Abstract
This study aims to investigate muscle damage occurring in the early and recovery phases after fast-velocity and slow-velocity eccentric cycling. Eleven untrained men (age, 20.0 ± 1.7 years; height, 171.3 ± 6.8 cm; weight, 61.8 ± 7.7 kg; and %body fat, 13.2 ± 2.9%) performed slow-velocity maximal isokinetic eccentric cycling (slow-velocity; 30°/s) with one leg and fast-velocity (fast-velocity; 210°/s) isokinetic eccentric cycling with the other leg. Changes in maximal voluntary isokinetic concentric contraction (MVCC) torque at velocities of 30 and 210°/s, range of motion (ROM), and muscle soreness were assessed by pressure using a digital muscle stiffness instrument; thigh circumference, muscle echo intensity, and muscle stiffness were assessed before exercise, and immediately after exercise, 1 day, and 4 days after exercise. Comparing with the results obtained for slow-velocity cycling (post: 215.9 ± 32.3 Nm, day 1: 192.9 ± 47.4 Nm, day 4: 184.3 ± 47.2 Nm) and before exercise, MVCC after fast-velocity cycling significantly decreased at immediately (160.4 ± 43.5 Nm), 1 day (143.6 ± 54.1 Nm), and 4 days (150.1 ± 44.5 Nm) after exercise (p < 0.05). Significant increase in muscle soreness for vastus lateralis was observed after fast-velocity cycling (41.2 ± 16.9 mm) compared with slow-velocity cycling (23.7 ± 12.2 mm) 4 days after exercise (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference in muscle soreness was observed for rectus femoris and vastus medialis at any time points after exercise. In addition, no significant differences were observed in the ROM, thigh circumference, muscle echo intensity, and muscle stiffness. In conclusion, fast-velocity eccentric cycling causes a decrease in muscle strength and an increase in soreness as compared to slow-velocity eccentric cycling.
Highlights
Continuous resistance exercise is important for maintaining and promoting health as well as for improving athletic performance (American College of Sports Medicine, 2009)
Muscle damage following eccentric contractions (ECCs) is characterized by a temporal reduction in muscle strength, limitation of range of motion (ROM), development of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), muscle swelling, and increased levels of serum creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin (Mb; Clarkson and Hubal, 2002; Chen et al, 2009; Tsuchiya et al, 2015; Ochi et al, 2016)
This study compared the levels of muscle damage after transient fast- and slow-velocity ECC cycling
Summary
Continuous resistance exercise is important for maintaining and promoting health as well as for improving athletic performance (American College of Sports Medicine, 2009). ECCs, in which a contracting muscle is repeatedly lengthened by a greater external force than the Muscle Damage After Eccentric Cycling muscle force, can induce greater muscle damage in unaccustomed individuals than concentric or isometric contractions (Tsuchiya et al, 2015; Ochi et al, 2016). Muscle damage following ECCs is characterized by a temporal reduction in muscle strength, limitation of range of motion (ROM), development of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), muscle swelling, and increased levels of serum creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin (Mb; Clarkson and Hubal, 2002; Chen et al, 2009; Tsuchiya et al, 2015; Ochi et al, 2016). Fast-velocity ECCs may cause greater muscle damage than slow-velocity ECCs
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