Application of circular statistics in the study of muscular activity during semi-reclined cycling

Abstract

Semi-reclined cycling is commonly recommended as a form of rehabilitation exercise; hence, a better knowledge of lower-extremity muscle activations is essential to improve the design of these exercise regimens. Techniques from circular statistics were used to investigate the effects of workload on the lower limb muscles' onset and offset patterns during semi-reclined cycling. Fifteen healthy, male, novice cyclists participated in three cycling trials of different workloads with a constant cadence. Electromyography (EMG) data of four lower limb muscles and pedal's kinematics were collected. By using circular statistics, we demonstrated that cycling workload does have an effect on the onset and offset of lower-extremity muscles during semi-reclined cycling, while using linear methods would result in incorrect implications. These findings suggest that circular statistics is a proper tool in analyzing muscular onset and offset in cycling.