Abstract
The possible contribution of muscular work to the increase in oxygen uptake (V̇O2) over time during running was investigated on 11 adult males who were asked to run until exhaustion at 90 (3)% [mean (SD)] of their maximal aerobic velocity on a treadmill ergometer. Ground reaction forces, expired gases and EMG from leg muscles were collected for 30 s at min 3 and during the last minute of the run. Subjects ran for 829 (165) s and showed an increase in V̇O2 of 179 (93) ml.min−1 between min 3 and exhaustion. Increased ventilation explained 41 (27)% of the increase in V̇O2. Stride frequency slightly decreased but no significant differences were found in the mechanical work or in integrated EMG. It was concluded that, in running, the increase in V̇O2 could not be related to a drift in muscle work.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aaron EA, Seow KC, Johnson BD, Dempsey JA (1992) Oxygen cost of exercise hyperpnea: implications for performance. J Appl Physiol 72:1818–1825
Avela J, Komi P (1993) Timing strategy of the eccentric peak stretching velocity of the leg extensor muscles in the drop jump exercises. XIVth Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, Paris
Barstow TJ, Jones AM, Nguyen PH, Casaburi R (1996) Influence of muscle fiber type and pedal frequency on oxygen uptake kinetics of heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 81:1642–1650
Bearden SE, Moffatt RJ (2000) \(\dot VO_2 \) kinetics and the O2 deficit in heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 88:1407–1412
Belli A, Rey S, Bonnefoy R, Lacour JR (1992) A simple device for kinematic measurements of human movement. Ergonomics 35:177–186
Belli A, Lacour JR, Komi PV, Candau R, Denis C (1995) Mechanical step variability during treadmill running. Eur J Appl Physiol 70:510–517
Belli A, Bui P, Berger A, Geyssant A, Lacour JR (2001) A treadmill ergometer for three-dimensional ground reaction forces measurement during walking. J Biomech 34:105–112
Billat VL, Richard R, Binsse VM, Koralsztein JP, Haouzi P (1998) The \(\dot VO_2 \) slow component for severe exercise depends on type of exercise and is not correlated with time to fatigue. J Appl Physiol 85:2118–2124
Billat VL, Blondel N, Berthoin S (1999) Determination of the velocity associated with the longest time to exhaustion at maximal oxygen uptake. Eur J Appl Physiol 80:159–161
Blickhan R (1989) The spring-mass model for running and hopping. J Biomech 22:1217–1227
Borrani F, Candau R, Millet GY, Perrey S, Fuchslocher J, Rouillon JD (2001) Is the \(\dot VO_2 \) slow component dependent on progressive recruitment of fast-twitch fibers in trained runners? J Appl Physiol 90:2212–2220
Borrani F, Candau R, Perrey S, Millet GY, Millet GP, Rouillon JD (2003) Does the mechanical work in running change during the \(\dot VO_2 \) slow component ? Med Sci Sport Exerc 35:50–57
Bourdin M, Belli A, Arsac LM, Bosco C, Lacour JR (1995) Effect of vertical loading on energy cost and kinematics of running in trained male subjects. J Appl Physiol 79:2078–2085
Candau R, Belli A, Millet GY, Georges D, Barbier B, Rouillon JD (1998) Energy cost and running mechanics during a treadmill run to voluntary exhaustion in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol 77:479–485
Carter H, Pringle JS, Jones AM, Doust JH (2002) Oxygen uptake kinetics during treadmill running across exercise intensity domains. Eur J Appl Physiol 86:347–354
Casaburi R, Storer TW, Ben-Dov I, Wasserman K (1987) Effect of endurance training on possible determinants of \(\dot VO_2 \) during heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 62:199–207
Casaburi R, Barstow TJ, Robinson T, Wasserman K (1989) Influence of work rate on ventilatory and gas exchange kinetics. J Appl Physiol 67:547–555
Cavagna GA (1975) Force platforms as ergometers. J Appl Physiol 39:174–179
Cavagna GA, Kaneko M (1977) Mechanical work and efficiency in level walking and running. J Physiol (Lond) 268:647–681
Cavagna GA, Saibene FP, Margaria R (1964) Mechanical work in running. J Appl Physiol 19:249–256
Dalleau G, Belli A, Bourdin M, Lacour JR (1998) The spring-mass model and the energy cost of treadmill running. Eur J Appl Physiol 77:257–263
