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The purpose of this study was to compare lower limb muscle activity between physically active and inactive individuals during whole-body vibration exercises. Additionally, transmissibility of the vertical acceleration to the head was quantified. 30 active and 28 inactive participants volunteered to stand in a relaxed (20 °) and a squat (60 °) position on a side-alternating WBV platform that induced vibrations at 16 Hz and 4 mm amplitude. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was measured in selected lower limb muscles and was normalized to the corresponding sEMG recorded during a maximal voluntary contraction. The vertical acceleration on the head was evaluated and divided by the vertical platform acceleration to obtain transmissibility values. Control trials without vibration were also assessed. The outcomes of this study showed that (1) WBV significantly increased muscle activity in the active (absolute increase: + 7 %, P < 0.05) and inactive participants ( + 8 %, P < 0.05), (2) with no differences in sEMG increases between the groups (P > 0.05). However, (3), transmissibility to the head was greater in the active (0.080) than the inactive participants (0.065, P < 0.05). In conclusion, inactive individuals show similar responses in sEMG due to WBV as their active counterparts, but are at lower risk for potential side-effects of vibration exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in whole-body vibration (WBV) for the enhancement of neuromuscular performance has received considerable attention. However, scientific evidence supporting the optimal prescription of WBV settings is lacking. This study investigated the acute eff ect of WBV combining high frequency/high peak-to-peak displacement (HH) or low frequency/low peakto- peak displacement (LL) vs. sham intervention (SHAM) on lower limb muscle power and stiffness. A total of 223 volunteers were randomly assigned to either the HH, LL or SHAM group. Countermovement jump (CMJ) height, maximal and average power, maximal and average lower limbs stiff ness obtained during a hopping test were recorded before and after the respective intervention. After the intervention, the HH group showed an increase of 4.64 % in CMJ height (p < 0.001) whereas the values of both the LL and SHAM groups did not change. In addition, maximal and average power of the lower limbs were signifi cantly increased in all groups (p < 0.001; 10.89 % and 12.82 %, respectively) while no eff ect on lower limbs stiff ness was observed. Our data show that high frequency combined with high peak-to-peak displacement is the most optimal WBV setting for CMJ height enhancement. Further investigation should be undertaken to ascertain the eff ectiveness of WBV on lower limbs stiff ness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether a whole body vibration session can enhance muscle voluntary activation remains debated. This pilot study thus investigated the acute effects of an intervention with whole body vibration versus a "sham" intervention on the voluntary activation of knee extensor muscles. Ten healthy subjects volunteered to participate in two interventions, vibration and sham, in randomized order. Knee extensor muscle voluntary activation, contractile properties and maximal voluntary isometric contraction were assessed before and immediately after each intervention. No significant differences were found for any of the variables. After both interventions, muscle activation remained unchanged, whereas maximal voluntary isometric contraction was significantly reduced (p<0.05). In conclusion, the two interventions induced the same adaptations in the knee extensors. These findings can be useful in conceiving whole body vibration protocols, although future research is warranted to address the influence of vibration on neural adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of sport specificity on the time course of fatigue during maximal voluntary eccentric, concentric and isometric torque production following a submaximal isokinetic fatiguing exercise. Seven cyclists and seven triathletes performed a fatiguing exercise consisting of nine sets of 31 isokinetic concentric knee extensions at 1.05 rad·s-1. Fatigue was assessed pre-exercise, after three and six sets, and post-exercise. The maximal knee extension torque associated with electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded during voluntary contractions and electrically induced contractions (single and paired twitches). The maximal voluntary eccentric torque production declined in cyclists (18 ± 3.5%, p <0.05) and was not significantly affected in triathletes (5 ± 2.5%, p >0.05). The decrease in cyclists was associated with an increase in the sum of the normalized EMG (nRMS) values of the three agonist muscles (p<0.01). Although no significant difference was observed between groups, the two-way repeated-measure analysis of variance revealed a time effect on maximal concentric and isometric torque, twitch contractile and electrophysiological response (Mmax) properties. No modification in the activation and coactivation levels was observed. In conclusion, these results indicate that the time course of fatigue, especially during eccentric contractions, is mediated by sport-specific adaptations likely due to the mode of muscle contraction used in the activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in whole-body vibration (WBV) for the enhancement of neuromuscular performance has received considerable attention. However, scientific evidence supporting the optimal prescription of WBV settings is lacking. This study investigated the acute effect of WBV combining high frequency/high peak-to-peak displacement (HH) or low frequency/low peak-to-peak displacement (LL) vs. sham intervention (SHAM) on lower limb muscle power and stiffness. A total of 223 volunteers were randomly assigned to either the HH, LL or SHAM group. Countermovement jump (CMJ) height, maximal and average power, maximal and average lower limbs stiffness obtained during a hopping test were recorded before and after the respective intervention. After the intervention, the HH group showed an increase of 4.64% in CMJ height (p<0.001) whereas the values of both the LL and SHAM groups did not change. In addition, maximal and average power of the lower limbs were significantly increased in all groups (p<0.001; 10.89% and 12.82%, respectively) while no effect on lower limbs stiffness was observed. Our data show that high frequency combined with high peak-to-peak displacement is the most optimal WBV setting for CMJ height enhancement. Further investigation should be undertaken to ascertain the effectiveness of WBV on lower limbs stiffness., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)