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Dynamics of running on a centrifugal track

The centrifugal track is a basin-shaped track characterised by a platform with a parabolic section. The model analysed in this technical note is characterized by five circular lanes with an increasing radius (from 2.59 to 3.37 m) and inclination (from 34° to 60°). The athlete has to run on a selected lane while changing direction at every support phase to maintain a circular trajectory. This gives rise to a centripetal acceleration of the centre of mass that, added to gravity, results in an overweight of the runner. Each lane is associated with a corresponding running speed that allows the athlete to run perpendicular to the contact surface. The overweight associated with each lane ranges from 1.2 to 2 times the subject`s body weight and it is achieved at running speeds ranging from 4.6 m/s to 8.8 m/s, respectively. In this technical note, the dynamics of the foot contact phase while running on the centrifugal track is described as a theoretical foundation for presenting this track as a sprint-specific strength training tool.
© Copyright 2017 Sports Engineering. The Faculty of Health & Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University. All rights reserved.

Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:technical and natural sciences endurance sports sports facilities and sports equipment
Published in:Sports Engineering
Language:English
Published: 2017
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-017-0231-4
Volume:20
Issue:3
Pages:239-242
Document types:article
Level:advanced