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Cited by 821Physiological and biochemical adaptationsLower Extremity Biomechanics and PathologiesRobotic Locomotion and Control

Energetics of running: a new perspective

Kram, Rodger, Taylor, C. Richard·1990·Nature
DOI 10.1038/346265a0
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Abstract

The amount of energy used to run a mile is nearly the same whether it is run at top speed or at a leisurely pace (although it is used more rapidly at the higher speed). This puzzling independence of energy cost and speed is found generally among running animals, although, on a per gram basis, cost is much higher for smaller animals. Running involves little work against the environment; work is done by muscles and tendons to lift and accelerate the body and limbs. Some of the work is recovered from muscle-tendon springs without metabolic cost and work rate does not parallel metabolic rate with either speed or size. Regardless of the amount of work muscles do, they must be activated and develop force to support the weight of the body. Load-carrying experiments have shown that the cost of supporting an extra newton of load is the same as the weight-specific cost of running. Size differences in cost are proportional to stride frequency at equivalent speeds, suggesting that the time available for developing force is important in determining cost. We report a simple inverse relationship between the rate of energy used for running and the time the foot applies force to the ground during each stride. These results support the hypothesis that it is primarily the cost of supporting the animal's weight and the time course of generating this force that determines the cost of running.

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Crossref · 10.1038/346265a0

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19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The curvilinear relationship between metabolic power consumption (Pmet) and speed (U) during walking in peacocks is also seen in other animals including some species of large bird, but deviates from the more common linear relationship found in many species.

    “the relationship between metabolic power consumption (Pmet) and speed (U) for walking during both experimental periods was curvilinear, which is also seen in other animals including some species of large bird”

    From The peacock train does not handicap cursorial locomotor performance (2016) · cites this paper as [40]

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Authors
Kram, R., & Taylor, C. R.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
ORCID
Kram, Rodger
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
1990-07
Volume
346
Issue
6281
Pages
265-267
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/346265a0
OpenAlex
W2050158673
Cited by
821
References
19
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 23
FWCI
17.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Robotic Locomotion and Control
Keywords
energy cost of locomotion, cadence, body size scaling, load carriage, ground contact time, force generation, running speed
MeSH terms
Animals, Biomechanical Phenomena, Body Weight, Energy Metabolism, Gait, Kinetics, Locomotion, Muscles, Oxygen Consumption, Running, Tendons

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