The purpose of the present study was to determine the contribution of vastus lateralis and rectus femoris during a maximal cycling test. It was hypothesized that iEMG will have declined until the last minute followed by an increase during the last minute, when the athletes will have forced themselves towards the end of the race. Competitive cyclists appeared to pace themselves in order to avoid early fatigue that might have inhibited their performance. Therefore, they maintained their effort as well as their output of muscle action potentials throughout the race. Vastus lateralis contributed more than rectus femoris during the race, however, an examination of all the knee extensors may reveal results that are more meaningful. A further normalization of the EMG signal may also help to decrease inter-subject variability. More research is needed to describe the variation in cadence and resistance manipulation during highintensity cycling.
© Copyright 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics. (Presented on poster September 9-10, 2004 at the ASB meeting in Portland). Alle Rechte vorbehalten.