A team of researchers from ULPGC and the University of Chichester (United Kingdom) It was analyzed how the morphology, architecture and quality of the muscles affect the performance of cyclists when accelerating, concluding that the volume of the quadriceps determines, to a large extent, the maximum pedaling force in the sprint.
This research, devoted to a systematic review to examine how these three variables relate to the way in which the cyclist performs when sprinting, was led by Saúl Martín, Juan J. González, José Antonio López and Joaquín Sanchís, from the departments of Physical Education and Mathematics of ULPGC and the University Institute of Biomedical and Health Research.
They have been addedor Iker J. Bautistafrom a British university.
The research concluded that the sprint is the “expression of power in cycling”, which translates into the force applied by the speed of execution of the pedal stroke and its rhythm, a moment of “high demand for the muscles”, mainly the quadriceps, so its quantity seems to be the most decisive variable, although architecture and quality also have relative weight.
The fact that the volume of the quadriceps is the variable with the greatest correlation with the maximum power of pedaling in the sprint phase reinforces the idea that training, especially in professionals, can focus on muscle hypertrophy, that is, making it bigger to get it to perform better.
Monitoring muscle architecture and quality will also be variables to consider when planning training to improve sprint performance, although the authors clarify that the relationships between the two are more complex and require further study.
In Canary Islands There is a great love for this sport and it is also a growing destination for cycling enthusiasts, so amateurs and professionals come to practice enjoying the quality of life and the climate, highlight the authors of this study, considered it necessary to “develop cutting-edge research from the ULPGC on how to improve the performance of cyclists.”
This work, which received funds from a competitive public call from Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, was announced in the magazinea Sports Medicine – Tomorrowspecialist in sports medicine and sports sciences
Source: La Verdad
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