Linearity and reliability of the mechanomyographic amplitude versus concentric dynamic constant external resistance...

The purpose of the present study was to examine the linearity and reliability of the mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude versus concentric dynamic constant external resistance (DCER) relationships for the bench press exercise. Twenty-one resistance-trained men (mean +/- SD age = 23.5 +/- 2.7 yr; 1 repetition maximum [1RM] bench press = 125.4 +/- 18.4 kg) volunteered to perform submaximal bench press muscle actions as explosively as possible from 10% to 90% of the 1RM on 2 separate occasions. During each muscle action, surface MMG signals were detected from both the right and left pectoralis major and triceps brachii, and the concentric portion of the range of motion was selected for analysis. The coefficients of determination for the MMG amplitude versus concentric DCER relationships ranged from r2 = 0.010 to 0.980 for the right pectoralis major, r2 = 0.010 to 0.943 for the left pectoralis major, r2 = 0.010 to 0.920 for the right triceps brachii, and r2 = 0.020 to 0.915 for the left triceps brachii, thus indicating a wide range of linearity between subjects. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and corresponding standard error of measurements (SEM) for the linear slope coefficients for these relationships were 0.592 (39.3% of the mean value), 0.537 (41.9% of the mean value), 0.625 (42.0% of the mean value), and 0.460 (60.2% of the mean value) for the right pectoralis major, the left pectoralis major, the right triceps brachii, and the left triceps brachii, respectively. These data demonstrated that these relationships were neither linear nor reliable enough to be used for assessing issues such as the neural versus hypertrophic contributions to training-induced strength gains and the mechanisms underlying cross-education.