About

Over 170 published Biomedical and Life Science research journal literature articles reveal that Nordic Walking is far more beneficial than any other single exercise. Nordic Walking is the lowest effort and impact exercise with the lowest injury risk, whilst having the highest exercise adherence, by far. It is quick and easy to learn, at the lowest cost, exercising the full body, at no perceived additional exertion compared to normal walking. It builds strength, mobility, stability, bone and muscle. It is also a social exercise that you can do in nature or anywhere you are, in normal walking shoes and clothes and in the least amount of time.

Muscle groups affected by Nordic Walking

Muscles Used During Casual Walking 70% 70%
Muscles Used During Nordic Walking 90% 90%

NORDIC WALKING AND HEALTH AND FITNESS RECOVERY TIME

%

Twice as fast recovery

Meet Lohra De Waal

Not only is Lohra De Waal a very passionate Nordic Walker/Trainer, she is also a practicing Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach, as well as a Pilates Instructor.
Trained by Hugh in 2016, Lohra lives in Boston, Western Cape with her husband + 3 daughters, hiking with friends and family throughout South Africa, and in Slovenia, as often as she can.
Lohra is the manager of Southpole Nordic Walking South Africa

What is Nordic Walking?

Nordic Walking is the summer land training for cross country skiers. Normal walking primarily works out your lower body.

With a set of poles added to the normal arm swing and pushing backward during the backswing, the entire upper body is also engaged, without altering the normal walking pattern, and promoting the ideal posture. This turns a normal walk into a powerful full-body workout.

Surprisingly, it does this without any perceived additional exertion compared to normal walking, even though you now burn up to 30% more energy than jogging and 46% more than ordinary walking! This turns a casual walk into the easiest, most rewarding, and most pleasurable exercise.

It’s no wonder why Nordic Walking touts the highest exercise adherence.

Who we are

Since 2005, Southpole has been the only Nordic Walking organisation in South Africa. We are in Cape Town, the southern capital of Nordic Walking™, located on the Cape Peninsula, the finest peninsula created for Nordic Walking in the world™.

What we do

Southpole proudly provides the Modern Nordic Walking method, endorsed by ICNW, the International Council of Nordic Walking in 2019 as the best Nordic Walking method, as it uses the normal human gait pattern and promotes the ideal posture. People of all ages, fitness, and skill levels are welcome to our Modern Nordic Walking method trainings, free events, and Nordic Walking groups in Cape Town.

Meet Hugh Joseph

Hugh is the owner and principal Nordic Walking Instructor of Southpole Nordic Walking. Hugh has been a Nordic Walking Instructor since the inception of Southpole Nordic Walking in 2005.

History of Nordic Walking

Development - 1930s

Competitive cross-country skiers, faced with the dilemma of training without snow in the summer months, began experimenting with a dry-land training method using only skiing poles. Nordic Walking was invented!

Research - 1980s

The physical benefits of Nordic Walking are discovered! A series of sports medicine studies positively correlate the use of walking poles with improved total body fitness levels.

We have over 160 biomedical and life science journal literature results positively proving Nordic Walking’s superiority over other exercise options – ask for a summary of your area of interest.

Innovation - 1997

Special Nordic Walking poles are developed with a uniquely designed wrist strap by Exel, a well known Scandinavian ski pole manufacturer, that keeps the pole in the palm of the hand even when the hand is opened completely. This unique design enables the walker to effortlessly release the pole at the end of the arm’s back-swing, and grasp it during the forward arm-swing. This brought the use of all parts of the upper body into active use and the finest all-body exercise and sport was born. In 1999, Exel coined the phrase “Nordic Walking”, now the fastest growing sport in the world.

Growth - 1999

A Nordic Walking wave swells out from Scandinavian countries to the rest of the world.

Local - 2005

Southpole Nordic Walking South Africa is established in Cape Town by Stephan Muller and Anita Hofbauer. Hugh Joseph is one of the 1st to be trained as a Nordic Walking Instructor for Southpole by a Swiss Nordic Walking Instructor.

Globally - 2019

Over 15 million people in 65 countries are enthralled by the ongoing enjoyment and consistent benefits of Nordic Walking, and that number continues to grow every day!

Hugh Joseph has been South Africa’s only continually active Nordic Walking Instructor for 15 years, having given classes in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durbanville.

The greatest workout start here

Learning Nordic Walking is easy with a properly trained Nordic Walking instructor. Southpole has the easiest correct Nordic Walking Technique training available. With only 4 individual classes you will be Nordic Walking correctly and easily.

Start NOW and reap the benefits of Nordic Walking right away! You can start your first 90 minute class this Saturday and will be surprised by the immediate benefits right from the start.

BOOK YOUR FIRST CLASS

7 Reasons Nordic Walking is the “Perfect Exercise” for you

Provides a TOTAL BODY WORKOUT using 90% of your muscle mass and ALL the major muscle groups…..all in the timeframe of a simple walk – no other single exercise does that!
Proven to aid with a wide variety of debilitating physical and mental conditions
Has the lowest injury incidence rate compared to all other exercises by far!
Burns up to 46% more calories than ordinary walking and up to 30% more calories compared to jogging, without any perceived increase in effort
Can be done almost anywhere at any time
Easy on your wallet. No gym or membership fees to worry about.
Fast, fun and easy to learn. All you need is one class and you’ll be enjoying Nordic Walking like the professionals