Energy expenditure and cardiorespiratory responses at the transition between walking and running.

We investigated whether the spontaneous transition between walking and running during moving with increasing speed corresponds to the speed at which walking becomes less economical than running. Seven active male subjects [mean age, 23.7 (SEM 0.7) years, mean maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), 57.5 (SEM 3.3) ml.kg-1.min-1, mean ventilatory threshold (VTh), 37.5 (SEM3) ml.kg-1.min-1] participated in this study. Each subject performed four exercise tests separated by 1-week intervals: test 1, VO2max and VTh were determined; test 2, the speed at which the transition between walking and running spontaneously occurs (ST) during increasing speed (increases of 0.5 km.h-1 every 4 min from 5 km.h-1) was determined; test 3, the subjects were constrained to walk for 4 min at ST, at ST +/- 0.5 km.h-1 and at ST +/- 1 km.h-1; and test 4, the subjects were constrained to run for 4 min at ST, at ST +/- 0.5 km.h-1 and at ST +/- 1 km.h-1. During exercise oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), ventilation (VE), ventilatory equivalents for oxygen and carbon dioxide (VE/VO2, VE/VCO2), respiratory exchange ratio (R), stride length (SL), and stride frequency (SF) were measured.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)