Assessment of Sprinting Abilities Using a Resistant Self-driven Treadmill

In the present study, an ergometer (SErg) was developed to determine the force-velocity-power relationship in sprint running and to examine its applicability for assessing sprinting ability on the ground. The SErg consisted of a low friction belt, a rotary encoder, a force transducer attached to the runner's waist, and an electrical brake on the belt. The subjects (nine healthy and active men, including two sprinters: age, 22.6±2.1yrs; body height, 175.3±4.1cm; body weight, 74.1±9.3 kg) sprinted with maximal effort at five loads that were generated by the braking force. The mean velocity (V) and force (F) were calculated where the mean belt velocity in six steps was maximal. In addition to the treadmill running, the subjects performed a 60m maximal sprint on the ground. From the F-V relationship, the value of the intercept on the V axis was regarded as estimated maximal velocity (eVmax). The maximal power (ePmax) was also calculated from V-P regression. The test-retest reliability of the eVmax and ePmax was high (ICC>0.79). The eVmax (8.25+/-0.89m/s) and ePmax (856.5+/-135.0W) were highly correlated to the maximal velocity (8.91+/-0.75m/s, r =0.91) and acceleration (3.55+/-0.24m/s2, r =0.91), respectively, in the 60 m sprint on the ground. The present results indicate that the SErg can be applicable to determine the F-V-P relationship during sprint running and to estimate maximum velocity and acceleration in maximal ground sprinting.