Walking Economy Research Articles

Interrelationships between mechanical power, energy transfers, and walking and running economy

The interrelationships between aerobic demand, kinematic and kinetic-based estimates of mechanical power output and energy transfer, and total body angular impulse (summation of net joint moments integrated with respect to time over a stride) were quantified for walking at 1.69 m.s-1 and running at 3.35 m.s-1 to assess the ability of these various biomechanical expressions to explain interin-dividual differences in walking and running economy. Fourteen healthy men participated in the walking study and 16 recreational male runners were subjects for the running analysis. Each subject performed treadmill locomotion for determination of aerobic demand and overground locomotion from which biomechanical measures were quantified. It was expected that mechanical power and angular impulse expressions would correlate positively with aerobic demand while energy transfer expressions would correlate negatively. Correlations between aerobic demand and power estimates primarily were positive, but explained no more than 32% of the variability in walking or running VO2 (center of mass model: 0.22 < r < 0.57; segment-based model: -0.02 < r < 0.20; kinetic model: -0.07 < r < 0.22). Total body angular impulse also correlated positively with aerobic demand (0.32 < r < 0.42). Energy transfer expressions from the various analytical models showed no consistent relationship with aerobic demand, either in terms of magnitude or direction (-0.26 < r < 0.48). It was concluded that mechanical power, energy transfer, and angular impulse expressions frequently used in analyses of gait explain only a small proportion of normal interindividual variability in the aerobic demand at a given speed of walking or running.

Perceived exertion and physiological economy of competition walking, ordinary walking and running

Four competition walkers performed competition walking, ordinary walking and running on a treadmill on two different occasions. During the two walking modes, the subjects performed maximal tests. During running, the session was terminated at a heart rate of 150 beats min-1 or an exertion rating--for either chest or leg--of 5 or higher. The tests commenced at 2.5 km h-1 and the velocity was increased by 2.5 km h-1 every 4 min. Measures of chest exertion and breathlessness, leg exertion, heart rate and blood lactate were taken every 4 min just prior to the velocity changes. The measured psychological and physiological variables were described by monotonously accelerating power functions with exponents around 2 for the perceptual variables at both walking modes. The heart rate growth for competition walking accelerated according to a function with an exponent of 1.7, which is lower than that for ordinary walking (2.0), but higher than that for running which is linear. No significant difference was found between maximal oxygen uptake when competition walking and running were compared. A second test was carried out so as to confirm the cross-over point for the heart rate curves in the two walking modes. The cross-over point for the two walking curves were determined to be at 8.6 km h-1.

Effects of Obesity on Aerobic Fitness in Adolescent Females

Obesity impairs performance in most athletic events, but the influence of increased body fat on cardiopulmonary function has not been clearly delineated. An understanding of the fatness-fitness relationship is important in the optimal design of exercise programs for obese subjects. In this study, 27 adolescent females with body fat levels ranging from normal to gross obesity were evaluated to determine the impact of adiposity on physiologic factors during maximal and submaximal treadmill walking. Increased skinfold measures correlated significantly with absolute maximal oxygen uptake throughout the range of body fat levels (r = .72), and oxygen consumption per kilogram of body weight and treadmill endurance time both declined as fatness increased (r = -.49 and -.42, respectively). Obesity did not affect submaximal walking economy. These findings indicate that increased fat levels are associated with increased cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, but that functional fitness declines because of the inert load created by excess body fat. Therefore, therapeutic exercise programs for obese adolescents are best designed to increase caloric expenditure and decrease body fat rather than to improve aerobic fitness.

The influence of flexibility on the economy of walking and jogging

The relationship of 11 measures of trunk and lower limb flexibility to the economy of treadmill walking and jogging as measured by steady-state oxygen consumption (VO2) was studied. Subjects (38 women, 62 men, aged 20-62 years) were tested at six speeds between 53.6 and 187.7 m/min. By combining scores from all flexibility tests, and beginning at speeds of 107.3 m/min, the "tightest" third used significantly less O2/m/kg (9%, p less than 0.05) than the "loosest" third, with "normals" in between. Two tests, trunk rotation and lower limb turnout, gave the best separation for walking/jogging economy, with the "tightest" third differing significantly from the "loosest" (8-12%) at all speeds tested (ANOVA with Scheffe). We conclude that nonpathological musculoskeletal tightness was associated with a decreased steady-state VO2 for treadmill walking and jogging.

