Table of Contents

Mechanical considerations of work and energy; storage and release of elastic energy in the locomotor system and the stretch shortening cycle; length changes of muscle-tendon units during athletic movements; work and energy influenced by athletic equipment; the three modes of terrestrial locomotion; the pathways for oxygen and substrates; energy and nutrient intake for athletic performance; intensity of cycling and cycle ergometry - power output and energy cost; basic concepts of movement control; muscle activation and movement control; power output and force-velocity properties of muscle; stability and control of aerial movements; movement control and balance in earthbound movements; forces acting on and in human body; force production in human skeletal muscle; mechanical effects of forces acting on bone, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons; biological response to forces acting in the locomotor system; prevention of excessive forces with braces and orthotics; contractile changes and mechanisms of muscle fatigue; stretch-shortening cycle fatigue; muscle fatigue monitored by force, surface mechanomyogram and EMG.

About the Author

Benno M. Nigg is currently professor of biomechanics at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he is also director of the Human Performance Laboratory. He received his doctorate in natural science and physics from ETH Zurich. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biomechanics, the Journal of Sports Sciences, and several other professional publications and also is a member of numerous professional organizations. He resides in Calgary.

Brian R. MacIntosh is a professor in the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has training and research experience in human kinetics and physiology and is an associate editor for the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology (CJAP). Dr. MacIntosh received his doctorate in medical science from the University of Florida. He is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a member of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. He resides in Calgary.

Joachim Mester is a university professor and the chair for human performance, Institute for Theory and Practice of Training and Movement at the German Sport University in Cologne. He has had training in exercise physiology, sensory physiology, and motor control. Dr. Mester received his doctorate in sport science from the department of sports medicine at the University of Bochum in 1978 and is president of the European College of Sport Science and a member of numerous organizations . He resides in Cologne.