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Influence of thigh muscularity on sprint mechanical properties and performance = Influència del desenvolupament muscular de la cuixa sobre les propietats mecàniques de l’esprint i el rendiment
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[eng] Sprint performance is one of the most highly prized faculties in the vast majority of sports, from short accelerations seen in team sports to high maximal speeds reached in track and field events. The capacity to accelerate rapidly and to reach very high speeds is an extremely desirable quality across the sports world. Although many factors influence sprint performance, the ability to produce high horizontal ground reaction forces (GRFs) throughout the sprint seems the ultimate determinant. This ability is inclusive of mechanical properties of the muscles, morphological features and neural mechanisms as well as the ability of the given athlete to orient horizontal GRFs. Moreover, it is known that muscle volume (MV) is closely' related to the ability to produce force and power in any given muscle, therefore, it is logical to suppose that larger muscles would be advantageous for sprint performance. However, enlargement of a muscle increases inertia in the segment and reduces angular acceleration and velocity, which is counterproductive for the goal of improving sprint performance. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to analyse the influence of thigh muscularity (quadriceps, hamstrings and adductors) in sprint performance by examining different populations with different levels of sprint performance and to study the adaptation of these muscles during sprint-training periods in national-level sprinters. In the first study (Study I), we analysed and compared thigh MVs, sprint performance and sprint mechanical properties (SMPs) from recreationally trained young men and male sprinters. Results from this study showed that sprinters accelerated better than trained males (ES = 2.12-3.68, P < 0.01), but more importantly, they were much faster at high speeds (ES= 4.53, P < 0.01). Sprinters also had larger thigh muscle volumes (ES = 1.12-2.11, P < 0.01), especially in the hamstring musculature. Moreover, strong correlations were found between hamstrings MV and sprint performance (r = -0.670, P < 0.01), and moderate correlations between adductors MVand sprint performance (r = -0.563, P < 0.05). Based on differences in thigh muscularity between these groups and the correlations found, we concluded that hamstrings muscularity plays an important role in sprint performance. Through the second study (Study II) we compared thigh muscularity, SMPs and performance between sprinters of both sexes. The analysis revealed that only normalised hamstrings MV differed between the sexes, being larger in males (ES = 1.26, P < 0.05), while quadriceps and adductors showed no differences. Males were much faster than females (ES = 5.01-6.68, P < 0.001) and exhibited greater SMPs (ES = 1.98-6.97, P < 0.01), especially at maximal velocity. As in Study I, strong correlations were found between hamstrings MV and sprint performance (r = -0.685, P < 0.01), and moderate between adductors MV and performance (r = -0.530, P < 0.05). Moreover, hamstrings muscularity was related to maximal velocity and not to maximal horizontal force, while adductors muscularity showed the opposite correlations. We concluded that hamstrings muscularity is more important than adductors muscularity in determining performance in sprinting. Moreover, hamstrings MV seems more important for reaching very high speeds than adductors MV. Finally, in the third study (Study Ill) we examined the effect of a 5-month sprint based training macrocycle (SBTM) on sprint performance, thigh MVs and SMPs of national-level sprinters. The athletes were tested before, during and after the SBTM. Sprinters improved their sprint performance in all distances analysed (ES = 0.46-1.11, P < 0.01) as well as improving maximal velocity (ES= 0.40, P < 0.01) and the ability to produce horizontal GRFs throughout the sprint (ES = 0.91, P < 0.01). Moreover, we observed a highly consistent hypertrophic pattern in quadriceps, hamstrings and adductors, with increases during the first half of the period of training and maintenance during the second half. Hamstrings and adductors increases were almost the same, and double that of quadriceps. The greater increase in hamstrings and adductors might be related to the prominent role of these muscle groups during sprinting.
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NUELL TURON, Sergi. Influence of thigh muscularity on sprint mechanical properties and performance = Influència del desenvolupament muscular de la cuixa sobre les propietats mecàniques de l’esprint i el rendiment. [consulta: 15 de desembre de 2025]. [Disponible a: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/141100]