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The appearance of strength

Dear Mike Duyvan and Nizar Abu-Hamdeh,
also if calf muscles are not the most important contributors to a high vertical jump, in any case, they are important because in the execution of vertical jump they are involved as organic part of explosive legs extension movements in the last part of push up phase.
The calf rises are not the main exercise for the vertical jump height increasing but they cannot be eliminated in the training program.
Calf rise is the training mean that assures the increasing of calf muscles strength. The preliminary increasing of maximal strength of calf muscles is needed to assure the subsequent increasing of their explosive strength, starting strength and reactive ability.
Calf muscles are strongly involved in the lending shock absorbing phase of run and bounces. The preliminary enforcement of calf muscles, before the use of jumping exercises, it’s needed also to avoid legs injuries (calf muscles strain).
Yuri Verkhoshansky
 
Repacked said:
But the Soleus is primarily utilised in plantar flexion which is an integral part of running and juping...
Click to expand...

All muscles play an integral role.

what i say is that the size of the muscle and to a lesser degree the strength of the calve is of little significance compared to the power that is generated by the glutes, quads and the shoulder for that matter.

all things being equal, a person with smaller/shorter calves WILL be faster.
 
Last edited:
[h=1]Born to run? MRI scans reveal that sprinters have different bone structure from the rest of us[/h]By Rob Waugh
Updated: 23:32 EST, 25 January 2012

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Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging on the feet of competitive sprinters with at least three years sprint training and found that they had significantly longer bones in their forefeet - 6.2 per cent bigger than non-sprinters

Sprinters aren't just faster than the rest of us - their bones are actually different from non-athletes.
Competitive sprinters have significantly different bone structure, with changes that make them run faster.

The finding could lead to tests to see if someone has the potential to be a competitive sprinter.
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging on the feet of competitive sprinters with at least three years sprint training and found that they had significantly longer bones in their forefeet - 6.2 per cent bigger than non-sprinters.

Their Achilles tendons were also different - with tendon lever arms 12 per cent shorter than non-sprinters.

It's unclear whether the training changes the foot, or whether some people are 'born to run'.

But the changes deliver a clear advantage - allowing people with 'sprinter feet' to generate greater force over a longer time while running.

'We made the most direct measurement possible of leverage in the Achilles tendon and found that sprinters’ tendons had shorter lever arms -- or reduced leverage for pushing their bodies off of the ground -- compared to non-sprinters,' said Stephen Piazza, associate professor of kinesiology at Penn State University.
Josh Baxter, graduate student, shorter Achilles tendon lever arms and longer toe bones permit sprinters to generate greater contact force between the foot and the ground and to maintain that force for a longer time, thus providing advantages to people with sprinter-like feet.
To conduct their research, the scientists studied two groups of eight males, for a total of 16 people.

The first group was composed of sprinters who were involved in regular sprint training and competition.

The second group consisted of height-matched individuals who never had trained or competed in sprinting.



Usain Bolt celebrates after his Olympic sprinting victory in Beijing in 2008: Competitive sprinters have different bone structure from normal people - but it's not clear whether people are born with this, or develop it through training

To be included in the sprinter group, individuals were required to currently be engaged in competitive sprinting and have at least three years of continuous sprint training.
The researchers took MRI images of the right foot and ankle of each of the subjects.
They then used specialized software to analyze the images. The scientists found that the Achilles tendon lever arms of sprinters were 12 percent shorter than those of non-sprinters.

They also found that the combined length of the bones in the big toes of sprinters was on average 6.2 percent longer than that of non-sprinters, while the length of another foot bone, the first metatarsal, was 4.3 percent longer for sprinters than for non-sprinters.

Their results are reported in the current issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
In addition to imaging the feet and ankles of sprinters and non-sprinters, the scientists also developed a simple computer model to investigate the influence of foot and ankle dimensions on muscle contributions to forward propulsion at various speeds.

They found that longer forefeet and smaller Achilles tendon lever arms allowed the calf muscles to do more work, which is the goal during the acceleration phase that occurs at the start of a sprint race.
Baxter said that although the results might lead to tests that tell whether a person has the potential to be a sprinter, other factors such as body type, the dimensions of the limbs and the presence of fast-twitch muscle fibers also are important in determining if competitive sprinting is within the realm of possibility for an individual.

'In addition it is unclear whether the differences in foot and ankle skeletal structure are adaptations to sprint training or are hereditary,' said Baxter. 'There is evidence that human skeletal strength and form are altered by certain types of athletic training.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...orn-different-feet-rest-us.html#ixzz3b8bvpFNr
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
 
Reactions: C_T
Silverback said:
Click to expand...

Wow, his heel doesn't even touch the ground.

Silverback said:
All muscles play an integral role.

what i say is that the size of the muscle and to a lesser degree the strength of the calve is of little significance compared to the power that is generated by the glutes, quads and the shoulder for that matter.
Click to expand...

Yes.

Silverback said:
all things being equal, a person with smaller/shorter calves WILL be faster.
Click to expand...

I see where you're coming from, but think increased muscle mass in the calves may be an advantage not a hindrance... cet par. This is a quandary.


Silverback said:
Once again, we throw the baby out with the bath water.
Click to expand...

 
SB, you said 'The calf muscles contribute little or nothing to either running or jumping'.

Well, I need to be convinced.
 
Repacked said:
Wow, his heel doesn't even touch the ground.



Yes.



I see where you're coming from, but think increased muscle mass in the calves may be an advantage not a hindrance... cet par. This is a quandary.




Click to expand...


Right from rom out of the blocks, the power generated by the gluteus and quads have moved the runner well before the calves make any contribution if any.
 
as for fast switch fibres, has anyone seen the results of a biopsy of great power athletes when they were toddlers? I have not.
 
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