In overweight and obese older adults, a higher energy cost of walking is associated with a faster stride frequency and a lower ground reaction force impulse, indicating that less forceful, more frequent stepping patterns are less metabolically efficient than longer, more dynamic strides.

Carrying extra weight makes walking harder because the body must work harder to move heavier limbs and breathe against more resistance. People with excess weight take quicker, shorter steps to stay stable, which means they push off the ground less forcefully and lose the benefit of spring-like energy storage in their tendons. This forces their muscles to use more energy with every step. At the same time, the extra fat around the chest and belly makes breathing less efficient, so the body burns more energy just to move air in and out. Together, these changes make walking much more costly in terms of energy.