Terrestrial animals' locomotor performance can be affected by many factors (e.g., substrate size, shape and surface texture) in a structurally complex environment. In this study, we established a gradient of substrate roughness using four different substrates (artificial plastic lawn, and plastic carpet mat with rough surface, with 5 mm width of mesh, and with smooth surface) to assess their effects on locomotor performance of two sympatric species of lizards (northern grass lizard Takydromus septentrionalis and Chinese skink Plestiondon chinensis). Both lizard species are active foragers. T. septentrionalis primarily uses shrub and grass habitats in the hilly countryside, whereas P. chinensis usually uses relatively open habitats near farmlands. Locomotor performance were recorded using a digital video camera (Panasonic NV-MX3), and three locomotor variables (sprint speed in the fastest 250 mm interval, the maximal distance traveled without stopping and number of stops in the trial) were analyzed with MGI Video Wave III software. T. septentrionalis had smaller body size (snout-vent length, SVL, and body mass, BM), but relatively a longer tail and limbs than P. chinensis. In order to correct for the body size difference between the two species, relative values of sprint speed and the maximal distance (dividing each value of the variable by the SVL of the corresponding lizard) were used in statistical analyses. Cling capacity and locomotor stamina were evaluated by measuring the maximum slopes of oblique wood racetrack and the duration of exhaustive swimming inside a bath, respectively. All trials were conducted in a constant room temperature of 30 ℃, which is within the optimal range of temperature for both species' locomotor performance. Nearly all the examined locomotor variables (except for the relative maximal distance in T. septentrionalis) were significantly affected by the substrate types in both species (P<0.05). Sprint speed was reduced with decreasing degrees of substrate surface roughness. For example, mean sprint speed for T. septentrionalis and P. chinensis was 15.7 SVL/s and 8.1 SVL/s on the plastic lawn, but 11.4 SVL/s and 3.5 SVL/s on the plastic carpet with a smooth surface, respectively. On the plastic carpet with a smooth surface, P. chinensis had longer maximal distance (10.6 SVL) and fewer stops (1.9 times), but T. septentrionalis paused more frequently (4.6 times). Locomotor capacity (e.g., speed, stamina, and cling capacity) was significantly different between the two species. Relative sprint speed on the four different substrates was greater in T. septentrionalis than that in P. chinensis (13.5 SVL/s vs. 5.8 SVL/s). Sprinting capacity in lizards may associate with their morphological characteristics (e.g., body size, limb length). Fast-running lizard species usually have a longer limb. T. septentrionalis had greater relative limb length and sprint speed than P. chinensis, which was consistent with previous studies. Moreover, T. septentrionalis possessed substantially higher cling capacity, but less locomotor stamina than P. chinensis. Our results suggest that an evolutionary trade-off may exist between the sprinting capacity and stamina, but not between the capacity to run on a level surface and the ability to climb on the oblique surface in lizards.