Summary
To highlight the influences of age, sex, body mass (m b) and running training on the energy cost of running (C r) young basketball players [38 boys (BB) and 14 girls (BG), aged 14.2 (SD 0.3) and 12.2 (SD 1.9) years, respectively] were selected to be compared to middle-distance runners [27 men (MR) and 14 women (FR) aged 23.7 (SD 3.4) and 23.9 (SD 4.1) years, respectively]. TheC r was measured during a maximal treadmill test. In each groupC r and body mass (m b) and body height were negatively and significantly correlated. A stepwise regression showed that among both the body dimensions measured,m b was the most important factor in determining the variations ofC r For the whole group (n=93) the correlation coefficient was 0.72 (P<0.0001). For a givenm b, there was no significant difference between theC r of BG, BB and MR: this result would support the hypothesis that the differences inC r currently attributed to age, running training or sex differences are mainly related tom b. On the other hand, for a givenm b, FR showed a significantly lower Cr than the basketball players (P<0.01 for BG and BB) and than MR (P<0.05), thus suggesting that women decrease theirC r as a response to running training more efficiently than do men.
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Bourdin, M., Pastene, J., Germain, M. et al. Influence of training, sex, age and body mass on the energy cost of running. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 66, 439–444 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00599618
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00599618