Mechanical Stiffness: A global parameter associated to elite sprinters performance

Resumen

This study analyzed vertical stiffness as a global parameter that could be directly associated to sprinter´s performance. We evaluated vertical stiffness, heart rate and lactate concentration. Fifteen male sprinters ran on a treadmill at gait transition speed and 13km.h-1. Physiological parameters were measured throughout the experimental procedure and performance was estimated by athlete´s time records on 100 meters track race. Vertical stiffness and athlete´s time records showed an inverse relationship, where faster athletes are the stiffer ones. Moreover, the fastest athletes were the ones that presented the highest lactate peaks. These findings suggest that mechanical stiffness could be a potential global parameter to evaluate performance in sprinters.