Gaesser GA, Poole DC (1996) The slow component of oxygen uptake kinetics in humans. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 24:35–71
Gerdle B, Henriksson-Larsen K, Lorentzon R, Wretling ML (1991) Dependence of the mean power frequency of the electromyogram on muscle force and fibre type. Acta Physiol Scand 142:457–465
Gollhofer A, Komi PV, Fujitsuka N, Miyashita M (1987a) Fatigue during stretch-shortening cycle exercises. II. Changes in neuromuscular activation patterns of human skeletal muscle. Int J Sports Med 8 [Suppl. 1]:38–47
Gollhofer A, Komi PV, Miyashita M, Aura O (1987b) Fatigue during stretch-shortening cycle exercises: changes in mechanical performance of human skeletal muscle. Int J Sports Med 8:71–78
Hermans HJ, Freriks B, Merletti R, Stegeman D, Blok J, Rau G, Disselhorst-Klug C, Hagg G (1999) SENIAM, European recommendations for surface electromyography. Roessingh Research and Development, Enschede
Jones AM, Mc Connell AM (1999) Effect of exercise modality on oxygen uptake kinetics during heavy exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 80:213–219
Knaflitz M, Bonato P (1999) Time-frequency methods applied to muscle fatigue assessment during dynamic contractions. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 9:337–350
Koga S, Shiojiri T, Kondo N, Barstow TJ (1997) Effect of increased muscle temperature on oxygen uptake kinetics during exercise. J Appl Physiol 83:1333–1338
Koppo K, Bouckaert J (2000) In humans, the oxygen uptake slow component is reduced by prior exercise of high as well as low intensity. Eur J Appl Physiol 83:559–565
Lepers R, Pousson ML, Maffiuletti NA, Martin A, Van Hoecke J (2000) The effects of a prolonged running exercise on strength characteristics. Int J Sports Med 21:275–280
Macdonald M, Pedersen PK, Hughson RL (1997) Acceleration of \(\dot VO_2 \) kinetics in heavy submaximal exercise by hyperoxia and prior high-intensity exercise. J Appl Physiol 83:1318–1325
Minetti AE (1998) A model equation for the prediction of mechanical internal work of terrestrial locomotion. J Biomech 31:463–468
Nicol C, Komi PV, Marconnet P (1991) Fatigue effects of marathon running on neuromuscular performance. I Changes in muscle force and stiffness characteristics. Scand J Med Sci Sports 1:10–17
Paavolainen L, Nummela A, Rusko H, Hakkinen K (1999) Neuromuscular characteristics and fatigue during 10 km running. Int J Sports Med 20:516–521
Poole DC, Schaffartzik W, Knight DR, Derion T, Kennedy B, Guy HJ, Prediletto R, Wagner PD (1991) Contribution of exercising legs to the slow component of oxygen uptake kinetics in humans. J Appl Physiol 71:1245–1260
Poole DC, Gladden LB, Kurdak S, Hogan MC (1994) L-(+)-lactate infusion into working dog gastrocnemius: no evidence lactate per se mediates \(\dot VO_2 \) slow component. J Appl Physiol 76:787–792
Saunders MJ, Evans EM, Arngrimsson SA, Allison JD, Warren GL, Cureton KJ (2000) Muscle activation and the slow component rise in oxygen uptake during cycling. Med Sci Sports Exerc 32:2040–2045
Scheuermann BW, Hoelting BD, Noble ML, Barstow TJ (2001) The slow component of O2 uptake is not accompanied by changes in muscle EMG during repeated bouts of heavy exercise in humans. J Physiol (Lond) 531:245–256
Shepard R (1992) Maximal oxygen intake. In: Shepard R, Astrand PO (eds.) Endurance in sport. Blackwell Scientific, London, pp 192
Shinohara M, Moritani T (1992) Increase in neuromuscular activity and oxygen uptake during heavy exercise. Ann Physiol Anthropol 11:257–262
Whipp BJ, Wasserman K (1972) Oxygen uptake kinetics for various intensities of constant-load work. J Appl Physiol 33:351–356
Acknowledgements
The authors want to thank all the people involved in this experiment, especially the technical staff from St. Etienne and the students involved in data collection.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Avogadro, P., Dolenec, A. & Belli, A. Changes in mechanical work during severe exhausting running. Eur J Appl Physiol 90, 165–170 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-003-0846-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-003-0846-y