Strength Training makes you a more efficient walker

This is really one for the Hillfit side of things.

Search pubmed for "walking economy" and you find some interesting things.  Walking economy is defined as "The rate of O2 consumed per distance covered during walking, which is related to ambulatory biomechanics and cardiac burden. "   

So we are thinking about how much oxygen it takes to walk a distance, which of course is related to the  amount of energy that you need to burn to cover that distance.  It is about the efficiency of your gait.  We are back to walking as a skill.  The more skilled you are at walking, the more efficient you will be, the less energy each step will take.

You can get more efficient by practising walking....obviously and skill conditioning is always important, but you can also improve walking economy by getting stronger!  Stronger muscles are more efficient.   You can appreciate that weak, flaccid muscles will waste energy in movement....

Maximal strength training improves walking performance in peripheral arterial disease patients

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients have reduced muscle strength and impaired walking ability. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of maximal strength training (MST) on walking economy and walking performance in PAD patients. Ten patients with mild to moderate-severe claudication, classified as Fontaine stage II PAD and with functional limitations from intermittent claudication were recruited and went through an 8-week control period followed by an 8-week, three times a week, MST period. The patients performed four sets of five repetitions dynamic leg press with emphasis on maximal mobilization of force in the concentric action and with a progressive adjusted intensity corresponding to 85-90% of one repetition maximum (1 RM). After the MST period, leg press 1 RM significantly increased by 35.0 ± 10.8 kg (31.3%). Dynamic rate of force development, measured on a force plate installed on the leg press, increased by 1424 ± 1217 N/s (102.7%). The strength improvements led to a significant increase in walking economy of 9.7% when walking horizontally, and to a significant increase in walking performance of 13.6% measured on an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion. No changes were apparent after the control period. No changes in body mass or peak oxygen uptake were observed. MST increases strength in Fontaine stage II PAD patients and leads to improved walking economy. These results suggest that application of MST could accompany aerobic endurance training as a part of the treatment of PAD patients with mild to moderate-severe claudication.