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A single shortening contraction reduces the force capacity of muscle fibers, whereas force capacity is enhanced following lengthening. However, how motor unit recruitment and discharge rate (muscle activation) are adapted to such changes in force capacity during submaximal contractions remains unknown. Additionally, there is limited evidence for force enhancement in larger muscles. We therefore investigated lengthening- and shortening-induced changes in activation of the knee extensors. We hypothesized that when the same submaximal torque had to be generated following shortening, muscle activation had to be increased, whereas a lower activation would suffice to produce the same torque following lengthening. Muscle activation following shortening and lengthening (20° at 10°/s) was determined using rectified surface electromyography (rsEMG) in a 1st session (at 10% and 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)) and additionally with EMG of 42 vastus lateralis motor units recorded in a 2nd session (at 4%-47%MVC). rsEMG and motor unit discharge rates following shortening and lengthening were normalized to isometric reference contractions. As expected, normalized rsEMG (1.15 ± 0.19) and discharge rate (1.11 ± 0.09) were higher following shortening (p < 0.05). Following lengthening, normalized rsEMG (0.91 ± 0.10) was, as expected, lower than 1.0 (p < 0.05), but normalized discharge rate (0.99 ± 0.08) was not (p > 0.05). Thus, muscle activation was increased to compensate for a reduced force capacity following shortening by increasing the discharge rate of the active motor units (rate coding). In contrast, following lengthening, rsEMG decreased while the discharge rates of active motor units remained similar, suggesting that derecruitment of units might have occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilateral deficit is defined as the difference in the summed force between contracting muscles alone and contracting contralateral homologous muscles in combination. The purpose of the study was to investigate how postural stability influences bilateral deficit by comparing an exercise requiring more postural stability (the leg press) with an exercise requiring less postural stability (the handgrip). Eight participants volunteered for the study (3 males, 5 females). Maximal strength was determined by a 1-repetition maximum for the leg press (weight machine) and handgrip (dynamometer) exercises. Electromyography was used to measure activation of the effectors (flexor carpi ulnaris for the handgrip and vastus lateralis for the leg press) and the core muscles (rectus abdominis and external obliques). Bilateral deficit was greater in the leg press (-12.08 ± 10.22%) than the handgrip (-0.677 ± 5.00%; p < 0.05). Muscle activation of the effectors and core muscles was not significantly different between unilateral and bilateral conditions for either exercise. However, core muscle activation was significantly greater during the leg press (48.30 ± 19.60 µV) than during the handgrip (16.50 ± 8.10 µV; p < 0.05) exercise. These results support the hypothesis that an exercise requiring more postural stability (e.g., the leg press) will have a larger deficit and greater activation of core muscles than an exercise requiring less postural stability (e.g., the handgrip). Since the bilateral deficit was only apparent for the leg press exercise, we conclude that postural stability requirements might influence the magnitude of bilateral deficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]