This investigation compared concentrations of circulating serum testosterone before, during, and after a submaximal treadmill run (30 min at 80% VO2 max) with samples obtained on a baseline (nonexercise) day. Baseline testosterone concentrations were obtained from 6 men (mean age 24 yrs) via an indwelling catheter in the median cubital vein. An initial sample of blood was followed 10 min later by 10 subsequent samples each taken at 10-min intervals. Blood samples were obtained at similar times and intervals on the day of the treadmill run. There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum testosterone concentration immediately after the treadmill run when compared to baseline concentrations. No other significant differences were found between baseline and postexercise samples up to 60 min. These results indicate that submaximal treadmill running caused an increase in circulating serum testosterone immediately postexercise that was greater than baseline levels.
Articles
Treadmill Running to Improve Speed
While no sanctioned sport competitions may ever take place on a treadmill, there can be distinct advantages to training on a treadmill if the training is done intelligently with an appropriately configured treadmill. There are 2 distinct advantages to treadmill training: an optimal learning environment can be created for improving running mechanics, and treadmill training conditions can safely elicit coordination strategies conducive to enhancing power output and running speed through the manipulation of incline and treadmill speed (4).
Incline vs. Level Treadmill Running
Recent sprint training regimens have used high-speed incline treadmill running to provide enhanced loading of muscles responsible for increasing forward running speed. The goal of this study was to document the joint kinematics, EMG, and swing-phase kinetics of incline treadmill running at 4.5 ms-1 with a 30% grade and compare these data to that of level running under similar conditions.
Predictors Of Sprint Start Speed
The Effects Of Resistive Ground-Based Vs. Inclined Treadmill Training
There is currently no consensus with regard to the most effective method to train for improved acceleration, or with regard to which kinematic variable provides the greatest opportunity for improvement in this important performance characteristic. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of resistive ground-based speed training and incline treadmill speed training on speed-related kinematic measures and sprint start speed. The hypothesis tested was that incline treadmill training would improve sprint start time, while the ground-based resistive training would not. Corollary hypotheses were that treadmill training would increase stride frequency and ground-based training would not affect kinematics during the sprint start. Thirty-one high school female soccer players (15.7 ± 0.5 years) were assigned to either treadmill (n = 17) or ground-based (n = 14) training groups and trained 2 times a week for 6 weeks. The treadmill group utilized incline speed training on a treadmill, while the ground-based group utilized partner band resistance ground-based techniques. Three-dimensional motion analysis was used (4.5 m mark) before and after training to quantify kinematics during the fastest of 3 recorded sprint starts (9.1 m). Both groups decreased average sprint start time from 1.75 ± 0.12 to 1.68 ± 0.08 seconds (p < 0.001). Training increased stride frequency (p = 0.030) but not stride length. After training, total vertical pelvic displacement and stride length predicted 62% of the variance in sprint start time for the resistive ground-based group, while stride length and stride frequency accounted for 67% prediction of the variance in sprint start time for the treadmill group. The results of this study indicate that both incline treadmill and resistive ground-based training are effective at improving sprint start speed, although they potentially do so through differing mechanisms.
