The Impact of Grounding in Running Shoes on Indices of Performance in Elite Competitive Athletes

Muniz-Pardos, Borja (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Zelenkova, Irina (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Gonzalez-Aguero, Alex (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Knopp, Melanie ; Boitz, Toni ; Graham, Martin ; Ruiz, Daniel ; Casajus, Jose A. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Pitsiladis, Yannis P.

Resumen: The introduction of carbon fiber plate shoes has triggered a plethora of world records in running, which has encouraged shoe industries to produce novel shoe designs to enhance running performance, including shoes containing conductor elements or "grounding shoes" (GS), which could potentially reduce the energy cost of running. The aim of this study was to examine the physiological and perceptual responses of athletes subjected to grounding shoes during running. Ten elite runners were recruited. Firstly, the athletes performed an incremental running test for VO(2)max and anaerobic threshold (AT) determination, and were familiarized with the two shoe conditions (traditional training shoe (TTS) and GS, the latter containing a conductor element under the insole). One week apart, athletes performed running economy tests (20 min run at 80% of the AT) on a 400 m dirt track, with shoe conditions randomized. VO2, heart rate, lactate, and perceived fatigue were registered throughout the experiment. No differences in any of the physiological or perceptual variables were identified between shoe conditions, with an equal running economy in both TTS and GS (51.1 +/- 4.2 vs. 50.9 +/- 5.1 mL kg(-1) min(-1), respectively). Our results suggest that a grounding stimulus does not improve the energy cost of running, or the physiological/perceptual responses of elite athletes.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031317

Año: 2022

Publicado en: International journal of environmental research and public health 19, 3 (2022), 1317 [10 pp.]
ISSN: 1661-7827

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 5.4 - Medicine (Q2) - Environmental Science (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.828 - Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis (Q2) - Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health (Q2) - Pollution (Q2)

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Educación Física y Depor. (Dpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería)