Gaffney, CJ, Cunnington, J, Rattley, K, Wrench, E, Dyche, C and Bampouras, TM (2021) Weighted vests in CrossFit increase physiological stress during walking and running without changes in spatiotemporal gait parameters. Ergonomics, 65 (1). pp. 147-158. ISSN 0014-0139

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Abstract

This study quantified the physiological and biomechanical effects of the 20 lb (9.07 kg, males) and 14 lb (6.35 kg, females) weighted vest used in CrossFit, and whether they were predisposed to injury. Twenty subjects (10 males, 10 females) undertook walking (0%, 5% and 10% gradient) and running trials in two randomised study visits (weighted vest/no weighted vest). Physiological demand during walking was increased with the vest at 10% but not 5% or 0% with no change in gait variables. In the running trial, the weighted vest increased oxygen uptake (males; females) (+0.22L/min, p < 0.01; +0.07 L/min, p < 0.05), heart rate (+11bpm, p < 0.01; +11bpm, p < 0.05), carbohydrate oxidation (+0.6 g/min, p < 0.001; +0.2 g/min, p < 0.01), and energy expenditure (+3.8 kJ/min, p < 0.001; +1.5 kJ/min, p < 0.05) whilst blood lactate was increased only in males (+0.6 mmol/L, p < 0.05). There was no change in stride length or frequency. Weighted vest training increases physiological stress and carbohydrate oxidation without affecting measured gait parameters. Practitioner summary: We examined the effect of weighted vest training prescribed in CrossFit (20 lb/9.07 kg, males and 14 lb/6.35 kg, females) in a randomised controlled trial. We found that physiological stress is increased in both sexes, although three-fold greater in males, but with no change in biomechanical gait that predisposes to lower-limb injury.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans; Gait; Walking; Energy Metabolism; Heart Rate; Female; Male; Stress, Physiological; Biomechanical Phenomena; CrossFit; external load; injury; sex-based differences; weighted resistance exercise; Biomechanical Phenomena; Energy Metabolism; Female; Gait; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Stress, Physiological; Walking; 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences; 1203 Design Practice and Management; 1701 Psychology; Human Factors
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Sport & Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	14 Feb 2023 13:10
Last Modified:	14 Feb 2023 13:15
DOI or ID number:	10.1080/00140139.2021.1961876
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/18896

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