Lower Limb Mechanical Characteristics: Effect on Running Mechanics and Energetics

Inter-individual variability in energetic cost of running may be partly explained by lower limbs mechanical characteristics. The transposition of muscle mechanical model with two components (contractile and elastic) to the whole lower limb mechanical behavior analysis during running. The main aim of present investigation is to study the effects of lower limb mechanical characteristic (force, velocity, stiffness) on the energetic cost of running using a lower limb mechanical approach including both contractile and elastic components.Twenty healthy men will run on a treadmill at 12km.h-1 in 8 different 5 min-conditions. Through conditions, stride frequency, sole stiffness and subject's body weight will be changed to allow artificial variations in lower limb mechanical characteristics. Energetic and non-invasive mechanical measurements analysis will be performed to obtain energetic cost of running and to compute force, velocity and stiffness of lower limbs for each condition.