Place de l'énergie mécanique dans le déterminisme du coût énergétique de la locomotion

Abstract

In most works dealing with energetics of muscular exercise, a major attention is devoted to the chemical reactions delivering energy to the exercising muscles. Very often, the role played by the mechanical energy exchanges as determinants of the exercise economy is ignored. By taking examples from human locomotion, this paper aims to show that the mechanical energy interplays taking place within the body, and/or between the limbs, or the mechanical energy stored within muscles, represent an appreciable fraction of the energy used to perform muscular work.