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Published on: August 18, 2023
Changes in muscle force-length properties affect the early rise of force in vivo
Anthony J Blazevich1, Dale Cannavan, Sara Horne
1Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia. a.blazevich@ecu.edu.au
Abstract:
Changes in contractile rate of force development (RFD), measured within a short time interval from contraction initiation, were measured after a period of strength training that led to increases in muscle fascicle length but no measurable change in neuromuscular activity. The relationship between training-induced shifts in the moment-angle relation and changes in RFD measured to 30 ms (i.e., early) and 200 ms (i.e., late) from the onset of isometric knee extension force were examined; shifts in the moment-angle relation were used as an overall measure of changes in quadriceps muscle fascicle length. A significant proportion of the variance in RFD measured only in the initial contraction phase (0-30 ms) could be explained by shifts in the moment-angle relation (r=-0.66-0.71; R2=0.44-0.50). Training-induced increases in muscle fascicle length may lead to a reduced or complete lack of adaptive gains in contractile RFD, especially in the early contraction phase.
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