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The influence of flexibility on the economy of walking and jogging
Author(s) -
Gleim Gilbert W.,
Stachenfeld Nina S.,
Nicholas James A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.1100080606
Subject(s) - running economy , trunk , flexibility (engineering) , treadmill , physical therapy , analysis of variance , physical medicine and rehabilitation , mathematics , medicine , vo2 max , psychology , statistics , biology , ecology , heart rate , blood pressure
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 (VO 2 ) 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 O 2 /m/kg (9%, p < 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 VO 2 for treadmill walking and jogging.