Highly Cushioned Shoes Improve Running Performance in Both the Absence and Presence of Muscle Damage

Purpose We tested the hypotheses that a highly cushioned running shoe (HCS) would 1) improve incremental exercise performance and reduce the oxygen cost (Oc) of submaximal running, and 2) attenuate the deterioration in Oc elicited by muscle damage consequent to a downhill run. Methods Thirty-two recreationally active participants completed an incremental treadmill test in an HCS and a control running shoe (CON) for the determination of Oc and maximal performance. Subsequently, participants were pair matched and randomly assigned to one of the two footwear conditions to perform a moderate-intensity running bout before and 48 h after a 30-min downhill run designed to elicit muscle damage. Results Incremental treadmill test performance was improved (+5.7%; +1:16 min:ss; P
Source: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: APPLIED SCIENCES Source Type: research