Runners Employ Different Strategies to Cope With Increased Speeds Based on Their Initial Strike Patterns

Frontiers in Physiology

Alessandro Santuz¹  Adamantios Arampatzis¹  Antonis Ekizos³ 

[1] Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Olympic Training Center, Berlin, Germany;

关键词: strike index;    human locomotion;    running economy (RE);    velocity;    running strategy;    foot strike patterns;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fphys.2021.686259

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In this paper we examined how runners with different initial foot strike pattern (FSP) develop their pattern over increasing speeds. The foot strike index (FSI) of 47 runners [66% initially rearfoot strikers (RFS)] was measured in six speeds (2.5–5.0 ms−1), with the hypotheses that the FSI would increase (i.e., move toward the fore of the foot) in RFS strikers, but remain similar in mid- or forefoot strikers (MFS) runners. The majority of runners (77%) maintained their original FSP by increasing speed. However, we detected a significant (16.8%) decrease in the FSI in the MFS group as a function of running speed, showing changes in the running strategy, despite the absence of a shift from one FSP to another. Further, while both groups showed a decrease in contact times, we found a group by speed interaction (p < 0.001) and specifically that this decrease was lower in the MFS group with increasing running speeds. This could have implications in the metabolic energy consumption for MFS-runners, typically measured at low speeds for the assessment of running economy.

【 授权许可】

Unknown