Behavior of motor units during submaximal isometric contractions in chronically strength-trained individuals
Andrea Casolo, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Thomas G. Balshaw, Sumiaki Maeo, Marcel B. Lanza, Francesco Felici, Jonathan P. Folland, Dario Farina
Abstract
In this study, we observed that recruitment strategies and discharge characteristics of large populations of motor units identified from biceps brachii of strength-trained athletes were similar to those observed in untrained individuals during submaximal force tasks. We also found that for the same neural input, strength-trained athletes are able to produce greater absolute muscle forces (i.e., neural drive-to-muscle gain). This demonstrates that morphological factors are the predominant mechanism for the enhanced force generation during submaximal efforts.
Topics & Concepts
Isometric exerciseBicepsElectromyographyMotor unitMedicineMotor unit recruitmentPhysical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical therapyCardiologyElbow flexionAnatomyInternal medicineElbowMuscle activation and electromyography studiesMotor Control and AdaptationSports Performance and Training