The effect of footwear on running economy following exercise-induced fatigue.

The research proposal is designed to examine the relationship between footwear, metabolic rate and lower limb muscle activity following exercise-educed fatigue. This randomized, controlled crossover design experiment will consist of three sessions. The first session is a familiarization session. The second and third sessions will be the same, except the exercise will be done wearing either traditional or minimalist footwear models. For the second and third sessions, participants will first complete a running economy test, and then run seven bouts of 1000 meters to induce fatigue. Following this fatiguing task, the participant will complete another running economy test. This study shall examine the differences in metabolic rate and muscle activity between footwear conditions, and furthermore, how fatigue effects these differences. The data collected will be used to identify any potentially injurious trends associated with each footwear model in an effort to provide insight for medical professionals with running clients.

Faculty Supervisor:

Fabien Basset

Student:

Jason Frederick

Partner:

Pearlgate Physiotherapy Services

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Sports and recreation

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland