This study aimed to clarify the differences in cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses to body mass-based front lunge and squat exercises with relation to muscular activity. Seven healthy adult males performed 200 times body mass-based squat and front lunge exercises. During the exercises, oxygen uptake, heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (La), ground reaction force were measured. Oxygen uptake was divided by body mass (VO₂). VO₂ and HR was normalized to maximal VO₂ (%VO₂max) and maximal HR (%HRmax) obtained from an incremental load test. Electromyograms (EMGs) during the two exercises were recorded from the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris, vastus medialis (VM), biceps femoris, gluteus maximus (GM). EMG amplitudes during both exercises were normalized to those during maximal voluntary contraction, and expressed as relative value (%EMG_MVC). Time that cardiorespiratory parameters became stable was 4-6 min in both exercises. VO₂, %VO₂max, metabolic equivalent, were higher in the front lunge than the squat. No significant differences in HR, %HRmax and La were found between both tasks. %EMG_MVC in VL, VM and GM were higher in the front lunge than the squat. These current findings indicate that 1) body mass-based squat and front lunge exercises are physiologically of more than moderate intensity, and 2) the cardiorespiratory responses to body mass-based front lunge are greater than those to body mass-based squat. This may be due to the difference in muscular activities of VL, VM and GM during the tasks.

This study aimed to clarify the relative growth in thigh muscle size and sprint performance in children from 3 to 15 years. A total of 902 children performed a 30-m sprint test. Sprint time was measured by a photocell system. Muscle thicknesses of thigh anterior and posterior were determined by using a B-mode ultrasound. For 431 children, step frequency (SF) and step length (SL) during the sprint running were also analyzed with the films, and corrected by leg length. Using an allometry equation based on body height, relative growth of thigh muscle size and sprint performance was estimated. In both boys and girls, there was a breakpoint (BP) at which the rate of development in sprint velocity changes, and the rate of development was slower after the BP. On the other hand, the rate of growth in thigh muscle size after the BP was superior to that before the point, except of thigh posterior in boys. Regardless of sex, the rate of development in SL index after the BP became to be lower with increasing body height, whereas SF index relatively increased. These current findings indicate that in boys and girls, the rate of development in sprint velocity becomes to be lower above a certain body height, and the relative slow development may result from those in SF and SL.