Effects of Band-Pull Walking Using a Portable Device on Cardiorespiratory and Neuromuscular Responses in Healthy Young Adults

Upper-limb involvement during walking increases metabolic demand compared with normal walking (WK); however, methods such as Nordic walking or hand-held weights require technical skills or may increase mechanical load. This study examined the effects of upper-limb-resisted walking using a novel portable elastic resistance device (band-pull walking; BPW) on cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular responses in healthy young adults. Fourteen healthy young adults performed BPW and WK on a treadmill at 60, 80, and 100 m·min−1 in a randomized crossover design. Upper-limb resistance was individually standardized using triceps brachii activity (8% maximum voluntary contraction). Surface electromyography (EMG) of upper- and lower-limb muscles, oxygen uptake, heart rate, and perceived exertion were recorded. BPW significantly increased triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and deltoid muscle activity compared with WK at all or higher speeds (p < 0.05), whereas vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius lateralis activity remained unchanged. Metabolic equivalents and heart rate were higher during BPW across all speeds (p < 0.01), with increases of 8–12%. Upper-limb and whole-body perceived exertion were elevated, whereas lower-limb perceived exertion remained stable. These findings suggest that BPW was associated with increases in upper-limb muscle activation and metabolic demand, whereas no detectable increases were observed in vastus lateralis or gastrocnemius lateralis EMG activity or perceived lower-limb exertion under the present experimental conditions.