Specificity of physiological adaptation to endurance training in distance runners and competitive walkers

The present study was designed to evaluate the specificity of physiological adaptation to extra endurance training in five female competitive walkers and six female distance runners. The mean velocity (v) during training, corresponding to 4 mM blood lactate [onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA)] during treadmill incremental exercise (training v was 2.86 m.s-1, SD 0.21 in walkers and 4.02 m.s-1, SD 0.11 in runners) was added to their normal training programme and was performed for 20 min, 6 days a week for 8 weeks, and was called extra training. An additional six female distance runners performed only their normal training programme every day for about 120 min at an exercise intensity equivalent to their lactate threshold (LT) (i.e. a running v of about 3.33 m.s-1). After the extra training, there were statistically significant increases in blood lactate variables (i.e. oxygen uptake (VO2) at LT, v at LT, VO2 at OBLA, v at OBLA; P less than 0.05), and running v for 3,000 m (P less than 0.01) in the running training group. In the walking training group, there were significant increases in blood lactate variables (i.e., v at LT, v at OBLA; P less than 0.05), and walking economy. In contrast, there were no significant changes in lactate variables, running v and economy in the group of runners which carried out only the normal training programme. It is suggested that the changes in blood lactate variables such as LT and OBLA played a role in improving v of both the distance runners and the competitive walkers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

ENERGY EXPENDITURE INDEX OF WALKING FOR NORMAL CHILDREN AND FOR CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Energy expenditure indices (EEI) based on oxygen uptake and heart rate were used to compare the economy of walking at various speeds by normal and cerebral-palsied children. At low walking speeds, EEI values were high, indicating poor economy. At higher speeds the EEI values decreased until a range of maximum economy was reached. For normal children who were capable of walking beyond this range at higher speeds, the EEI increased again. This pattern was noted for both oxygen-uptake and heart-rate indices. Mean EEI values based on oxygen uptake and heart rate for normal children were significantly lower and occurred at faster walking speeds than values for children with cerebral palsy. EEI based on either oxygen uptake or heart rate can be used clinically to provide objective information to help evaluate the influence on gait function of surgical intervention, ambulatory aids or orthotics.

Physiological determinants of race walking performance in female race walkers.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between race pace on a 5 km walking performance and velocity at the lactate threshold (V-LT), VO2 at the lactate threshold (VO2-LT), velocity at which blood lactate corresponded to 4 mM level (V-OBLA), VO2 at which blood lactate corresponded to 4 mM level (VO2-OBLA), walking economy (steady state VO2 at a standard velocity) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in eight female race walkers. A multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was employed to predict the race pace on a 5 km walking performance as dependent variable. Since V-OBLA was highly correlated to 5 km race walking performance (r = 0.94, P less than 0.001), it was selected as the first predictor. When VO2max was added to V-OBLA as the second predictor the predictive accuracy increased significantly, but multiple R did not increase significantly by adding variables of walking economy or other parameters as independent variance. As a result, the combination of V-OBLA and VO2max as independent variables accounted for the greatest amount of total variance (97 per cent). It is suggested that blood lactate variable such as V-OBLA can account for a large portion of the variance in race pace on a 5 km walking performance.

The effect of lower extremity inertia manipulation on walking economy and mechanics

The effect of lower extremity inertia manipulation on walking economy and mechanics

Aerobic training exercises for individuals who had amputation of the lower limb.

