QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online August 31, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 3255-3265 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.000950

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Umberger, B. R. Articles by Martin, P. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Umberger, B. R. Articles by Martin, P. E.

Mechanical power and efficiency of level walking with different stride rates

Brian R. Umberger^1,2,* and Philip E. Martin^2,3

¹ Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
² Department of Kinesiology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
³ Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: umberger{at}kin.umass.edu)

Accepted 9 July 2007

Walking humans prefer to use the stride rate that results in the lowest rate of metabolic energy expenditure. Mechanical power requirements have been suggested to underlie the metabolic response, but mechanical power is consistently reported to be minimal at stride rates 20–30% lower than preferred. This may be due to limitations in how total mechanical power has been computed, as well as a failure to account for the efficiency with which muscular work is done. We investigated how mechanical power and efficiency depend on stride rate in walking, with both quantities computed from the work done by the hip, knee and ankle joint moments. Our hypotheses were that mechanical power and efficiency are both optimized at the preferred stride rate, which would explain why metabolic energy expenditure is minimized at this rate. Contrary to our hypotheses, mechanical power curves exhibited plateaus that spanned stride rates lower than preferred (predicted optima: 11–12% below preferred), while net mechanical efficiency exhibited a plateau that spanned stride rates higher than preferred (predicted optimum: 8% above preferred). As expected, preferred stride rate (54.3 strides min^–1) was not different from the stride rate that minimized net metabolic energy expenditure (predicted optimum: 0.2% above preferred). Given that mechanical power and mechanical efficiency exhibited plateaus on opposite sides of the preferred stride rate, the preferred rate in walking likely represents a compromise between these two factors. This may also explain the relative flatness of the curve for metabolic rate in the vicinity of the preferred stride rate.

Key words: locomotion, gait, biomechanics, energetics, mechanical work

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. S. Sawicki and D. P. Ferris Mechanics and energetics of level walking with powered ankle exoskeletons J. Exp. Biol., May 1, 2008; 211(9): 1402 - 1413. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]