Randomized Trial of Nordic Walking vs. Standard Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Heart Failure

Participants in the Nordic walking group will be provided with walking poles (GymstickTM Nordic Walking Poles, Gymstick International OY, Lahti, Finland) for the duration of the study. They will attend on-site exercise classes twice weekly for 12 weeks. The on-site exercise training classes will be one hour in length and include the following components: a 15 minute chair warm-up that excludes resistance exercises; 10-15 minutes of walking with Nordic walking poles for the first 3 weeks, progressing to 30 minutes of continuous walking with poles for the remaining 9 weeks; and 15 minutes of cool down exercises. Participants will be instructed to take the walking poles home and perform 200-400 minutes of Nordic walking per week for 12 weeks