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Muscle Function Obtained with Motion Mode Ultrasound and Surface Electromyography during Core Endurance Exercise
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Auxiliary muscles and slow component during rowing.

S Demarie1, V Quaresima, M Ferrari

  • 1Department of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, University Institute for Movement Sciences, Rome, Italy. sabrina.demarie@iusm.it

International Journal of Sports Medicine
|April 11, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Auxiliary muscles significantly contribute to the oxygen uptake slow component during severe exercise. Rowing exercise, engaging more muscles, showed a lower slow component compared to arm or leg-only exercises.

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Area of Science:

  • Exercise Physiology
  • Sports Science
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • The oxygen uptake slow component is an increase in oxygen demand during prolonged or intense exercise.
  • Auxiliary muscles play a role in maintaining posture and executing movements during ergometer-based exercise.
  • Understanding the contribution of different muscle groups to the slow component is crucial for optimizing training and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of auxiliary muscles in the oxygen uptake slow component phenomenon.
  • To compare the slow component amplitude during standard rowing, arm-only rowing, and leg-only rowing exercises.
  • To determine if engaging more muscle groups reduces the energetic cost associated with the slow component.

Main Methods:

  • Three severe-intensity exercise tests were conducted on a rowing ergometer: standard rowing, arm-only rowing, and leg-only rowing.
  • Oxygen uptake, local oxyhemoglobin saturation, and surface electromyography of trapezius and vastus lateralis muscles were measured.
  • The slow component amplitude was calculated in absolute values and as a percentage of peak oxygen uptake (V O2peak).

Main Results:

  • The slow component amplitude was significantly lower during standard rowing (343.9 ml/min) compared to arm-only (795.6 ml/min) and leg-only (695.8 ml/min) rowing.
  • When expressed as a percentage of V O2peak, the slow component was also lower for standard rowing (7.1%) versus arm-only (17.2%) and leg-only (17.3%) rowing.
  • These findings indicate a reduced slow component when a greater number of muscles are engaged.

Conclusions:

  • The auxiliary muscles involved in sustaining position on a rowing ergometer contribute to the oxygen uptake slow component.
  • Engaging a larger muscle mass, as in standard rowing, results in a lower slow component amplitude compared to isolated arm or leg exercise.
  • This suggests that the recruitment of auxiliary muscles increases the overall energetic cost during severe exercise, but this cost is distributed more efficiently when more muscle groups are involved.