Abstract
Running with a stroller can be an appealing exercise mode for parents. However, pushing a stroller can increase the metabolic demand of running, especially uphill, potentially making it less tolerable and sustainable. PURPOSE: Determine the effects of two uphill stroller pushing techniques on the oxygen cost of running. METHODS: Eight runners (5 male, 3 female) were tested utilizing a forward (FWD) and downward (DWN) stroller pushing technique while running uphill. FWD push involved applying force directly ahead parallel to the ground. DWN push involved slightly leaning forward and pushing down on the handlebar of the stroller perpendicular to the ground to unload some portion of their own body mass. Following warmup and familiarization, participants completed 6 x 800m hill (~3% average grade) reps while wearing a portable metabolic cart to measure oxygen consumption. Individual paces (10.3 ± 0.9 km·hr-1) were established based on self-selected warmup speed and maintained throughout the reps by a motorized scooter with cruise control. Reps 1 and 6 were run with no stroller (No Stroll), while reps 2-5 alternated stroller pushing technique as either FWD-DWN-DWN-FWD or DWN-FWD-FWD-DWN, counterbalanced across subjects. Oxygen consumption was expressed as cost of transport (CoT). Data are displayed as mean ± SD. RESULTS: CoT in ml·kg-1·km-1 for the different conditions was as follows: No Stroll, 210.7 ± 18.4; FWD, 249.8 ± 22.2; DWN, 246.5 ± 22.4. CoT increased by 18.1 ± 9.3% when pushing the stroller, independent of stroller pushing technique. A repeated measures ANOVA showed significant differences (p < 0.001) across conditions, but pairwise comparisons showed differences only between No Stroll and FWD (p < 0.001) and No Stroll and DWN (p = 0.003), not between FWD and DWN (p = .389). When body mass was used as a covariate, there was a significant interaction with pushing techniques on the CoT. The correlation between the percentage difference in CoT (DWN vs. FWD) and body mass was significant (R2 = 0.67; p =.018), such that heavier body mass was related to a reduced CoT with the DWN stroller pushing technique. CONCLUSIONS: For runners heavier than 64 kg the DWN stroller pushing technique might be more economical than FWD. These findings can help parents who run with strollers select a more economical stroller pushing method.
Recommended Citation
Bennett, Chase; Sanders, Jordan; and Joubert, Dustin P.
(2025)
"The Effect of Stroller Pushing Technique on the Oxygen Cost of Uphill Running,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
17, Article 146.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/146
