Only one study has investigated the effects of LBS in running bouts longer than 8 minutes but on the biomechanics part, and their effects on neuromuscular fatigue and prolonged running performance. The aim of this study is to compare shoes with and without carbon plates during a prolonged (21 km) running exercise on Cr, plantar flexor neuromuscular fatigue and running kinetics and kinematics to estimate the changes high-LBS may induce on fatigue and subsequent performance.
Carbon plates inserted in competitive running shoes have been increasingly used in the past 2-3 years and several investigations have shown that these plates increase the longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) of the shoe. It leads to a redistribution of muscle work and to a modification of the force generation conditions, which may reduce the energy cost of running (Cr) and improve performance.