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Isometric-based test improves EMG-threshold determination in boys vs. men

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Abstract

Background

Children have been hypothesized to utilize higher-threshold (type-II) motor units (MUs) to a lesser extent than adults. Two recent studies, using a cycling-based EMG-threshold (EMGTh) protocol, supported the hypothesis, showing children’s EMGTh intensities to be higher than adults’. Conclusions, however, were hampered by children’s low EMGTh detection rates. Insufficiently high contractile forces at exhaustion were postulated as the reason for non-detection, predominantly in children. An intermittent isometric contraction test (IICT) protocol facilitates higher contractile forces prior to exhaustion and was shown effective in EMGTh testing of adults.

Purpose

Determine whether an IICT protocol would enhance EMGTh detection in children, and consequently increase the magnitude of the previously observed child–adult EMGTh differences.

Methods

18 boys and 21 men completed one-repetition-maximum (1RM) isometric knee-extension test. The IICT protocol followed, commencing at 25%1RM and comprising five isometric contractions per load, incremented by ~ 3%1RM to exhaustion. Vastus lateralis surface EMG was recorded and EMGTh, expressed as %1RM, was defined as the onset of the EMG-response’s steeper segment.

Results

EMGTh was detected in 88.9% of boys and 95.2% of men, and occurred at higher relative intensities in boys (56.4 ± 9.2%1RM) than in men (46.0 ± 6.8%1RM). This 10.4% difference was 57% greater than the corresponding, previously reported cycling-based age-related difference.

Conclusions

With the boys’ detection rate nearly on par with the men’s, the IICT protocol appears to overcome much of the intensity limitation of cycling-based protocols and provide a more sensitive EMGTh detection tool, thus extending the previously observed boys‒men difference. This difference adds supports to the notion of children’s more limited type-II MU recruitment capacity.

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Abbreviations

EMG:

Electromyography

EMGTh :

Electromyographic threshold

EMGRMS :

Root mean square of each contraction’s EMG signal

EMGRMS5:

Average of EMGRMS values for each load

IICT:

Intermittent isometric contraction test

LBM:

Lean body mass

LSS:

Least sum of squares

MU:

Motor units

MVC:

Maximal volitional contraction

RM:

Repetition maximum

RMS:

Root mean square

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all participants for their hard work and dedication and to the parents or guardians for bringing the boys and making it all possible.

Funding

The study was funded by a Brock University internal grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada

    Stacey Woods, Nicole Jenicek, James Maynard, David Gabriel, Craig Tokuno & Bareket Falk

  2. Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Raffy Dotan

  3. Centre for Bone and Muscle Health, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Bareket Falk

Authors
  1. Stacey Woods
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  2. Raffy Dotan
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  3. Nicole Jenicek
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  4. James Maynard
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  5. David Gabriel
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  6. Craig Tokuno
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  7. Bareket Falk
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Contributions

SW, RD and BF conceived and designed research. SW, NJ, RD and JM conducted the experiments. RD designed and built the custom-made ergometer. SW and RD analyzed the data. SW, RD and BF wrote the manuscript. DG and CT contributed to the design of the experiments and the analysis approach. All the authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bareket Falk.

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The authors have no competing interests to declare.

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Communicated by Toshio Moritani.

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Woods, S., Dotan, R., Jenicek, N. et al. Isometric-based test improves EMG-threshold determination in boys vs. men. Eur J Appl Physiol 119, 1971–1979 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04185-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04185-8

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