The acute effect of neuromuscular activation in resistance exercise on human skeletal muscle with the interpolated twitch technique

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to perform a quantitative assessment of neuromechanical adaptation in skeletal muscles and to propose the scientific underpinnings of the acute effects induced by resistance exercise. [Subjects] The subjects in this study were 11 healthy adult men in their 20s who had no orthopedic history at the time of the study. To examine any signs of resistance exercise-induced changes in the ankle plantar flexor, the subjects were directed to perform a standing barbell calf raise routine. [Methods] Subjects were to carry a load equal to their weights and to perform five sets of ten repetitions. The maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque, resting twitch torque, muscle inhibition, root mean square of muscular activation, contraction time, and half relaxation time were analyzed by synchronizing a dynamometer, an electrical stimulator, and an electromyography system. [Results] The maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque appeared to decline, but the change was not statistically significant. The decline of resting twitch torque, on the other hand, was found to be statistically significant. Muscle inhibition and root mean square of muscular activation were both reduced, but both changes were not statistically significant. Lastly, contraction time and half relaxation time both statistically decreased significantly after resistance exercise. [Conclusion] These results indicate that the acute effects of resistance exercise have a greater impact on the peripheral mechanical system itself, rather than on neurological factors, in terms of the generation of muscle force.