Investigating the

relationship between
height, flexibility and
walking cadence
Written by: Ernest Low, James Soo, Ervin Lim
and Zhao Ziyi
Mentor: Ms Kwee Tiow Choo
 1 Introduction
1.1. Definitions
Walking cadence is defined to be the number of steps that one takes in a certain period of time while
walking, and is often cited to be recorded in steps/min.
Flexibility is the measure of range of motion for one’s legs. In this study, we defined it to be the average
distance between the ground and one’s crotch when performing a forward split.
1.2. Rationale
A person’s cadence can be affected by many factors, like age and fitness level but in this project
we are investigating the effect of only 2 variables, height and flexibility, independently on walking
cadence.
1.3. Objectives
We will explain our findings using the biomechanics of walking, statistical analysis and
comparison to other similar studies. Through this study we hope to be able to predict the height of a
person based on their walking cadence and flexibility.
2. Experiment
2.1. Hypothesis
We hypothesised that height of the individual is inversely related to the walking cadence of a
person as taller people generally have longer legs and a longer stride length. We also believed that there
was an inverse relationship between the flexibility and the cadence of the person as a more flexible person
could stretch their legs further and have a longer stride length.
2.2. Lit review
Many recent studies focused on investigating the effect of height on cadence have achieved
positive results. Several researches have investigated the effects of body size on stride rates and length
and subsequently on triathletes’ running performance (The University of Western Australia, 20111) as well
as the effects of heights on running cadence in general (Tualatin High School, USA, 20202). Their results
achieved similar deductions, indicating that taller individuals in general have a longer stride length
(p<0.01). The p value, a measure of the probability against the null hypothesis, was found to be less than
0.01 so there is a high probability that the null hypothesis which states that there is no relationship
between individuals’ height and their stride length could be rejected. Thus, there is a relationship between
height of individuals and their stride length. However, their studies are only conducted on professional
runners and their investigation is focused on running performance rather than walking.
Additionally, published studies have not considered flexibility as a factor affecting cadence thus
our research would also focus on this factor and how it affects cadence. Furthermore, multiple running
sites have pointed out that forcefully changing one’s cadence and stride length to improve athletic
performance may result in injury (Training Peaks, Allie Burdick 3).
2.3. Methodology
2.3.1. Scope of study
To test our hypothesis, we conducted an experimental study involving data collection. To this end,
we recruited a group of 21 individuals of the age 16-17 years old. We roughly selected an equal
proportion of girls and boys (9 girls, 12 boys). It was initially planned to have at least 20 boys and 20 girls
in our sample group but given the tightened restrictions during the heightened alert period, we only
managed to collect these results before indoor gyms were closed.
2.3.2. Experimental procedure
In order to measure walking cadence, we used treadmills at the gym. Each participant was tasked
with completing a 3 minute walk at 3 standardised speeds (3km/h, 5km/h, 7km/h). This was to find out
how the relationship between height and cadence changed at higher or lower speeds. Concurrently, they
counted the number of steps that they took on the treadmill, and confirmed that value with the help of
another volunteer counting the steps for verification and accuracy. Using the number of steps walked in 3
minutes, we calculated the cadence to the unit of steps/min.
 We then asked the participants to do a forward split and we measured the distance between the
ground and their crotch for both legs using measuring tape, and the average value was taken. We used this
as a measure of flexibility with units of cm, the lower the value, the more flexible the person.
3 Analysis of results
3.1. Statistical analysis
We plotted a polynomial graph of height against cadence for the 3 different speeds and calculated
2 2
the 𝑟 value of each graph. The 𝑟 value determines the strength of the relationship between the 2 variables
by measuring the extent of fit of the data points around the regression line. It can be viewed as the
percentage of how many data points can be explained by the independent variable. Generally the higher
2 2
the 𝑟 value, the stronger the proposed relationship between the 2 variables and a 𝑟 value of 0.5 and above
suggests that the relationship between the 2 variables exists⁵. Polynomial regression was used as cadence
will never reach 0 as steps will have to be taken to travel a distance.

Figure 3.1.1: Plot of height against cadence at 3km/h Figure 3.1.2: Plot of height against cadence at 5km/h

Figure 3.1.3: Plot of height against cadence at 7km/h Figure 3.1.4: Plot of difference in cadence against difference in split distance
2
The 𝑟 value of the graph at 3km/h was 0.259, that of 5km/h was 0.245 and that at 7km/h was
0.549. From this we can clearly see that the closeness of the relationship between height and cadence
2
increases as speed increases. At 3km/h and 5km/h, there was no conclusive relationship as the 𝑟 value
2
was less than 0.5. At 7km/h there is a relationship between height and cadence as the 𝑟 value is more than
0.5. Hence, we came to the conclusion that there is an inverse relationship between height and walking
cadence -- as height increases, the walking cadence decreases at a decreasing rate.
In order to account for the discrepancies between individual data points and the best fit line, we
investigated the relationship between flexibility of the person and their walking cadence, as the more
flexible the person is, the larger his/her stride length is likely to be. Using the data we obtained, we
calculated the average split distance and the difference of each data point from the derived mean. The
difference from mean for walking cadence at 7km/h was also calculated. We then plot a graph of
 2
difference in cadence against difference in split distance (Figure 3.1.4). Based on Figure 3.1.4, the 𝑟 value
of the graph is 0.006 which is <0.5, hence it can be concluded that there is no relationship between the
flexibility of an individual and his/her walking cadence.
A single-factor ANOVA test was carried out on the 3 sets of results at 3km/h, 5km/h and 7km/h
and a p-value of 3.35x10-23 was obtained which is less than 0.05 so our results are statistically significant.
Thus, we can reject the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between height of a person and their
walking cadence.
3.2. Analysis of biomechanics of walking
The bipedal gait cycle is the time period or sequence of events during walking in which one foot
contacts the ground to when that same foot again contacts the ground again. It consists of the stance phase
and swing phase (Figure 3.2.1.). We will be focusing on the stance phase as it is when one stride is made..
During the heel strike stage, the femur and tibia in our legs are generally aligned and the leg is
straightened. The entire leg pivots around the pelvis and ankle from the heel strike to ankle pivot stages.
Assuming the angle between the two legs during the heel strike stage is constant throughout
people of different heights, people with longer legs should have a longer stride length. We believed that
taller people generally had longer legs and therefore a longer stride length. Walking speed can be
calculated as v=fλ, where v is walking speed, f is cadence and λ is stride length. Therefore, at a constant
walking speed, taller people with a longer stride length had a lower cadence than shorter people and this
was supported by our data.
Originally, we hypothesized that the angle between the two legs during the heel strike stage is
affected by their flexibility. The more flexible they are, they should be able to stretch their legs further,
have a longer stride length and lower cadence. However, this was not the case and we found that
flexibility was not a significant factor affecting cadence.

Figure 3.2.1: Gait cycle

4 Conclusion & Evaluation
It can be concluded that there is no strong relationship between the height of an individual and
their walking cadence at low walking speeds of 3km/h and 5km/h. However, as walking speeds increased
to 7km/h, there was a significant relationship between height and cadence.
Flexibility was not a variable that affected walking cadence, according to our findings. This could
be because front splits did not stretch all the muscles involved in walking so it may not be an effective
indicator of flexibility for walking. It also could have been because a person was not fully stretching out
their legs at any point when they were walking so flexibility was not a variable influencing cadence at all.
Our research was limited as we only managed to collect data from 21 participants due to the
closing of the school gym because of tightening COVID-19 measures. More reliable results can be
obtained from a larger sample size, so that a stronger relationship could possibly be obtained.
External factors affecting walking cadence such as body weight, BMI and the possibility of
conditions that impair walking form such as flat or pronated feet and morton's foot could have exerted a
greater effect on the cadence than flexibility.
1
References
Landers et al (2011, Jan). The relationship between stride rates, lengths and body size and their affect on elite triathletes' running performance during competition. International Journal of
Exercise Science
.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237765811_The_relationship_between_stride_rates_lengths_and_body_size_and_their_affect_on_elite_triathletes'_running_performance_during_comp
etition
2
Students from Tualatin High School (2020, Dec) The effect of height on running cadence. Seminarsonly.
https://www.seminarsonly.com/Engineering-Projects/Physics/height-on-running-cadence.php
3
Burdick, A. (2016, October 11). Finding Your Perfect Run Cadence. TrainingPeaks. https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/finding-your-perfect-run-cadence/
4
Frost et al (2020, July 15). How to do One-Way ANOVA in Excel. Statistics By Jim. https://statisticsbyjim.com/anova/one-way-anova-excel/
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Moore, D. S., Notz, W. I, & Flinger, M. A. (2013). The basic practice of statistics (6th ed.). New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Company. Page (138).
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Lattimer, C. R. (2017). PDF. ResearchGate.