Abstract

During running, the mechanical energy of the centre of mass of the body (COM) oscillates throughout the step like a spring-mass system, where part of its mechanical energy is stored during negative phases to be released during the following positive phases. This storage-release of energy improves muscle-tendon efficiency, which is related to lower-limb stiffness. This study explores the effect of sports background on the bouncing mechanism, by examining differences in stiffness and step spatiotemporal parameters between swimmers and football athletes. All athletes performed three consecutive running bouts on an instrumented treadmill at three different speeds (3.9, 4.4 and 5.0 m center dot s(-1)). The ground reaction forces were recorded. Vertical stiffness and step spatiotemporal parameters were analysed and compared using a two-way ANOVA. Vertical stiffness of football players was on average 21.0 +/- 1.1% higher than swimmers. The modification of step spatiotemporal parameters also suggests a more elastic rebound by increasing the stretch of tendons relative to muscle within muscle-tendon units in football players. Compared to swimmers, they (1) decrease the effective contact time by 9.7 +/- 2.4% and (2) decrease the duration of the push by 15.0 +/- 6.4%, suggesting that background training adaptations influence spring-mass behaviour during running.