Muscle Activity during Running in Water and on Dry Land: Matched Physiology

Abstract

We investigated muscle activity during deep water running (DWR) and treadmill running on dry land (TMR) at similar physiological responses. 9 subjects (30.7±10.4 years) participated in this study. The baseline conditions consisted of TMR at 3 ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) level (RPE 11, 13, and 15) with heart rate (HR) recorded during each condition. The target HR for each level of DWR condition was determined by the HR recorded during the TMR. Muscle activity from the rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and gastrocnemius (GA) were measured. As originally planned, HR was not different between modes (P>0.05) and was different between exercise intensities (P<0.001). Only TA muscle activity was influenced by the interaction of mode and intensity (P<0.05). Muscle activity from the GA during DWR was significantly lower than that of TMR (a 34-48% decrease; P<0.05), although muscle activity from the remaining tested muscles were not influenced by modes of exercise (P>0.05). These observations suggest that matching HR can be recommended to produce similar magnitude of lower extremity muscle activity during DWR to that of TMR, with the exception of the GA.

Determining if muscle activity is related to preferred stride frequency during running in the water and on land

“…However, in most of the previous studies on muscle activity during DWR, subjects did not wear shoes (i.e., barefoot) during DWR ( e.g., Mercer et al 2005b;Masumoto et al 2009Masumoto et al , 2013aMasumoto et al , 2014. Therefore, we did not ask our subjects to wear shoes during DWR tests in this study.…”

“…Previously, Masumoto et al (2014) compared muscle activity during DWR and TMR when exercising at the same heart rate. To obtain the same heart rate levels during DWR vs. TMR, participants used SF ranging from about 55 strides/ min to 70 strides/min during DWR but around 80 strides/ sented as mean ± standard deviation.…”

“…To our knowledge, the effect of wearing shoes on muscle activity during locomotion in water has not investigated. Furthermore, presently, the effect of wearing vest on muscle activity during DWR and TMR is not known (e.g., Masumoto et al 2014). Therefore, it has not yet determined what critical features are similar between DWR and TMR.…”

“…This mode of exercise can be used in rehabilitation programs for runners with overuse injuries as well as a way to supplement mileage in run training programs for healthy runners. Although there has been research on physiological (e.g., Brown et al 1997;Frangolias and Rhodes 1995;Frangolias et al 1996;Masumoto et al 2009Masumoto et al , 2014Mercer and Jensen 1998;Phillips et al 2008) and biomechanical (e.g., Killgore et al 2006;Masumoto et al 2009Masumoto et al , 2013aMasumoto et al , 2014Mercer et al 2005b, 1 3 2014) parameters during DWR, there are still questions about how to best prescribe the use of this mode of exercise and which features during DWR are similar to running on land.…”

Comparison of Physiological Variables Between the Elliptical Bicycle and Run Training in Experienced Runners

“…Deep water running (DWR) was also performed in the athlete's training which may have contributed to the observed results. DWR has been seen to elicit similar muscle activity in deep water (22) compared to running. However, VO 2 max, heart rate (HR), and ventilation (VE) values during DWR have been unable to reach levels seen during treadmill running in trained runners (8,33).…”