The findings in ten subjects who had an amputation of the lower limb or limbs were studied before and after a fifteen-week aerobic conditioning program to determine if it improved cardiovascular fitness and reduced the effort of walking. Each subject exercised on an Air-Dyne ergometer (Schwinn, Chicago, Illinois) regularly during each week of the study period at 60 to 80 per cent of their estimated maximum heart rate. A test of maximum exercise on the ergometer and a test of walking on a treadmill were administered before and after training. After training, there was an increase of 25 per cent in the maximum capacity for exercise on the ergometer as well as significantly lower values for heart rate and consumption of oxygen during submaximum walking on the treadmill at various inclined grades. Aerobic conditioning was shown not only to improve cardiovascular fitness but also to increase the economy of walking in the subject who had an amputation of the lower limb or limbs.

Metabolic cost of walking at different speeds with patellar tendon-bearing prosthesis.

ArticleMetabolic cost of walking at different speeds with patellar tendon-bearing prosthesis.S Ganguli, S R Datta, B B Chatterjee, and B N RoyS Ganguli, S R Datta, B B Chatterjee, and B N RoyPublished Online:01 Apr 1974https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1974.36.4.440MoreSectionsPDF (944 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByGeneral estimates of the energy cost of walking in people with different levels and causes of lower-limb amputation: a systematic review and meta-analysis16 September 2021 | Prosthetics & Orthotics International, Vol. 45, No. 5Effect of standing and sitting positions on energy expenditure in people with transtibial amputation compared to age- and sex-matched controls25 March 2021 | Prosthetics & Orthotics International, Vol. 45, No. 3Metabolic costs of activities of daily living in persons with a lower limb amputation: A systematic review and meta-analysis20 March 2019 | PLOS ONE, Vol. 14, No. 3Robotic lower limb prosthesis design through simultaneous computer optimizations of human and prosthesis costs9 February 2016 | Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, No. 1Relation Between Aerobic Capacity and Walking Ability in Older Adults With a Lower-Limb AmputationArchives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 94, No. 9A comparative study of oxygen consumption for conventional and energy-storing prosthetic feet in transfemoral amputees1 October 2008 | Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 22, No. 10-11Les muscles de l’amputé tibialAnnales de Réadaptation et de Médecine Physique, Vol. 51, No. 3Mechanical energetic contributions from individual muscles and elastic prosthetic feet during symmetric unilateral transtibial amputee walking: A theoretical studyJournal of Biomechanics, Vol. 40, No. 8Comparison of Rectified and Unrectified Sockets for Transtibial AmputeesJPO Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Vol. 18, No. 1Energy expenditure during walking in amputees after disarticulation of the hipThe Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume, Vol. 87-B, No. 1Realtime Visual Feedback Diminishes Energy Consumption of Amputee Subjects During Treadmill LocomotionJPO Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Vol. 16, No. 2Preliminary Investigation Comparing Rectified and Unrectified Sockets for Transtibial AmputeesJPO Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Vol. 15, No. 4Effect of an Intelligent Prosthesis (IP) on the Walking Ability of Young Transfemoral AmputeesAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Vol. 82, No. 6The energy expenditure of normal and pathologic gaitGait & Posture, Vol. 9, No. 3The effects of prosthesis mass on metabolic cost of ambulation in non-vascular trans-tibial amputeesProsthetics & Orthotics International, Vol. 21, No. 1Cardiac Rehabilitation in the Lower-extremity AmputeePhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, Vol. 6, No. 2A pilot study to test the influence of specific prosthetic features in preventing trans-tibial amputees from walking like able-bodied subjectsProsthetics & Orthotics International, Vol. 18, No. 3Energy expenditure of trans-tibial amputees during ambulation at self-selected paceProsthetics & Orthotics International, Vol. 18, No. 2Effect of anterior cruciate ligament deficiency on economy of walking and joggingJournal of Orthopaedic Research, Vol. 12, No. 4A review of the energy expenditure of disabled locomotion with special reference to lower limb amputees10 July 2009 | Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, Vol. 8, No. 2The influence of flexibility on the economy of walking and joggingJournal of Orthopaedic Research, Vol. 8, No. 6Metabolic energy demand and optimal walking speed in post-polio subjects with lower limb afflictionsApplied Ergonomics, Vol. 13, No. 4Metabolic cost of walking at different speeds with axillary crutches7 October 2010 | Ergonomics, Vol. 23, No. 6 More from this issue > Volume 36Issue 4April 1974Pages 440-3 https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1974.36.4.440PubMed4820326History Published online 1 April 1974 Published in print 1 April 1974 Metrics

Muscle metabolism during exercise with concentric and eccentric contractions.

