As can be seen, muscle activity
www.neonray.co.uk changes associated with a 10% increase in step rate all occurred during the swing phase (while the foot is not in contact with the ground), with most occurring during mid- to late swing phase as the leg prepares for impending ground contact. The authors suggest that although muscle activity during loading did not change, pre-activation of muscles prior to initial contact influences limb stiffness at contact. They point out that reduced hamstring pre-activation during swing phase has been linked previously to reduced running economy, and
www.amolan.es they suggest that increased hamstring pre-activity observed at higher step rates might contribute to reduced loading at the knee via the effect of this muscle activity on landing posture. They also suggest that increased activity of the gluteal muscles in late swing phase could contribute to
Nike Air Vapormax Femme the altered movement and loading of the hip that has been observed with increased step rate, and they indicate that increasing step rate might be a good way to facilitate activation of the glutes for therapeutic purposes (e.g., in patients with anterior knee pain where glute strengthening is a common rehab approach).green overstriderLet’s try to translate these results into a clearer description of what is happening. Imagine an overstriding runner who lands with the foot way out in front of the knee and the foot inclined 45 degrees relative
Adidas Ultra Boost Herren to the ground at contact (like the one in the photo to the left). Generally, this type of stride is associated with a fairly low step rate. Now suppose we have this person increase their cadence by 10%. Previous work has shown that this results in the outcomes discussed above: the foot lands
www.aromery.co.uk flatter, contact shifts closer to the body, the knee is more flexed at contact, and hip and knee loading are reduced. What’s cool about the Chumanov study is that it shows how these postural changes are accomplished at the level of the muscles. Initial leg swing is sped up by activation of the rectus femoris. At the end of swing, contact is pulled closer to the body by the hamstrings, which slow the forward swing of the lower limb just prior to contact, as well as the glutes, which start to pull the thigh back a bit prior to contact. The calf
Nike Air Vapormax Femme muscle pre-activates to a greater degree, and the tibialis anterior on the front of the shin reduces its activity, resulting in a flatter foot plant.My friend Brian Martin over at Running Technique Tips will love this study because he really hammers on the importance of proper hamstring and
Adidas Ultra Boost Homme glute activation and strength to running efficiency. It also raises a ton of questions in my mind about the relationship between overstriding, muscle strength, and footwear. Given that many of us spend much of our day sitting in a chair, our hip flexors tend to tighten, leading to an imbalance in hip muscle function. Tight flexors reduce our ability to extend the hip on the backside, and thus we need to elongate in the front to gain stride length. If we also have weak hamstrings or improper hamstring activation, they may be less able to
www.ronbell.co.uk pull the lower leg back prior to contact. It’s a recipe for overstriding. Add on to all of this a heavy pair of shoes at the end of the foot that increases the moment of inertia of the lower leg as it rotates at the knee (think about swinging a golf club while holding the handle vs. holding the head
Nike Air Max 95 Femme> – which is harder to slow down?). As we swing that foot forward with a heavy shoe at the end, it may be harder for the hamstrings to do their job to slow the leg down and prepare it for landing. I’m wondering if this might explain why I can run relatively
Nike Air Max 97 Donne comfortably in a lightweight shoe with a relatively high heel-forefoot drop (like the Adidas Adios) but can’t stand heavy shoes with a high drop. Shoe weight has always been one of the things that I have been most sensitive to, and this has got me thinking…
