Relationship between sprint performance and muscle fascicle length in female sprinters.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sprint performance and architectural characteristics of leg muscles in 26 female 100-m sprinters. Pennation angle and muscle thickness of the vastus lateralis (VL) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) and lateralis (GL) muscles were measured by B-mode ultrasonography, and fascicle length was estimated. Sprinters had a significantly lower VL pennation angle, but GM and GL pennation angle was similar between sprinters and female control subjects (N = 22). There was no significant correlation between pennation angle and 100-m personal best performance. Sprinters had significantly greater absolute fascicle length in VL and GL than controls, which significantly correlated to 100-m best-record (r = -0.51 and r = -0.44, respectively). Relative fascicle length (VL and GL) were also significantly greater in sprinters than controls. However, there were no significant correlation between relative fascicle length and 100-m best-record (r = -0.36 and r = -0.29, respectively). No relationship was found between the sprint performance and fat-free mass (r = -0.26) or body mass index (r = -0.03). However, there was a significant correlation between percent (%) body fat and 100-m best-record (r = 0.62, p < 0.01). Adjusting the confounding effect of % fat, significant correlations were seen between relative fascicle length and 100-m best-record (VL; r = -0.39 and GL; r = -0.40). Absolute and relative fascicle length were similar in elite female sprinters compared with previous reported values for elite male sprinters (Kumagai et al., 2000). It was concluded that longer fascicle length is associated with greater sprinting performance in sprinters, but there is no gender differences in fascicle length for elite sprinters.

[1]  T. Abe,et al.  Muscle enlargement in sumo wrestlers includes increased muscle fascicle length , 2000, European Journal of Applied Physiology.

[2]  T Abe,et al.  Fascicle length of leg muscles is greater in sprinters than distance runners. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[3]  T Abe,et al.  Sprint performance is related to muscle fascicle length in male 100-m sprinters. , 1999, Journal of applied physiology.

[4]  T. Abe,et al.  Training-Induced Changes in Fascicle Length; a Brief Review , 1998 .

[5]  T. Fukunaga,et al.  Architectural and functional features of human triceps surae muscles during contraction. , 1998, Journal of applied physiology.

[6]  T. Abe,et al.  Gender differences in FFM accumulation and architectural characteristics of muscle. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[7]  D. Morgan,et al.  Differences in rat skeletal muscles after incline and decline running. , 1998, Journal of applied physiology.

[8]  P. Cerretelli,et al.  In vivo human gastrocnemius architecture with changing joint angle at rest and during graded isometric contraction. , 1996, The Journal of physiology.

[9]  J. Wilmore,et al.  Physiology of Sport and Exercise , 1995 .

[10]  R. Lieber,et al.  Relationship between muscle fiber types and sizes and muscle architectural properties in the mouse hindlimb , 1994, Journal of morphology.

[11]  R. Fitts,et al.  Shortening velocity and ATPase activity of rat skeletal muscle fibers: effects of endurance exercise training. , 1994, The American journal of physiology.

[12]  T. Fukunaga,et al.  Muscle-fiber pennation angles are greater in hypertrophied than in normal muscles. , 1993, Journal of applied physiology.

[13]  V. Edgerton,et al.  Muscle architecture of the human lower limb. , 1983, Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

[14]  R. Roy,et al.  Architecture of the hind limb muscles of cats: Functional significance , 1982, Journal of morphology.

[15]  V R Edgerton,et al.  Architectural, histochemical, and contractile characteristics of a unique biarticular muscle: the cat semitendinosus. , 1982, Journal of neurophysiology.

[16]  V. Edgerton,et al.  Muscle architecture and force-velocity characteristics of cat soleus and medial gastrocnemius: implications for motor control. , 1980, Journal of neurophysiology.

[17]  M. Miyashita,et al.  Dynamic peak torque related to age, sex, and performance. , 1979, Research quarterly.

[18]  J Daniels,et al.  Skeletal muscle enzymes and fiber composition in male and female track athletes. , 1976, Journal of applied physiology.

[19]  J C Tabary,et al.  Physiological and structural changes in the cat's soleus muscle due to immobilization at different lengths by plaster casts * , 1972, The Journal of physiology.

[20]  M. Bárány,et al.  ATPase Activity of Myosin Correlated with Speed of Muscle Shortening , 1967, The Journal of general physiology.

[21]  A. Keys,et al.  DENSITOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF BODY COMPOSITION: REVISION OF SOME QUANTITATIVE ASSUMPTIONS * , 1963, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[22]  T. Fukunaga,et al.  Prediction equations for body composition of Japanese adults by B‐mode ultrasound , 1994, American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council.

[23]  P A Huijing,et al.  Architecture of the human gastrocnemius muscle and some functional consequences. , 1985, Acta anatomica.

[24]  R. Taylor,et al.  Stretch-induced growth in chicken wing muscles: a new model of stretch hypertrophy. , 1980, The American journal of physiology.

[25]  A Thorstensson,et al.  Maximal oxygen uptake and muscle fiber types in trained and untrained humans. , 1978, Medicine and science in sports.

[26]  A. Thorstensson,et al.  Force-velocity relations and fiber composition in human knee extensor muscles. , 1976, Journal of applied physiology.

[27]  M. Johnson,et al.  Data on the distribution of fibre types in thirty-six human muscles. An autopsy study. , 1973, Journal of the neurological sciences.