Muscle Runners are not called Muscle Runners for nothing! Indeed some may find the Antepes’ name a little odd. However, these built-for-speed shoes are so-called because they are designed to activate the muscles which are key for sprinting and in particular the lower leg muscles. We take a further look at specific sports science which vindicates the specific benefits.
Specific research
Researchers from the University of Calgary pitted Muscles Runners against conventional running shoes and the latest sprint spikes. The main test was a 30m sprint performed at 80% and 100% velocity.
The standout results were that the Antepes were very close to the sprint spikes in terms of speed capability and ground intact times. In fact there was 5 milliseconds of separation between the spikes and the Antepes on those tests.
These results show just how great Muscle Runners are as a sprint shoe which can be used when you can’t wear sprint spikes or don’t want to.
The Canadian research also analysed lower leg muscle activation as measured by electromyography (EMG) - specifically, the soleus and gastrocnemius calf muscles
The EMG findings showed that soleus activation was much superior to that achieved in the conventional running shoes and not much behind the sprint spikes.
The EMG findings showed that soleus activation was much superior to that achieved in the conventional running shoes and not much behind the sprint spikes.
The soleus is the smaller of the calf muscles whilst the gastrocnemius is the larger. The former performs a physically supportive role whilst the latter is more of a power producing muscle. However, despite its size and role, the soleus is crucial for sprinting and in particular acceleration.
The Chinese connection???
The sprinting social media world has been recently full of coverage of Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian. Su has a 100m best of 9.83sec but unofficially holds the 60m world record for a time he recorded during a 100m race. He achieved 6.29sec when running in the Tokyo Olympic semi-final when he set his 100m best.
This compares to his official 60m WR of 6.43sec. The current world record is held by The USA’s Christian Coleman and stands at 6.34sec.
But why the mention of Su? Well, he apparently had calf muscles that were very weak - in particular his soleus “strength” was identified as being similar to an adolescent females. So, his coaches embarked on a specific programme to enhance the power of his soleus. It’s stated that work done on the Chinese sprinter’s calf muscle were a very significant contributor to his improved sprinting and break-through to true world class.
More on why the soleus is important for sprinting and in particular acceleration
When leaving the blocks on starting, the sprinter needs very strong ankles - these need to support and produce propulsive force when creating optimum accelerative angles across the sprinter’s body whilst the knee is bent. And when the knee is bent it’s the soleus which does the majority of the mechanical work amongst the lower leg muscle groups.
So, the fact our built-for-speed Muscle Runners, as identified by the Canadian research - stimulated increased EMG soleus activity over and above conventional running shoes, for example, is a great indicator as to how these specific speed shoes are doing the”right” job.
The right job that will specifically strengthen key muscles in a very sprint specific way. Ergo Muscle Runners!
More on the lower leg muscles and how to get the most from developing them using your Antepes Muscle Runners in subsequent posts.
