Scientific Programme
Biomechanics & Motor control
IS-BM02 - Running muscles: interaction of muscle mass/function with the biomechanics and performance of running
Date: 10.07.2026, Time: 09:30 - 10:45, Session Room: Auditorium B (STCC)
Description
Running is a fundamental form of human locomotion, a very popular physical activity and the most ubiquitous movement pattern in sports. Clearly skeletal muscle plays a critical role in generating the propulsive forces needed to run, and this symposium will address the interactions between skeletal muscle mass and function with how individuals run (i.e. biomechanics), and how fast they run (i.e. performance). Sprint running involves the expression of neuromuscular power and thus elite sprinters may have stronger, larger muscles than sub-elite athletes, but with little rigorous evidence or consideration of specific muscles or muscle groups. The first presentation will consider recent evidence examining the muscle morphology and function of elite vs sub-elite sprinters. The second presentation, titled 'The Interplay of Lower-Limb Strength and Running Gait Biomechanics Across Development' explores how hamstring, quadriceps, and hip strength relate to running mechanics across adolescence and adulthood, highlighting developmental and sex-related effects on the interaction between strength and running biomechanics. The third presentation will discuss increasing evidence that strength training can enhance distance running performance, with an emphasis on the effects of maximal and explosive strength and plyometric training on running economy, durability (i.e., resistance to fatigue-related alterations during prolonged exercise), and distance capacity above critical speed (D').
Chair(s)
Jonathan Folland
Loughborough University, School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences
United Kingdom
Speaker A
Jonathan Folland
Loughborough University, School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences
United Kingdom
Read CVECSS Lausanne 2026: IS-BM02
Differentiating the best from the rest: Importance of the mass of specific muscles for elite vs sub-elite sprint running performance
Sprint running is one of the most renowned expressions of human athletic performance and a key component of numerous running-based sports. Elite sprinting relies on the generation of extremely high muscular power that theoretically heavily depends on muscle volume. Although it is common observation that elite sprinters are typically more muscular than untrained populations, the specific muscles and muscle groups that distinguish elite from sub-elite sprint performers has remained unclear. To determine the importance of specific muscle volumes for elite sprinting, in a series of studies [1,2,3], we: (i) compared the volume of all the major leg muscles between elite vs sub-elite sprinters, in male and female cohorts; (ii) examined the relationship between muscle volume and sprint performance; and (iii) compared male and female sprinters, and a sub-group of male sprinters performance-matched to elite female sprinters. Muscle volumes were assessed with 3T MRI to quantify the volume of 23 individual leg muscles/compartments and 5 functional muscle groups. Total leg absolute muscle volume was higher in elite vs sub-elite sprinters (for males +24% and females +15%), but with pronounced anatomical specificity. Of the functional muscle groups only the hip extensors distinguished elite (larger) vs sub-elite, amongst males and females, whether expressed in absolute or relative (to body mass) terms. Three hip muscles (gluteus maximus, sartorius, tensor fasciae latae) were consistently larger in elite vs sub-elite sprinters (absolute and relative expressions, and both males and females). Gluteus maximus volume (absolute and relative) was also consistently correlated with season’s best 100 m time, in male and female cohorts. The biomechanical role of these individual muscles during sprinting will be discussed. For example we recently found near exponential increases in the positive work done by the hip extensors as running speed increases, with this muscle group alone contributing 46% of the positive work done during the running stride at 8.3 m·s−1 [4], and likely a higher percentage at greater speeds. Elite sprinters appeared to be selected for a common muscle distribution phenotype that for elite sub-groups was a stronger effect than that of sex. Relative hip extensor muscle volume, rather than stature, percent body fat, or total relative muscle volume, appeared to be the primary determinant of the sex difference in performance. 1. Miller R, Balshaw TG, Massey GJ, Maeo S, Lanza MB, Johnston M, Allen SJ, Folland JP. MSSE 2021; 53(4): 804-815. 2. Miller R, Balshaw TG, Massey GJ, Maeo S, Lanza MB, Haug B, Johnston M, Allen SJ, Folland JP. MSSE 2022; 54(12):2138-2148. 3. Miller R, Balshaw TG, Massey GJ, Maeo S, Lanza MB, Haug B, Johnston M, Allen SJ, Folland JP. JAP 2024;136(6):1568-1579. 4. Willer J, Allen SJ, Burden RJ, Folland JP. SJMSS 2024; 34(8):e14690.
