Energy expenditure does not solely explain step length-width choices during walking.

ABSTRACT: Healthy young adults have a most preferred walking speed, step length and step width that are close to energetically optimal. However, people can choose to walk with a multitude of different step lengths and widths, which can vary in both energy expenditure and preference. Here, we further investigated step length-width preferences and their relationship to energy expenditure. In line with a growing body of research, we hypothesized that people's preferred stepping patterns would not be fully explained by metabolic energy expenditure. To test this hypothesis, we used a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm. Fifteen participants walked on an oversized treadmill. Each trial, participants performed two prescribed stepping patterns and then chose the pattern they preferred. Over time, we adap

SUBMITTER: Antos SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8996813 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature