Maximum Speed

Maximum walking speed is the highest speed achieved over a walk activity. This can be used in conjunction with a “max speed walk test” to push a person’s limits and expose their subconscious movement patterns.

 

Table 2: Normative values of maximum walking speed for healthy men and women

Age (years)

Gender

Maximum Walking Speed (m/s)

20-29

Male

2.53

Female

2.47

30-39

Male

2.46

Female

2.34

40-49

Male

2.46

Female

2.12

50-59

Male

2.07

Female

2.01

60-69

Male

1.93

Female

1.77

70-79

Male

2.08

Female

1.75

Richard W. Bohannon, Comfortable and maximum walking speed of adults aged 20—79 years: reference values and determinants, Age and Ageing, Volume 26, Issue 1, January 1997, Pages 15–19, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/26.1.15

 

Maximum walking speed as an predictor for dependency - For adults in the 65-74 year old range, maximum walking speed was a better predictor of future functional dependency, whereas for adults in the 75+ year old range, comfortable walking speed was more indicative.

S Shinkai, S Watanabe, S Kumagai, Y Fujiwara, H Amano, H Yoshida, T Ishizaki, H Yukawa, T Suzuki, H Shibata, Walking speed as a good predictor for the onset of functional dependence in a Japanese rural community population., Age and Ageing, Volume 29, Issue 5, September 2000, Pages 441–446, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/29.5.441

 

Applications