Speaker B
Kristin Whitney
Harvard Medical School, Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
United States
Read CVECSS Lausanne 2026: IS-BM02
The Interplay of Lower-Limb Strength and Running Gait Biomechanics Across Development
Running performance and injury risk are strongly influenced by the interaction between neuromuscular strength and biomechanical movement patterns. Yet, the precise relationships between muscle strength profiles and running gait mechanics—particularly across key developmental stages—remain incompletely understood. This lecture synthesizes findings from two recent investigations to elucidate how hip, quadriceps, and hamstring strength interact with running biomechanics from adolescence through adulthood. The first study, Running gait biomechanics associated with hamstring and quadriceps strength profiles [1], conducted among 554 healthy adults (355 Female, 199 Male), identified distinct biomechanical signatures during steady-state running linked to relative hamstring and quadriceps strength. Greater quadriceps and hamstring strength were associated with increased cadence, increased stride length, decreased proportion of the gait cycle in stance phase, and lower maximal vertical Ground Reaction Forces, altogether suggesting a more effective propulsion strategy. The second study, Adolescent and young adult hip and knee strength profiles relate to running gait biomechanics [2], extended these insights by examining developmental differences among 802 healthy adolescents (570 Female, 232 Male). Adolescents and young adults demonstrated proximal hip and knee strength and biomechanical running profiles unique to participant age and sex, suggesting that maturation and sex should be accounted for in physical and running gait assessments. These findings highlight the maturation of neuromuscular coordination and its implications for running training, performance, and injury prevention. Together, these studies emphasize that muscular strength is not an isolated attribute but an integrated determinant of running biomechanics. The lecture will address: (1) how variability in hamstring–quadriceps and hip strength modulates running biomechanics (2) developmental transitions in strength–biomechanics coupling; and (3) implications for strength assessment and targeted training. By bridging developmental and mechanistic perspectives, this presentation offers a framework linking strength profiles to functional movement outcomes. It advances a precision approach to athlete monitoring—recognizing that individual strength characteristics shape biomechanical expression and can guide strategies that may effect performance and injury risk. [1] Whitney KE, Couchot P, Stracciolini A, Willwerth S, Dawkins C, D'Hemecourt PA, DeJong Lempke AF. Running gait biomechanics associated with hamstring and quadriceps strength profiles. Gait Posture. 2025 Sep 23:109983. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.109983. [2] DeJong Lempke AF, Hunt DL, Dawkins C, Stracciolini A, Kocher MS, d'Hemecourt PA, Whitney KE. Adolescent and young adult hip and knee strength profiles relate to running gait biomechanics. Phys Ther Sport. 2023 Nov;64:48-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2023.09.005.
Speaker C
Michele Zanini
Loughborough University, School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences
United Kingdom
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The effects of strength training on the determinants of distance running performance
Physiologically, distance running performance can be predicted from three main factors: maximal oxygen uptake, its fractional utilisation at submaximal intensity, and running economy [1]. The importance of other physiological factors has also been suggested, including the capacity to delay fatigue-related alterations during prolonged exercise (durability) for longer events (e.g., marathon), and the distance capacity above critical speed (D') for shorter races (e.g., 800-1500 m). This session will discuss how strength training interventions can enhance the physiological determinants of distance running and, subsequently, performance. Over the past 30 years, extensive evidence has shown the positive effects of maximal and explosive strength and plyometrics training on running economy [2] and performance [3]. Improvements in running economy have been linked to adaptations in muscle-tendon stiffness and muscle function, including an increased rate of force development, augmented motor unit discharge rate, and a shift from type IIx to type IIa fibres, while body mass typically remains unchanged [3,4]. Despite the growing interest in durability as a determinant of endurance performance for events such as the marathon, limited evidence exists about training interventions aiming to enhance it. In this context, we recently demonstrated that a 10-week strength training intervention affects durability in well-trained runners via reducing the deterioration in running economy during a 90 min run at marathon-like intensity, which subsequently improved fatigued high-intensity performance [4]. At the other end of the spectrum, in shorter-duration races such as middle-distance running, performance can be limited by D', particularly in world-class female athletes [5,6], and strength training could be an effective strategy to enhance D' whilst maintaining critical speed [7]. The positive influence of strength training on the work capacity above critical power – which corresponds to D' in running – has been demonstrated in cycling and represents a promising avenue for future research in trained runners. 1. Joyner M. J. (1991). Journal of applied physiology, 70(2), 683–687. 2. Llanos-Lagos, C., Ramirez-Campillo, R., Moran, J., & Sáez de Villarreal, E. (2024). Sports Medicine, 54(4), 895–932. 3. Blagrove, R. C., Howatson, G., & Hayes, P. R. (2018). Sports Medicine, 48(5), 1117–1149. 4. Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., Wu, H., & Blagrove, R. C. (2025). Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 57(7), 1546–1558. 5. Zanini, M., Shaw, A., & Ferguson, R. (2025). Journal of Applied Physiology, 139(1), 249–250. 6. Osborne, R. J., Kirby, B. S., Black, M. I., Vanhatalo, A., & Jones, A. M. (2025). Journal of applied physiology, 139(1), 263–264 7. Wang, B., Zanini, M., & Blagrove, R. C. (2025). Journal of Applied Physiology, 139(1), 251.