ArticleMuscle metabolism during exercise with concentric and eccentric contractions.F Bonde-Petersen, H G Knuttgen, and J HenrikssonF Bonde-Petersen, H G Knuttgen, and J HenrikssonPublished Online:01 Dec 1972https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1972.33.6.792MoreSectionsPDF (954 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited BySubmaximal Eccentric Cycling in People With COPDChest, Vol. 159, No. 2Chronic Eccentric Cycling Training Improves Walking Economy in Healthy Individuals15 June 2020 | Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, Vol. 9, No. 2Effect of Eccentric Cycling and Plyometric Training on Physiological and Performance Related Parameters of Trained Junior Track Cyclists28 August 2020 | Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, Vol. 27, No. 1Biology and Etiology of Muscle-Tendon Injuries29 June 2019Cardiovascular and Muscular Consequences of Work-Matched Interval-Type of Concentric and Eccentric Pedaling Exercise on a Soft Robot31 August 2017 | Frontiers in Physiology, Vol. 8Eccentric Exercise: Physiological Characteristics and Acute Responses15 September 2016 | Sports Medicine, Vol. 47, No. 4The Relationship Between Muscle Action and Repetition Maximum on the Squat and Bench Press in Men and WomenJournal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 28, No. 9Unaccustomed Eccentric Contractions Impair Plasma K+ Regulation in the Absence of Changes in Muscle Na+,K+-ATPase Content24 June 2014 | PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, No. 6Isocinétisme : le travail musculaire excentrique15 April 2013 | La Lettre de médecine physique et de réadaptation, Vol. 29, No. 2Eccentric Exercise Training: Modalities, Applications and Perspectives9 May 2013 | Sports Medicine, Vol. 43, No. 6The Motor-Learning Process of Older Adults in Eccentric Bicycle Ergometer TrainingJournal of Aging and Physical Activity, Vol. 20, No. 3Muscle fiber conduction velocity is more affected after eccentric than concentric exercise24 September 2010 | European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 111, No. 2Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy AdultsMedicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Vol. 41, No. 3Effects of Endurance Training by Eccentric ContractionRigakuryoho Kagaku, Vol. 23, No. 2Effects of lengthening contraction on calcium kinetics and skeletal muscle contractility in humansActa Physiologica Scandinavica, Vol. 184, No. 3Metabolic cost of lengthening, isometric and shortening contractions in maximally stimulated rat skeletal muscleActa Physiologica Scandinavica, Vol. 182, No. 2Le travail musculaire excentrique : intérêts dans la prise en charge thérapeutique du sportifAnnales de Réadaptation et de Médecine Physique, Vol. 47, No. 6Terminology for contractions of muscles during shortening, while isometric, and during lengtheningJohn A. Faulkner1 August 2003 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 95, No. 2Effect of a Selected Amino Acid Mixture on the Recovery from Muscle Fatigue during and after Eccentric Contraction Exercise Training22 May 2014 | Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, Vol. 67, No. 2Comparison of oxygen uptake kinetics during concentric and eccentric cycle exerciseS. Perrey, A. Betik, R. Candau, J. D. Rouillon, and R. L. Hughson1 November 2001 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 91, No. 5The influence of muscle action on the acute growth hormone response to resistance exercise and short-term detrainingGrowth Hormone & IGF Research, Vol. 11, No. 2Quadriceps concentric and eccentric exercise 1: Changes in contractile and electrical activity following eccentric and concentric exerciseJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Vol. 4, No. 1Basic Principles of Resistance Training11 January 2010Effect of concentric and eccentric muscle actions on muscle sympathetic nerve activityDario I. Carrasco, Michael D. Delp, and Chester A. Ray1 February 1999 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 86, No. 2Rat hindlimb muscle blood flow during level and downhill locomotionMichael D. Delp, Changping Duan, Chester A. Ray, and R. B. Armstrong1 February 1999 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 86, No. 2Neuromuscular factors contributing to in vivo eccentric moment generationSandra Webber, and Dean Kriellaars1 July 1997 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 1Effects of Exhaustive Concentric and Eccentric Exercise on Murine Skeletal MuscleArchives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 75, No. 5Muscular mechanical energy expenditure as a process for detecting potential risks in manual materials handlingJournal of Biomechanics, Vol. 24, No. 3-4The effect of exercise intensity and duration on the oxygen deficit and excess post-exercise oxygen consumptionEuropean Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, Vol. 60, No. 3Internal work and physiological responses during concentric and eccentric cycle ergometryEuropean Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, Vol. 55, No. 3Comparison of uphill and downhill walking and concentric and eccentric cycling27 April 2007 | Ergonomics, Vol. 25, No. 5PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN FATIGUEThe time course of phosphorylcreatine resynthesis during recovery of the quadriceps muscle in manPfl�gers Archiv European Journal of Physiology, Vol. 367, No. 2Individual Differences in O 2 Deficit and O 2 Debt17 March 2013 | Research Quarterly. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Vol. 45, No. 3Glycogen Utilization in Leg Muscles of Men during Level and Uphill RunningActa Physiologica Scandinavica, Vol. 91, No. 4 More from this issue > Volume 33Issue 6December 1972Pages 792-5 https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1972.33.6.792PubMed4643859History Published online 1 December 1972 Published in print 1 December 1972 Metrics

