“Slow walking with turns” increases quadriceps and erector spinae muscle activity

Abstract

[Purpose] To maintain an independent lifestyle, older adults should improve muscle strength and mass, or aerobic capacity. A new exercise pattern, called slow walking with turns, which incorporates turning as an extra load additional to walking. The purpose of this study was to measure oxygen consumption during exercise and muscle activity while turning. [Subjects and Methods] Recreationally active volunteers participated. The participants performed 20 turns per minute while walking back and forth over distances of 1.5 to 3.5 m. We measured oxygen consumption, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion and performed electromyography during the exercise. [Results] The metabolic equivalents of the exercise were 4.0 ± 0.4 to 6.3 ± 4.0 Mets. Activity was significantly greater in the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and erector spinae during the turn phase of slow walking with turns than during the stance phase of treadmill walking. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that slow walking with turns may help to preserve the muscle strength and mass of the trunk and lower limbs that are needed to maintain an independent lifestyle. Slow walking can be performed easily by older people, and in slow walking with turns, the exercise intensity can be adjusted as required for each individual.

Energy expenditure associated with walking speed and angle of turn in children

“…Specifically, Araki et al ( 2017 ) demonstrated that walking at 4.2 km h −1 , that is equal to 3 METs (light-intensity), to jogging at the same speed with turns, increased the intensity to 8 METs (vigorous intensity), which resulted in a 2.7-fold increase in energy expenditure. Moreover, Araki et al ( 2017a , b ) showed that slow walking (2.7 km h −1 ) became moderately intense (4 METs) when turns were incorporated. Therefore, including turns may be an effective method by which to increase the amount of physical activity that inactive individuals perform, to lose weight and increase fitness.…”

Turns in Jogging Increase Energy Expenditure: Proposed Home Exercise for Sedentary People

“…For low-fitness individuals, we recommend starting with adding turns to walks instead of slow jogging (Slow Walking with Turns: SWT). We have already shown that even slow walking becomes moderately intense only by adding turns [38]. SJT and SWT can be performed in a small area such as a room for a wide range of physical fitness levels, and because exercise intensity has been quantified, it can be adjusted according to one's physical fitness without equipment such as a treadmill ergometer.…”