A comparison of the lower limb muscles activities between walking and jogging performed at the same speed

Abstract

[Purpose] This study compared muscle activities between jogging and walking. [Subjects] Subjects were 12 healthy, young students. Tested muscles were the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, hip adductors, lateral head of the gastrocnemius, and soleus of the left leg. [Method] Subjects performed jogging and walking successively on a treadmill at a speed of 4.5 km/h. Subjects' myogenic potentials were measured after 10 minutes' walking or jogging for 30 seconds. The order of walking and jogging was chosen at random. The flexion angle of the knee at initial contact, mid stance, and toe off were measured. [Results] Both the average and maximum activities of the soleus and vastus medialis in jogging were significantly higher than those in walking. The knee flexion angle in jogging was greater than that in walking. [Conclusion] The activity of the soleus was not affected by knee flexion. We consider this is the reason why the soleus activity was higher than that of the gastrocnemius. In jogging, the knee was more flexed than in walking, indicating the vastus medialis was doing more work than the vastus lateralis.