: once with poles, once without
- Outdoor submaximal climb (~8 minutes at a steady pace): once with poles, once without
- Outdoor max-effort climb (steep 150m ascent): once with poles, once without
- Measurements Included:
- Force sensors on shoes and poles
- Oxygen use, heart rate, breathing, blood lactate
- Effort level (RPE), speed, and stride rhythm
Key Findings – Mechanical and Physiological Results
| What Was Measured | Result When Using Poles |
|---|---|
| Leg Impact (Treadmill) | 2–3% less force on the legs (average and peak ground reaction force) |
| Leg Impact (Outdoor Moderate) | 2.6% less force on the legs (p = 0.0306) |
| Leg Impact (Outdoor Max Effort) | Over 5% less force on the legs (p = 0.0096) |
| Outdoor Climb Performance | Climbed 2.5% faster with poles (p = 0.025) |
| Oxygen Use, Heart Rate, Lactate | No difference — using poles didn’t increase effort or fatigue |
| Pole Use vs. Leg Load | Greater poling force = more leg load reduction (r = 0.52, p < 0.0001) |
Analysis and Interpretation of Findings
Poles clearly reduced how much force the legs had to absorb, especially during harder efforts like the max outdoor climb. The biggest reduction—over 5%—came during the most intense uphill, when terrain and effort closely matched real-world conditions.
Crucially, this offloading didn’t increase fatigue. Oxygen use, heart rate, breathing, and blood lactate were all the same with or without poles, meaning that the poles helped shift the workload to the upper body without making the climb harder overall.
The more force a runner applied through the poles, the more they reduced load on their legs. That means pole technique matters—stronger, more consistent pole use creates greater benefits.
In the outdoor max-effort test, runners moved faster when using poles. That performance gain did not show up in the treadmill test, likely because of the rigid, controlled pacing used on the treadmill.
Other small changes were also observed: stride timing adjusted slightly on the treadmill with poles, and pole rhythm shifted to a faster pattern during harder efforts on the trail.
Conclusion
Using poles during steep uphill climbs reduces the pounding on the legs without making the body work harder. The load is shifted to the upper body, which may delay leg fatigue and improve climbing performance. In this study, poles helped runners climb faster outdoors and hit the same intensity with less stress on the lower body. The results support the practical idea that poles can “save the legs” during long, steep ascents—without a tradeoff in energy cost.
Bibliography
Giovanelli, N., Pellegrini, B., Bortolan, L., Mari, L., Schena, F., & Lazzer, S. (2023). Do poles really “save the legs” during uphill pole walking at different intensities? European Journal of Applied Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-023-05254-9