Freely chosen cadence during ergometer cycling is dependent on pedalling history

History dependence can refer to the fact that parts of the human physiology (e.g., one or a group of muscles, or the nervous system) as well as functional aspects of the human (e.g., motor behaviour, or performance) depend on prior muscle activation. In the present study, it was investigated whether initial cycling at relatively low and high preset target cadences affected a subsequent freely chosen cadence at the end of the same bout of submaximal ergometer cycling.

Twenty-two participants performed a single test session, which consisted of separate bouts of submaximal ergometer cycling. In one bout, cycling at 50 rpm was followed by cycling at freely chosen cadence. In another bout, cycling at 90 rpm was followed by cycling at freely chosen cadence. In yet another bout (denoted reference), the cadence was freely chosen throughout. Behavioural (cadence), biomechanical (tangential pedal force), and physiological (heart rate) responses were measured.

Increased cadence resulted in decreased maximal tangential pedal force in accordance with existing knowledge. Initial cycling at 50 and 90 rpm caused freely chosen cadence to be about 5% lower and higher, respectively, than the freely chosen cadence (72.4 ± 2.4 rpm) at the end of the reference bout. These differences in cadence were not accompanied by statistically significant differences in heart rate.

The freely chosen cadence depended on the preset cadence applied at the beginning of the bout. This was denoted a phenomenon of motor behavioural history dependence.