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Neuromuscular Fatigue Does Not Impair the Rate of Force Development in Ballistic Contractions of Submaximal Amplitudes.

Authors :
Boccia, Gennaro
Dardanello, Davide
Brustio, Paolo Riccardo
Tarperi, Cantor
Festa, Luca
Zoppirolli, Chiara
Pellegrini, Barbara
Schena, Federico
Rainoldi, Alberto
Source :
Frontiers in Physiology; 10/24/2018, pN.PAG-N.PAG, 11p
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

The effect of muscle fatigue on rate of force development (RFD) is usually assessed during tasks that require participants to reach as quickly as possible maximal or near-maximal force. However, endurance sports require athletes to quickly produce force of submaximal, rather than maximal, amplitudes. Thus, this study investigated the effect of muscle fatigue induced by long-distance running on the capacity to quickly produce submaximal levels of force. Twenty-one male amateur runners were evaluated before and shortly after a half-marathon race. Knee extensors force was recorded under maximal voluntary and electrically evoked contractions. Moreover, a series of ballistic contractions at different submaximal amplitudes (from 20 to 100% of maximal voluntary force) was obtained, by asking the participants to reach submaximal forces as fast as possible. The RFD was calculated for each contraction. After the race, maximal voluntary activation, resting doublet twitch, maximal force, and RFD during maximal contraction decreased (-12, -12, -21, and -19%, respectively, all P -values < 0.0001). Nevertheless, the RFD values measured during ballistic contractions up to 60% of maximal force were unaffected (all P -values > 0.4). Long-distance running impaired the capacity to quickly produce force in ballistic contractions of maximal, but not of submaximal, amplitudes. Overall, these findings suggest that central and peripheral fatigue do not affect the quickness to which muscle contracts across a wide range of submaximal forces. This is a relevant finding for running and other daily life activities that rely on the production of rapid submaximal contractions rather than maximal force levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1664042X
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Frontiers in Physiology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
132579753
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01503