The purpose of this study is to identify the principle of maximum voluntary torque expression according to the magnitude and duration of pre-activation during voluntary isometric knee extension. The magnitude of pre-activation conditions were divided ...
The purpose of this study is to identify the principle of maximum voluntary torque expression according to the magnitude and duration of pre-activation during voluntary isometric knee extension. The magnitude of pre-activation conditions were divided into three (32 Nm, 64 Nm, 96 Nm), and the duration of pre-activation conditions were divided into two (1s, 3s), and then combined into six types. The force and EMG data were measured using the 6-axis force & torque sensor and the EMG sensor. The results show that the maximum voluntary toruque increased the most with relatively large and fast (96 Nm, 3s) pre-activation. Similarly, with relatively fast (96 Nm, 3s) pre-activation, it was found that the integrated EMG of the agonist muscle, especially vastus medialis, increased the most, and the co-contraction index decreased relatively. On the other hand, the rate of toque development from the pre-activation to the maximum voluntary torque could not find significant differences depending on the pre-activation type. These results suggest that the maximum voluntary torque in large and fast pre-activation type is the largest value due to increased activity of vastus medialis, an agonist muscle during knee extension, and the resulting reduction in co-contration index, which has no effect on the rate of torque development.