INVESTIGATING THE METABOLIC PROFILE OF RUN-UP RACES AND THE MECHANICS OF WOBBLING VISCERAL MASS IN VERTICAL JUMPS.
type: CreativeWork
description: This Thesis is organized in two parts based on two different investigations about human motion: the metabolic and mechanical analysis of ‘skyscraper running’, and the estimation of the visceral mass displacement in vertical jumps. Skyscraper running is a novel sport activity, in which the athletes run on emergency stairs of the tallest building of the world, during the ‘run up’ races of the world championship circuit. In PART I of this Thesis, this topic has been analysed in terms of mechanical and metabolic requirements, both at general and individual level. Skyscraper runners’metabolic profile, has been inferred from the total mechanical power estimated in 36 world records (48-421 m tall buildings), ranked by gender and age range. Individual athlete’s performance (n=13) has been experimentally investigated during the Pirelli Vertical Sprint, with data loggers for altitude and heart rate. At a general level, a non-linear regression of Wilkie’s model relating maximal mechanical power to event duration, revealed the gender and age differences in term of maximum aerobic power and anaerobic energy resources particularly needed at the beginning of the race. The total mechanical power was found to be partitioned among: the fraction devolved to raise the body centre of mass: W ̇ STA.EXT = 80.4 ± 2.9%, the need to accelerate the limbs with respect to the body: W ̇ STA.INT = 4.5 ± 2.1%, and running in turns between flights of stairs: W ̇ TUR =15.1 ± 2.0%. At the individual level, experiments revealed that these athletes show a metabolic profile similar to middle-distance runners. Furthermore, best skyscraper runners keep constant vertical speed and heart rate throughout the race, while others suddenly decelerate, negatively affecting the race performance. In PART II of this Thesis another interesting study has been discussed: the mechanics of visceral mass motion in vertical jumps. This internal mass motion could occur in all the locomotion paradigms, and also in all the mo…
abstract: This Thesis is organized in two parts based on two different investigations about human motion: the metabolic and mechanical analysis of ‘skyscraper running’, and the estimation of the visceral mass displacement in vertical jumps. Skyscraper running is a novel sport activity, in which the athletes run on emergency stairs of the tallest building of the world, during the ‘run up’ races of the world championship circuit. In PART I of this Thesis, this topic has been analysed in terms of mechanical and metabolic requirements, both at general and individual level. Skyscraper runners’metabolic profile, has been inferred from the total mechanical power estimated in 36 world records (48-421 m tall buildings), ranked by gender and age range. Individual athlete’s performance (n=13) has been experimentally investigated during the Pirelli Vertical Sprint, with data loggers for altitude and heart rate. At a general level, a non-linear regression of Wilkie’s model relating maximal mechanical power to event duration, revealed the gender and age differences in term of maximum aerobic power and anaerobic energy resources particularly needed at the beginning of the race. The total mechanical power was found to be partitioned among: the fraction devolved to raise the body centre of mass: W ̇ STA.EXT = 80.4 ± 2.9%, the need to accelerate the limbs with respect to the body: W ̇ STA.INT = 4.5 ± 2.1%, and running in turns between flights of stairs: W ̇ TUR =15.1 ± 2.0%. At the individual level, experiments revealed that these athletes show a metabolic profile similar to middle-distance runners. Furthermore, best skyscraper runners keep constant vertical speed and heart rate throughout the race, while others suddenly decelerate, negatively affecting the race performance. In PART II of this Thesis another interesting study has been discussed: the mechanics of visceral mass motion in vertical jumps. This internal mass motion could occur in all the locomotion paradigms, and also in all the mo…
author: D. Cazzola
language: eng
keywords: biomechanics, uphill running, energetics, viscera, jump, Settore BIO/09 - Fisiologia
date published: 2010-12-20
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:19:17Z
provider: Università degli Studi di Milano
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Università degli Studi di Milano

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2434/150073

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.13130/cazzola-dario_phd2010-12-20