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High-intensity sprint fatigue does not alter constant-submaximal velocity running mechanics and spring-mass behavior

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Abstract

We investigated the changes in constant velocity spring-mass behavior after high intensity sprint fatigue in order to better interpret the results recently reported after ultra-long distance (ULD) exercises. Our hypothesis was that after repeated sprints (RS), subjects may likely experience losses of force such as after ULD, but the necessity to modify their running pattern to attenuate the overall impact at each step (such as after ULD) may not be present. Eleven male subjects performed four sets of five 6-s sprints with 24-s recovery between sprints and 3 min between sets, on a sprint treadmill and on a bicycle ergometer. For each session, their running mechanics and spring-mass characteristics were measured at 10 and 20 km h−1 on an instrumented treadmill before and after RS. Two-way (period and velocity) ANOVAs showed that high-intensity fatigue did not induce any change in the constant velocity running pattern at low or high velocity, after both running and cycling RS, despite significant decreases (P < 0.001) in maximal power (−27.1 ± 8.2% after running RS and −15.4 ± 11.5 % after cycling RS) and knee extensors maximal voluntary force (−18.8 ± 6.7 % after running RS and −15.0 ± 7.6 % after cycling RS). These results bring indirect support to the hypothesis put forward in recent ULD studies that the changes in running mechanics observed after ULD are likely not related to the decrease in strength capabilities, but rather to the necessity for subjects to adopt a protective running pattern.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Gauthier Perez for his assistance in data collection, and to the subjects of this study for their willingness to perform maximal efforts until volitional fatigue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lyon, 42023, Saint Etienne, France

    Jean-Benoit Morin, Katja Tomazin, Pierre Samozino, Pascal Edouard & Guillaume Y. Millet

  2. Laboratory of Exercise Physiology (EA4338), 42000, Saint-Etienne, France

    Jean-Benoit Morin, Katja Tomazin, Pierre Samozino, Pascal Edouard & Guillaume Y. Millet

  3. Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Katja Tomazin

  4. Laboratoire de Physiologie de l’Exercice (EA4338), Médecine du Sport – Myologie, CHU Bellevue, 42055, Saint-Etienne cedex 2, France

    Jean-Benoit Morin

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  1. Jean-Benoit Morin
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  2. Katja Tomazin
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  3. Pierre Samozino
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  4. Pascal Edouard
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  5. Guillaume Y. Millet
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Correspondence to Jean-Benoit Morin.

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Communicated by Jean-René Lacour.

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Morin, JB., Tomazin, K., Samozino, P. et al. High-intensity sprint fatigue does not alter constant-submaximal velocity running mechanics and spring-mass behavior. Eur J Appl Physiol 112, 1419–1428 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2103-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2103-0

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