Comparison of EMG Activity in Leg Muscles between Overground and Treadmill Running

Treadmills have been widely used for training and performance testing during which the treadmill grade is usually set to 0%-2% grade. The purpose of our study was to compare the level of activation of lower body muscles when running at two speeds in an overground condition and on a treadmill at 0%, 1%, and 2% grades.

We recorded EMG data of eight lower body muscles from 13 recreationally active individuals during overground and treadmill running at 2.92 and 4.58 m·s -1 . Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) tests were performed (3 × 6 s) to identify maximal torque and EMG values. The stride cycles, from one foot strike to the next, were identified using a pair of triaxial accelerometers. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine the differences in EMG activity across running conditions and speeds. Cohen's d effect size was calculated to indicate the difference between the overground and the treadmill running conditions.

The effect sizes were moderate to negligible for differences between the EMG integral values for overground running and the three treadmill grades. The coefficient of variation for stride time during overground running was significantly larger than that of the treadmill running at 4.58 m·s -1 .

The results showed that the overall EMG profiles of the thigh and shank muscles were similar for the overground and treadmill conditions, but the similarity was greatest for thigh muscles when running on the treadmill at 1% grade and for shank muscles at 2% grade. The variability in stride time was greater during overground running than when running on a treadmill and was associated with elevated EMG activity of some muscles.