Effects of energy boost and springblade footwear on running economy and substrate oxidation

The current study aimed to investigate the influence of energy boost, spring and conventional footwear on running economy and substrate usage. Ten male runners completed 5 min steady state runs in energy boost, spring and conventional footwear. Running economy and percent contribution of carbohydrate to total calorie expenditure were assessed. Participants also subjectively indicated which shoe condition they preferred for running. Differences between footwear were examined using repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed firstly that running economy was significantly improved in the energy return (33.36 ml.kg.min -1) compared to spring (34.83 ml.kg.min -1) and conventional footwear (34.65 ml.kg.min -1). In addition, percent carbohydrate was significantly lower in the energy return (74.51%) in comparison to the spring (78.56%) and conventional (78.52%) footwear. As running economy was improved and carbohydrate utilization reduced in the energy return footwear, this study indicates that they may be associated with improvements in running performance.