Delta efficiencies of running and cycling

Bijker, Kirsten; Groot, G. de; Hollander, A. P.

doi:10.1097/00005768-200109000-00019

Cited by 45 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Indeed, for some species the cost of incline running differs by as much as 150% from that predicted based on a constant efficiency of performing mechanical work against gravity. Furthermore, delta efficiencies calculated for incline running are often much greater (Taylor et al, 1972;Bijker et al, 2001) (this study) than the maximum efficiency of approximately 25% expected for skeletal muscle. These findings suggest that delta efficiency is likely a poor indicator of muscle efficiency during incline running.…”

Section: Delta Efficiency and Its Biological Relevancementioning

confidence: 62%

“…Measures of delta efficiency (increase in gravitational mechanical energy divided by the increase in metabolic energy consumption) in uphill running are often greater than the maximum known efficiency of skeletal muscle (Taylor et al, 1972;Bijker et al, 2001), suggesting that some of the functions requiring energy on the level require less energy when running uphill. Developing hypotheses to explain the metabolic cost of running uphill has been hampered by the lack of information on the energy consumption of individual muscles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The cost of running uphill: linking organismal and muscle energy use in guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

Rubenson

Henry

Dimoulas

et al. 2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Uphill running requires more energy than level running at the same speed,largely due to the additional mechanical work of elevating the body weight. We explored the distribution of energy use among the leg muscles of guinea fowl running on the level and uphill using both organismal energy expenditure(oxygen consumption) and muscle blood flow measurements. We tested each bird under four conditions: (1) rest, (2) a moderate-speed level run at 1.5 m s–1, (3) an incline run at 1.5 m s–1 with a 15% gradient and (4) a fast level run at a speed eliciting the same metabolic rate as did running at a 15% gradient at 1.5 m s–1(2.28–2.39 m s–1). The organismal energy expenditure increased by 30% between the moderate-speed level run and both the fast level run and the incline run, and was matched by a proportional increase in total blood flow to the leg muscles. We found that blood flow increased significantly to nearly all the leg muscles between the moderate-speed level run and the incline run. However, the increase in flow was distributed unevenly across the leg muscles, with just three muscles being responsible for over 50% of the total increase in blood flow during uphill running. Three muscles showed significant increases in blood flow with increased incline but not with an increase in speed. Increasing the volume of active muscle may explain why in a previous study a higher maximal rate of oxygen consumption was measured during uphill running. The majority of the increase in energy expenditure between level and incline running was used in stance-phase muscles. Proximal stance-phase extensor muscles with parallel fibers and short tendons, which have been considered particularly well suited for doing positive work on the center of mass, increased their mass-specific energy use during uphill running significantly more than pinnate stance-phase muscles. This finding provides some evidence for a division of labor among muscles used for mechanical work production based on their muscle–tendon architecture. Nevertheless, 33% of the total increase in energy use (40% of the increase in stance-phase energy use) during uphill running was provided by pinnate stance-phase muscles. Swing-phase muscles also increase their energy expenditure during uphill running, although to a lesser extent than that required by running faster on the level. These results suggest that neither muscle–tendon nor musculoskeletal architecture appear to greatly restrict the ability of muscles to do work during locomotor tasks such as uphill running, and that the added energy cost of running uphill is not solely due to lifting the body center of mass.

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Section: Delta Efficiency and Its Biological Relevancementioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cost of running uphill: linking organismal and muscle energy use in guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

Rubenson

Henry

Dimoulas

et al. 2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…In the present study the mean cycling D efficiency was 25%. Results from previous studies (Asmussen and Bonde-Petersen 1974;Suzuki 1979;Coyle et al 1992;Bijker et al 2001) have also shown that the D efficiency of cycling is indeed less than the efficiency of concentric exercise.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The D efficiency during running is significantly greater than that during cycling (Zacks 1973;Asmussen and Bonde-Petersen 1974;Bijker et al 2001). Furthermore, the D efficiency of running is also much greater than the muscle efficiency, which is estimated to have a maximal value of 29% (Cavanagh and Kram 1985).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Differences in leg muscle activity during running and cycling in humans

Bijker

Groot

Hollander

2002

European Journal of Applied Physiology

117

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Delta (D) efficiency is defined as the ratio of an increment in the external mechanical power output to the increase in metabolic power required to produce it. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether differences in leg muscle activity between running and cycling can explain the observed difference in D efficiency between the two activities. A group of 11 subjects performed incremental submaximal running and cycling tests on successive days. The D efficiencies during running and cycling were based on five exercise stages. Electromyograph (EMG) measurements were made of three leg muscles (gastrocnemius, vastus lateralis and biceps femoris). Kendall's correlation coefficients between the mean EMG activity and the load applied were calculated for each muscle, for both running and cycling. As expected, the mean D efficiency during running (42%) was significantly greater than that during cycling (25%). For cycling, all muscles showed a significant correlation between mean EMG activity and the load applied. For running, however, only the gastrocnemius muscle showed a significant, but low correlation (r=0.33). The correlation coefficients of the vastus lateralis and biceps femoris muscles were not significantly different from 0. The results were interpreted as follows. In contrast to cycling, which includes only concentric contractions, during running up inclines eccentric muscle actions play an important role. With steeper inclines, more concentric contractions must be produced to overcome the external force, whereas the amount of eccentric muscle actions decreases. This change in the relative contribution of concentric and eccentric muscle actions, in combination with the fact that eccentric muscle actions require much less metabolic energy than concentric contractions, can explain the difference between the running and cycling D efficiency.

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“…Asmussen and Bonde-Petersen [2] also reported about the AE of walking and running using a similar technique according to Lloyd and Zacks [1]. Bijker et al [3] compared the delta efficiency of running with that of a bicycle ergometer exercise. Furthermore, the AE of running was compared between adults and children [4], and the effect of footwear (Japanese wooden clogs) on the AE of walking was also evaluated [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen uptake, heart rate, and work rate at ventilatory threshold for treadmill walking against a horizontal impeding force

Azuma¹

2013

Health

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The purpose of this study was to compare the ventilatory threshold (VT) between treadmill walking against a horizontal impeding force (horizontal load walking) and a cycle ergometer exercise. Seven adult men volunteered to participate in this study. They performed horizontal load walking (velocity: 1.11 m/s) and a cycle ergometer exercise (pedaling frequency: 60 rpm), with loads imposed using a ramp slope technique. Oxygen uptake at the VT during horizontal load walking was greater than that during a cycle ergometer exercise (p < 0.05), whereas the opposite was noted for the work rate at VT (p < 0.05). The greater metabolic cost was because of the small output (work rate at VT) incurred during horizontal load walking. This suggested that the muscle mass recruited for exercise would be much greater for horizontal load walking than a cycle ergometer exercise because pedaling requires fewer muscles (lower extremities). In addition, a high reliability of VT during horizontal load walking was indicated from the correlation coefficient, standard error, and the confidence coefficient in two trials for the same subjects, which were 0.97, 0.097 L/min, and 0.96, respectively. These results suggest that horizontal load walking may be a modality for aerobic conditioning.

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Delta efficiencies of running and cycling

Cited by 45 publications

References 20 publications

The cost of running uphill: linking organismal and muscle energy use in guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

The cost of running uphill: linking organismal and muscle energy use in guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

Differences in leg muscle activity during running and cycling in humans

Oxygen uptake, heart rate, and work rate at ventilatory threshold for treadmill walking against a horizontal impeding force

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