Silly question re: physics

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debssie46
debssie46 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I was walking on the treadmill today while listenning to Def Leppard (yes, Def Leppard) and a question popped into my head. I am 5'2 and I was walking at a brisk 4.0 mph. The question is do I work out harder then a person thats 5'8 or 6 feet tall due to the length of my strides. I would think that a shorter person has to work harder than a taller person at a high speed. Is this true??

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  • bsoxluvr
    bsoxluvr Posts: 183 Member
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    Good question! I would love to know the answer to that one too.
  • eiu0001
    eiu0001 Posts: 1
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    Can't tell you for sure, but I bet it evens out because it takes more energy for someone who is bigger to actually move
  • yaseent01
    yaseent01 Posts: 10
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    Personally I don't think height really matters. It depends on your metabolism that helps burning all those calories. I m 5 ft tall only. Taller people can have bad metabolism therefore can struggle to lose weight. But for sure taller people need to eat bit more than smaller one's as their body needs more energy to stay active. Only an expert can give the right answer really!!!
  • yaseent01
    yaseent01 Posts: 10
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    Misconceptions:

    The argument that taller people's longer legs means they can walk faster than short people "holds no water," according to "Guide to Walking." In fact, short people have an advantage. Walking speed depends on stride length and stride rate. Tall people have a longer stride, but their ability to lengthen it is limited. On the other hand, short people can increase their stride rate more easily than tall people because each step requires less distance and less effort and "there's no such clear limit to stride rate."

    Ref: http://www.livestrong.com/article/246237-how-fast-do-you-need-to-walk-to-lose-weight/#
  • nurseheather13
    nurseheather13 Posts: 17
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    I am 5'5 and i also walk at a 4.0 brisk speed. I am in collage and i have to take a fitness class. The treadmills are lined side by side. One day i was walking beside an enormous girl. She was like 6 ft tall and i was running my little heart out and she acted like her run didn't even phase her. I looked over at her speed and she was running .5 faster than me! So I know that we shorties have to work a little harder because we have to move more than a tller person!
  • debssie46
    debssie46 Posts: 4
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    Thanks for all the information, I still think there is some validity to short people working harder due to stride length.

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