Knights in shining armor paid a heavy price for protection: The steel plate-mail armor worn during the 15th century, which weighed 30 to 50 kilograms, required its wearers to expend about twice the usual amount of energy when they walked or ran. Physiologist Graham Askew of the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and colleagues recruited four historical interpreters at the Royal Armouries to help determine the energy toll the heavy armor can take. The armor-clad interpreters ran on a treadmill while scientists monitored their oxygen consumption, heart and respiration rates, and stride length.
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