AUTHOR=Sandbakk Øyvind , Perl Rilana , Holmberg Hans-Christer , Steiner Thomas 

TITLE=Energetic Cost and Kinematics of Pushing a Stroller on Flat and Uphill Terrain

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.00574

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.00574

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=During early parenthood, walking and/or running while pushing a stroller is a common form of endurance exercise among both recreationally active individuals and athletes. Here, we investigate how pushing a stroller influences the energetic cost, gross efficiency and kinematic behaviour of well-trained men and women while walking or running on flat and uphill incline.

Eight men and nine women, all recreationally active, performed three 5-min submaximal tests of walking or running during four different testing sessions, in randomized order: with and without pushing a 24.3-kg stroller on a flat (1%; 6, 8/9 and 11/12 km/h for women/men) and uphill (10%; 5, 6.5/7.5 and 7.5/8.5 km/h for women/men) incline. Respiratory parameters, heart rate, blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were determined and video-based kinematic analysis was performed in connection with all these tests.

Except while walking on the flat incline, pushing a stroller increased the energetic cost of walking/running under all conditions (all p<0.05). This was associated with shorter and more rapid strides on both inclines (all p<0.05); however, gross efficiency was higher when pushing the stroller (p<0.05). The increase in energetic cost of pushing the stroller was approximately three-fold higher uphill than on the flat incline, and women were influenced more than men when running uphill at the highest speed (all p<0.05).

Here, we provide novel insights on the energetic cost and kinematic behaviour of pushing a stroller while walking or running on flat and uphill inclines. The energetic cost of pushing a stroller was clearly higher than for unloaded exercise, coincided by shorter and more rapid strides, and especially pronounced on uphill terrain where also women were more influenced than men.