I discovered that it is extremely good for your upper body as well as an overall cardiovascular exercise. You use the poles to push yourself forward, lifting the pressure off your knees and hips transferring the weight onto your triceps and back muscles instead. When done properly there can be up to a 46% increase in energy consumption, burning more calories than regular walking. So I thought, right, that all sounds good to me so I bought myself a set of poles and have been thoroughly enjoying it since. The technique takes a bit of getting used to, but once you have it it definitely feels good.Nordic Walking