Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Chair

Tanner Thorsen

Committee Chair School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Member 2

Paul Donahue

Committee Member 2 School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Member 3

Nuno Oliveira

Committee Member 3 School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Abstract

Cycling is a commonly used exercise because it provides a controllable cardiovascular and musculoskeletal demand while imposing relatively low impact on the rider. High-cadence cycling (HCC) has been shown to influence subsequent running performance and gait performance by increasing cadence and reducing work rate when cycling prior to running. However, most of this work has focused on triathletes and older adults. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of HCC on subsequent 800 m running performance and spatiotemporal parameters in adult recreational runners. Thirty recreational runners completed two testing sessions. On Day 1, participants performed an 800 m run at maximal workout pace to establish baseline performance. On Day 2, participants completed a 10-minute cycling bout at 0.75 W/kg and a cadence of 100 + 2 RPM, then immediately repeated the 800 m run. Total time, average cadence, step length, step time, velocity, and rate of perceived exertion were analyzed. Participants were also classified by running strategy groups using Length-Time Difference (LTD). Dependent-samples t-test revealed that 800 m time decreased significantly from Day 1 to Day 2, while the average running cadence and velocity increased significantly.  Average step time decreased significantly, whereas step length did not. LTD analysis demonstrated that participants were split between cadence-dominant and step-length-dominant strategies, although both groups improved performance following HCC. These findings suggest that a brief bout of HCC may act as an acute neuromuscular stimulus that improves subsequent running performance.

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