Effects of shank mass manipulation on sprinting techniques

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of shank mass manipulation on the sprinting technique in maximal-speed sprinting. Sixteen well-trained male athletes sprinted with and without an additional 15% of shank mass attached to the shank centre of mass. Kinematic data were collected using a 12-camera motion analysis system and analysed using linear regression analyses with categorical variables and paired t-tests. The sprinting speed (p < 0.01), knee flexion angle at landing (p = 0.028), and maximum hip flexion angular velocity (p = 0.029) decreased; contact time (p < 0.01) increased; and step length, step frequency, and other analysed technique measures of maximal-speed sprinting were unchanged (p ≥ 0.12) with shank mass manipulation, compare with no manipulation. The relationships of sprinting speed with critical linear and angular kinematics at landing, take-off and swing in maximal-speed sprinting were not affected by the shank mass manipulation. These results suggest that 15% shank mass manipulation does not change the sprinting technique of well-trained male athletes in maximal-speed sprinting. This supports the use of shank mass manipulation as a training method for well-trained sprinters; however, a change in correlations between sprinting speed and technique measures should be considered during such training.

KEYWORDS:

• Resistance training
• lower extremity
• effect of sprinting speed
• strength
• maximal speed sprinting

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the well-trained sprinters who participated in this study. The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this study. The results of the present study do not constitute endorsement of any product by the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant number 81572213.