Abstract
Purpose
In trail running and in uphill races many athletes use poles. However, there are few data about pole walking on steep uphill. The aim of this study was to compare the energy expenditure during uphill walking with (PW) and without (W) poles at different slopes.
Methods
Fourteen mountain running athletes walked on a treadmill in two conditions (PW and W) for 5 min at seven different angles (10.1°, 15.5°, 19.8°, 25.4°, 29.8°, 35.5° and 38.9°). We measured cardiorespiratory parameters, blood lactate concentration (BLa) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Then, we calculated the vertical cost of transport (CoTvert). Using video analysis, we measured stride frequency (SF) and stride length (SL).
Results
Compared to W, CoTvert during PW was lower at 25.4°, 29.8° and 35.5° PW (\( -\) 2.55 ± 3.97%; \( -\) 2.79 ± 3.88% and \( -\) 2.00 ± 3.41%, p < 0.05). RPE was significantly lower during PW at 15.5°, 19.8°, 29.8°, 35.5° and 38.9° (\( -\) 14.4 ± 18.3%; \( -\) 16.2 ± 15.2%; \( -\) 16.6 ± 16.9%; \( -\) 17.9 ± 18.7% and \( -\) 18.5 ± 17.8%, p < 0.01). There was no effect of pole use on BLa. However, BLa was numerically lower with poles at every incline except for 10.1°. On average, SF for PW was lower than for W (\( -\) 6.7 ± 5.8%, p = 0.006) and SL was longer in PW than in W (+ 8.6 ± 4.5%, p = 0.008).
Conclusions
PW on steep inclines was only slightly more economical than W, but the substantially lower RPE during PW suggests that poles may delay fatigue effects during a prolonged effort. We advocate for the use of poles during steep uphill walking, although the energetic savings are small.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to all the athletes who participated in the study. We also thank Gloria Plett, MD, for her assistance during the testing.
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NG, RK and SL conception and design of research; NG and MS conducted experiments and analyzed data; NG, RK and SL interpreted results of experiments; NG and MS prepared figures; NG drafted manuscript; NG, MS, RK and SL edited and revised manuscript. NG, MS, RK and SL approved final version of manuscript.
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Communicated by Jean-René Lacour.
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Giovanelli, N., Sulli, M., Kram, R. et al. Do poles save energy during steep uphill walking?. Eur J Appl Physiol 119, 1557–1563 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04145-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04145-2