Running 40 Minutes under Temperate or Hot Environment Does Not Affect Operating Fascicle Length

Muscle mechanics is paramount in our understanding of motor performance. However, little is known regarding the sensitivity of fascicle dynamics and connective tissues stiffness to exercise duration and ambient temperature during running, both increasing muscle temperature. This study aimed to determine gastrocnemius medialis (GM) fascicle dynamics in vivo during running in temperate and hot conditions, as well as muscle-tendon unit responses.

Using ultrafast ultrasound, 15 participants (8 men, 7 women; 26 ± 3 yr) were tested before, during (2 and 40 min), and after a running task (40 min at 10 km·h -1 ) in temperate (TEMP; ~23°C) and hot (HOT: ~38°C) conditions.

Although core, skin temperatures, and heart rate increased from the beginning to the end of the exercise and in a larger extent in HOT than TEMP ( P < 0.001), the physiological stress elicited did not alter running temporal parameters and GM fascicle operating lengths, with similar behavior of the fascicles on their force-length relationship, over time (2 vs 40 min) or across condition (TEMP vs HOT; P ≥ 0.248). Maximal voluntary force production did not reported statistical changes after exercise ( P = 0.060), and the connective tissues stiffness measured (i.e., passive muscle and stiffness of the series-elastic elements) did not show neither time ( P ≥ 0.281), condition ( P ≥ 0.256) nor time-condition interaction ( P ≥ 0.465) effect.

This study revealed that prolonged running exercise does not alter muscle-tendon unit properties and interplay, which are not influenced by ambient temperature. These findings may rule out potential detrimental effects of heat on muscle properties and encourage further investigations on longer and more intense running exercise.