Force-velocity relationship of leg muscles assessed with motorized treadmill tests: Two-velocity method

Abstract

Linear regression models applied on force (F) and velocity (V) data obtained from loaded multi-joint functional movement tasks have often been used to assess mechanical capacities of the tested muscles. The present study aimed to explore the properties of the F-V relationship of leg muscles exerting the maximum pulling F at a wide range of V on a standard motorized treadmill. Young and physically active male and female subjects (N=13+15) were tested on their maximum pulling F exerted horizontally while walking or running on a treadmill set to 8 different velocities (1.4-3.3m/s). Both the individual (median R=0.935) and averaged across the subjects F-V relationships (R=0.994) proved to be approximately linear and exceptionally strong, while their parameters depicting the leg muscle capacities for producing maximum F, V, and power (P; proportional to the product of F and V) were highly reliable (0.84<ICC<0.97). In addition, the same F-V relationship parameters obtained from only the highest and lowest treadmill V (i.e., the 'two-velocity method') revealed a strong relationship (0.89<R<0.99), and there were no meaningful differences regarding the magnitudes of the same parameters obtained from all 8 V's of the treadmill. We conclude that the F-V relationship of leg muscles tested through a wide range of treadmill V could be strong, linear, and reliable. Moreover, the relatively quick and fatigue-free two-velocity method could provide reliable and ecologically valid indices of F, V, and P producing capacities of leg muscles and, therefore, should be considered for future routine testing.

Mechanical Power in Endurance Running: A Scoping Review on Sensors for Power Output Estimation during Running

“…Table 1 shows a summary of 12 studies using wearable sensors with the capacity of measuring power during different running exercises. Whereas three of those studies [ 11 , 27 , 28 ] examine the PW kinetics during different running protocols, the other four studies [ 15 , 25 , 26 , 29 ] investigate the relationship between PW and physiological parameters such as oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) at different intensities. Additionally, two further works [ 30 , 31 ] analyse the application of mathematical models, based on power laws, to predict running performance, whereas a recent study [ 32 ] assesses the agreement level between two mathematical models and five power meter devices through different running conditions.…”

Force–velocity relationship in Paralympic powerlifting: two or multiple-point methods to determine a maximum repetition

“…However, due to the high linearity of the relationship with FV, Jaric [27] proposed a test based on the application of only two loads (2PM). Studies have confirmed the similar reliability and high validity of the relation to F-V obtained from MPM and 2PM [17,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. However, it has been shown that the accuracy of the two-point method (2PM) depends on several factors such as the distance between the two experimental points, the proximity of the points to the F and V intercepts and the reliability of the individual points [18,28,32,33].…”

Force-Velocity Relationship of Leg Extensors Obtained From Three Different Types of Load

“…Previous studies have shown that the F-V relationship in case of different multi-joint movements is approximately linear (Ĉuk et al, 2014;Dobrijević et al, 2017;Driss & Vandewalle, 2013;Samozino, Rejc, Di Prampero, Belli, & Morin, 2012;Samozino et al, 2014;Živković et al, 2017a). In addition, more and more studies that deal with these issues suggest that linear F-V relationship can be used in routine tests for the evaluation of muscle mechanical properties (Ĉuk et al, 2014;Jarić, 2015;Živković et al, 2017b).…”

“…Further, it is possible to evaluate the current level of abilities, optimize the training or evaluate the outcome of the conducted training programs (Đurić et al, 2016). Recent studies have shown that the F-V relationship obtained in multi-joint functional movements (walking, running, jumps, throwing, suppressions), is approximately linear, as well as it is a good indicator of the most significant muscle mechanical properties (Cuk et al, 2014;Dobrijević, Ilić, Đurić, & Jarić, 2017;Driss & Vandewalle, 2013;Samozino, Rejc, Di Prampero, Belli, & Morin, 2012;Samozino, Rejc, di Prampero, Belli, & Morin, 2014;Živković, Đurić, Ĉuk, Suzović, & Jarić, 2017a), which speaks in favor of its practical application.…”