Assessment of Muscles Fatigue during 400-Meters Running Strategies Based on the Surface EMG Signals

Abstract

The aim of this research work is to assess the muscles fatigue of the male runner during 400 meters (m) running with three types of running strategies. The Electromyography (EMG) signals from the Rectus Femoris (RF), Biceps Femoris (BF), Gluteus Maximus (GM), Gastrocnemius Lateralis (GL), and Gastrocnemius Medialis (GMS) were collected by using bipolar electrodes from the right lower extremity’s muscles. EMG signals were collected during the run on the tartan athletic track. Five subjects (non-athletes) had run 400m with three various types of running strategies. The first type: the first 200m running 85-93% of full speed and the last 200m sprinting (full speed), second type: the first 300m running 85-93% of sprinting and the last 100m sprinting, and third type: running 85-93% of sprinting for 400m. The EMG signals were transformed to the time-frequency domain using Short Time Fourier Transform to calculate the instantaneous mean frequency (IMNF) and instantaneous median frequency (IMDF). The less index fatigues were during 1st strategy, while the RF, BF, GM, and GL muscles got recovered with IMNF and IMDF with the three strategies, and the GMS muscle has less negative regression slope value with IMNF with 1st strategy during the 4th 100m of the 400m running event. From the results, it can be concluded the running with the 1st strategy get less fatigues compared with the 2nd and 3rd strategy based on the results of time-frequency domain features (IMNF and IMDF).