Force production and muscle activation during partial vs. full range of motion in Paralympic Powerlifting.

Tanise Pires Mendonça,Victor Machado Reis,Breno Guilherme Cabral,Dihogo Gama Matos,Daniel Almeida Marinho,Raphael Fabrício Souza,Anderson Carlos Marçal,Paulo Francisco Almeida-Neto,Felipe José Aidar,Nuno Domingos Garrido,Mário Cardoso Marques,Henrique Pereira Neiva,Dalton Müller Pessôa Filho

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257810

Abstract

Paralympic Powerlifting is a sport in which the strength of the upper limbs is assessed through bench press performance in an adapted specific bench. It is therefore essential to optimize training methods to maximize this performance. The aim of the present study was to compare force production and muscle activation involved in partial vs. full range of motion (ROM) training in Paralympic Powerlifting. Twelve male athletes of elite national level in Paralympic Powerlifting participated in the study (28.60 ± 7.60 years of age, 71.80 ± 17.90 kg of body mass). The athletes performed five sets of 5RM (repetition maximum), either with 90% of 1RM in full ROM or with a load of 130% 1RM in partial ROM. All subjects underwent both exercise conditions in consecutive weeks. Order assignment in the first week was random and counterbalanced. Fatigue index (FI), Maximum Isometric Force (MIF), Time to MIF (Time) and rate of force development (RFD) were determined by a force sensor. Muscle thickness was obtained using ultrasound images. All measures were taken pre- and post-training. Additionally, electromyographic signal (EMG) was evaluated in the last set of each exercise condition. Post-exercise fatigue was higher with full ROM as well as loss of MIF. Full ROM also induced greater. EMG showed greater activation of the Clavicular portion and Sternal portion of pectoralis major muscle and lower in the anterior portion of deltoid muscle when full ROM was performed. Muscle thickness of the pectoralis major muscle increased post-exercise. We concluded that training with partial ROM enables higher workloads with lower loss of muscle function.

Highlights

Paralympic Powerlifting (PP) is a paralympic sport that focus in maximum strength development and the best athletes are able to lift three times their body mass [1]
The clavicular portion of the pectoralis major muscle thickness increased from pre- to post in both exercise conditions, with greater effect in full range of motion (ROM) (p
The sternal portion of the pectoralis major muscle thickness increased from pre- to post in full ROM (p

Summary

Introduction

Paralympic Powerlifting (PP) is a paralympic sport that focus in maximum strength development and the best athletes are able to lift three times their body mass [1]. The paralympic bench press is a sport that is quite different from traditional weight lifting. Paralympic Powerlifting training includes control of several variables, such as load, strength, movement duration and bar displacement velocity [2, 3]. Besides these critical variables, range of motion (ROM) can be manipulated for strength gains [3, 4]. Studies which investigated the effects of performing partial or full ROM during strength training have shown that higher loads can be lifted while performing a bench press exercise with partial ROM [5,6,7]. In one of the earliest studies, Graves et al, [9] found that isometric strength gains in bilateral knee extension were similar throughout all knee angles when full ROM training occurred; whereas strength gains with partial ROM were limited to the joint angles involved in the partial ROM

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