Do Poles Improve Performance in Trail Running with Nicola Giovanelli PhD | KoopCast Episode 173
Episode overview:
Nicola is an athlete and professor of motor sciences at the University of Udine. His research has recently focused in the areas of steep train running and how poles can improve performance.
Episode highlights:
(44:42) Metabolic results of maximal testing: no energetic differences with or without poles, at maximal effort energetic cost is always going to be maximal and thus the same
(54:41) Results of submaximal testing: the hypothesis that poles decrease effort, in reality all physiological parameters were the same, no clear advisory for athletes, perhaps results would be different if athletes were fatigued
(1:02:30) Saving your legs: investigating if poles reduce lower limb force, utilizing similar maximal and treadmill tests as the previous study, using poles does reduce force required from the lower limbs, additional durability study
Our conversation:
(0:00) Introduction: introducing Nicola, Pole Walking is Faster but not Cheaper During Uphill Walking, future research with instrumented poles
(1:55) Nicola’s background: becoming the expert on poles, Nordic walking versus trail running, top trail runners use poles, in Nordic walking using poles is energetically costly, cases for more research
(6:46) Recap of the research process: athletes use poles, but existing literature suggests poles may be more costly, recognizing discrepancies between research and practice
(7:44) Measuring speed and cost of running: speed is more directly relevant to performance than energetic cost, investigating performance before unraveling the mechanisms of performance
(12:29) Testing in the mountains: getting out of the lab, pacing every athlete individually
(14:14) Treadmill testing versus field testing: studying pole usage during steep treadmill walking, poles are cheaper on the treadmill, hypothesizing that poles save energy on trails, movement patterns are less patterned on trails
(17:33) Pole technique: treadmills versus trails, double poling and diagonal stride techniques, in nordic walking pole usage is much more patterned than on trails
(18:45) Duration of pole usage: traditional testing uses 5-6 minute intervals, pacing and fatigue matter in the real world
(19:52) Parallel to running economy: testing running economy, using marathon protocols, road marathons require consistent effort, trail races require variable effort, challenges of translating protocols
(22:08) Challenges of measuring running economy: measurements usually take 5-6 minutes, this is not reflective of economy during long-duration trail events, challenges with statistical significance
(25:02) Running economy and performance: on the treadmill poles improve economy by 2-4%, in road marathon running a 1% improvement in running economy translates to a 0.7% improvement in performance, on trails this correlation is unknown
(27:33) Gathering research participants: using local athletes for research studies, athletes want to test themselves, the benefits of having high statistical power
(31:00) Research methods: collecting background data, ITRA performance index, incremental VO2max and vertical velocity testing, getting athletes comfortable walking uphill with poles
(34:11) Uphill graded exercise testing: starting at a 10 degree slope at 5 km/hr, increasing slope up to 24 degrees, then increasing speed until volitional exhaustion, deriving VO2max, vertical velocity, and second ventilatory threshold, use for subsequent testing
(36:31) Two maximal field tests: aiming for similar environmental conditions, two maximal tests up a 400m slope with and without poles, measuring oxygen consumption, lactate, and speed
(39:40) Data collection: comparing time, vertical velocity, calculating 80% of vertical velocity for submaximal testing, recap of methods
(41:29) Speed results of maximal testing: 12 of 15 athletes were faster with poles, poles are ~2.5% faster at maximal uphill effort, some top athletes were slower with poles because they ran instead of walking
(44:42) Metabolic results of maximal testing: no energetic differences with or without poles, at maximal effort energetic cost is always going to be maximal and thus the same
(48:03) Two submaximal field tests: calculating 80% of maximum vertical velocity for submaximal testing, 80% was chosen to represent the intensity of a 6 hour trail race, UTMB example,
(51:39) Pacing athletes to ensure good data: Nicola pacing 60,000m of vert, calculating submaximal paces
(54:41) Results of submaximal testing: the hypothesis that poles decrease effort, in reality all physiological parameters were the same, no clear advisory for athletes, perhaps results would be different if athletes were fatigued
(57:20) Koop’s takeaway: there might be a benefit to using poles in 6 hour trail events, but the benefit is not one of the cardiopulmonary variables measured during the study
(58:27) Future research: investigating redistributed work from lower to upper limbs, using instrumented poles and inserts to measure force from limbs, describing the mechanisms of the sensors in the poles and inserts
(1:02:30) Saving your legs: investigating if poles reduce lower limb force, utilizing similar maximal and treadmill tests as the previous study, using poles does reduce force required from the lower limbs, additional durability study
(1:05:55) Recap of studying limb forces: measuring limb-specific force, changing how athletes use poles, research applications
(1:08:08) Practical takeaways: poles lend greater advantage on steeper slopes and at higher intensities, investigating poles and cost of oxygen transport in long duration events, does cost of transport matter
(1:10:25) The benefit of poles is likely muscular: RPE decreases with poles, lower limb forces decrease, energy is conserved but distributed between all four limbs when hiking uphill, perhaps this saves leg muscles for faster downhill and level movement
(1:13:40) Wrap-up: future studies, where to find Nicola
(1:15:09) Outro: giving thanks, future research on the application of poles, discussing one of Nicola’s new papers in Research Essentials for Ultrarunning
Additional resources:
Pole Walking is Faster but not Cheaper During Uphill Walking
Research Essentials for Ultrarunning
Buy Training Essentials for Ultrarunning on Amazon or Audible
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