Mechanical work and efficiency of 5 + 5 m shuttle running

Purpose: Acceleration and deceleration phases characterise shuttle running (SR) compared to constant speed running (CR); mechanical work is thus expected to be larger in the former compared to the latter, at the same average speed (vmean). The aim of this study was to measure total mechanical work (Wtot+, J kg−1 m−1) during SR as the sum of internal (Wint+) and external (Wext+) work and to calculate the efficiency of SR. Methods: Twenty males were requested to perform shuttle runs over a distance of 5 + 5 m at different speeds (slow, moderate and fast) to record kinematic data. Metabolic data were also recorded (at fast speed only) to calculate energy cost (C, J kg−1 m−1) and mechanical efficiency (eff+ = Wtot+C−1) of SR. Results: Work parameters significantly increased with speed (P < 0.001): Wext+ = 1.388 + 0.337 vmean; Wint+ = −1.002 + 0.853 vmean; Wtot+ = 1.329 vmean. At the fastest speed C was 27.4 ± 2.6 J kg−1 m−1 (i.e. about 7 times larger than in CR) and eff+ was 16.2 ± 2.0 %. Conclusions: Wext+ is larger in SR than in CR (2.5 vs. 1.4 J kg−1 m−1 in the range of investigated speeds: 2–3.5 m s−1) and Wint+, at fast speed, is about half of Wtot+. eff+ is lower in SR (16 %) than in CR (50–60 % at comparable speeds) and this can be attributed to a lower elastic energy reutilization due to the acceleration/deceleration phases over this short shuttle distance.