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Maximal muscular power: lessons from sprint cycling
Jamie Douglas1,2, Angus Ross3, James C Martin4
1High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ), Avantidrome, 15 Hanlin Road, Cambridge, 3283, New Zealand. jamie.douglas@hpsnz.org.nz.
Sports Medicine - Open
|July 16, 2021
Summary
Maximal muscular power, crucial for performance, is limited by force-velocity, activation, and coordination. Training can enhance maximal power and coordination, improving sprint cycling and athletic performance.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Science
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Maximal muscular power is vital for athletic performance and daily activities.
- Sprint cycling performance is primarily determined by maximal, cyclic muscular power.
- Understanding the physiological limits and training adaptations of muscular power is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize literature on physiological factors limiting maximal muscular power during cyclic actions.
- To explore how these factors adapt to training, specifically in the context of sprint cycling.
- To identify key determinants for improving muscular power and performance.
Main Methods:
- Literature synthesis focusing on physiological systems limiting cyclic muscular power.
- Analysis of force-velocity properties, activation-relaxation kinetics, and muscle coordination.
- Examination of muscle properties like cross-sectional area and fiber composition.
Main Results:
- Cyclic power is limited by force-velocity, activation-relaxation, and coordination, with frequency-dependent influences.
- Muscle cross-sectional area and fiber composition significantly impact maximal power and the power-frequency relationship.
- Fatigue impairs force-velocity properties and activation-relaxation kinetics, reducing power output.
Conclusions:
- Maximal muscular power can be improved through training, primarily via enhanced force production and neuromuscular coordination.
- While improvable, the extent to which maximum shortening velocity and activation-relaxation kinetics adapt with training remains unclear.
- Increasing maximal power is effective for sustained brief efforts, complemented by sprint interval training for sprint cycling and other activities.
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