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Inter- and intra-session reliability of muscle activity patterns during cycling
S A Jobson1, J Hopker, M Arkesteijn
1Department of Sports Studies, University of Winchester, Hampshire, United Kingdom. Simon.Jobson@winchester.ac.uk
Summary
Muscle activity timing during cycling is reliable across multiple sessions and within sessions. However, the intensity of muscle activity is only reliable within a single session, not across multiple sessions.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Science
Background:
- Understanding muscle activation patterns is crucial for optimizing cycling performance and injury prevention.
- Previous research has explored muscle activity during cycling, but reliability data across multiple sessions is less established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the inter- and intra-session reliability of temporal (onset, offset) and magnitude (integrated electromyography - iEMG) components of eight key leg muscles during cycling.
- To compare the reliability of these muscle activity parameters between cyclists and non-cyclists.
Main Methods:
- Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded activity of tibialis anterior, soleus, gastrocnemius medialis/lateralis, vastus medialis/lateralis, rectus femoris, and gluteus maximus.
- Participants (13 male non-cyclists, 11 male cyclists) completed multiple 6-min cycling bouts at varying submaximal workloads (135-165 W, with higher loads for cyclists).
- Statistical analyses included standard error of measurement (SEM) and intra-class correlation (ICC) for temporal components, and coefficient of variation (CV) for magnitude.
Main Results:
- Temporal components (onset and offset) of muscle activity demonstrated similar reliability both within (intra-session) and across (inter-session) testing occasions.
- Magnitude (iEMG) showed good intra-session reliability (CV 5.3-13.5%) but poor inter-session reliability (CV 15.8-43.1%).
- Higher SEM values were noted for tibialis anterior onset and soleus, gastrocnemius lateralis, and rectus femoris offset, indicating greater variability in these specific parameters.
Conclusions:
- The timing of muscle activation during submaximal cycling is reliably measured across different sessions.
- The magnitude of muscle activity during cycling is reliably measured within a single session but not consistently across multiple sessions.
- These findings have implications for designing reliable cycling protocols and interpreting sEMG data in research and training contexts.
