Subscribe now

Health

Walking with irregular strides may help you burn more calories

Taking a combination of short and long strides as you walk increases the amount of energy used by the body

By Sara Novak

13 June 2024

Varying the length of your strides could have health benefits

ADDICTIVE STOCK CREATIVES/Alamy

Walking with variable strides uses up more energy than taking consistently sized steps, which suggests it may help to burn more calories.

Adam Grimmitt and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recruited 18 adults, aged between 18 and 45, who were told to walk as normal for 5 minutes on a treadmill while a motion capture system recorded their average stride length.

Based on this, the researchers manipulated their strides during another 5-minute walk by lighting up the treadmill at the positions where they wanted…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account