Oxygen deficit-oxygen debt relationships and efficiency of anaerobic work.

ARTICLESOxygen deficit-oxygen debt relationships and efficiency of anaerobic workB. J. Whipp, C. Seard, and K. WassermanB. J. Whipp, C. Seard, and K. WassermanPublished Online:01 Apr 1970https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1970.28.4.452MoreSectionsPDF (1 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByReal-world walking economy: can laboratory equations predict field energy expenditure?Peter G. Weyand, Lindsay W. Ludlow, Jennifer J. Nollkamper, and Mark J. Buller12 October 2021 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 131, No. 4Dynamics of cardiorespiratory response during and after the six-minute walk test in patients with heart failure6 July 2018 | Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, Vol. 132Pathophysiology of Chronic Systolic Heart Failure. A View from the PeripheryAnnals of the American Thoracic Society, Vol. 15, No. Supplement_1Biomechanical efficiency is decreased in heart failure during low-level steady state and maximal ramp exercise6 August 2004 | European Journal of Heart Failure, Vol. 6, No. 7Skeletal muscle dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Vol. 33, No. SupplementNorepinephrine alters exercise oxygen consumption in heart failure patientsMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Vol. 32, No. 12Acceleration of V˙o2kinetics in heavy submaximal exercise by hyperoxia and prior high-intensity exerciseMaureen Macdonald, Preben K. Pedersen, and Richard L. Hughson1 October 1997 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 4Glycolytic activity and enhancement of serotonin uptake by endothelial cells exposed to hypoxia/anoxia.Circulation Research, Vol. 60, No. 5Gas exchanges during exercise in normoxia and hyperoxiaRespiration Physiology, Vol. 33, No. 2Active Vs. Passive Recovery from Short-Term Supramaximal Exercise17 March 2013 | Research Quarterly. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Vol. 49, No. 2Oxygen uptake transients at the onset and offset of arm and leg workRespiration Physiology, Vol. 30, No. 1-2Minute-by-Minute Oxygen Requirement and Work Efficiency for Constant- Load Exercise of Increasing Duration17 March 2013 | Research Quarterly. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Vol. 46, No. 1Individual Differences in O 2 Deficit and O 2 Debt17 March 2013 | Research Quarterly. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Vol. 45, No. 3 More from this issue > Volume 28Issue 4April 1970Pages 452-456 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1970 the American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1970.28.4.452PubMed5437434History Published online 1 April 1970 Published in print 1 April 1970 Metrics

Energy cost of loads carried on the head, hands, or feet.

Energy cost of loads carried on the head, hands, or feet.