Running Style Effects on Force and Muscle Activity

Running remains one of the oldest and most commonly practiced forms of exercise. Learning how the style of foot strike people use effects the fatigue in different aspects of their body is quite important for their physical health. This is done through the measurement of force under one’s foot, calf muscle activity and heart rate. This study evaluates the effect of each style: forefoot, midfoot and heel strike, through assessing these three metrics. Each style was evaluated in triplicate. The results suggest that, as expected, the force on heel is greatest with heel strike > midfoot > forefoot. The force on ball of foot was greatest on forefoot while equal with heel strike and midfoot. The calf muscle activity was greatest on forefoot > midfoot > heel strike. Through this analysis it can be shown that midfoot strike running has the lowest impact.