Research summary · Training and performance
Heavier resisted sprints change movement patterns and muscle activation
Thirteen experienced male sprinters completed unresisted sprinting and randomized resisted conditions using a robotic pulley. Loads produced peak-speed reductions of 10%, 25%, 50% and 65%. Researchers measured stride characteristics, joint motion and electrical activity in nine leg muscles.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Acute within-participant laboratory experiment
- Journal
- Translational Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Athletics · Sprinting
What the publication reports
Increasing resistance shortened steps, reduced step frequency and prolonged ground contact. Runners adopted more flexed, forward-leaning positions, while quadriceps activity became more prominent and hamstring activity decreased. Loads producing more than 50% speed reduction involved increasingly different movement and activation patterns from unresisted running.
Limits and interpretation
This was an acute study in a small male sample, not a long-term training trial. Resistance and slower running speed changed together, so their separate contributions cannot be isolated. The findings do not establish an optimal load or demonstrate improved race performance or injury prevention.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Acute Effect of Different Resisted Sprint Loads on Joint Kinematics and Electromyographic Activity in Experienced Sprinters.
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42877140DOI: 10.1155/tsm2/2139446Full text at the sourceReader discussion
Discuss the evidence.
Ask a question, share a source or discuss the methods. Respectful disagreement is welcome. Every comment and reply is reviewed before publication.
Loading comments…