CHANGES IN ANKLE ANGLE AND MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING CYCLING TO FATIGUE

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine ankle angle and corresponding muscle activation patterns changes while novice cyclists cycled to volitional exhaustion during a maximal oxygen consumption (V02max) test. Ten subjects (5 male, 5 female) underwent a V02max test while electromyographic (EMG) and kinematic analysis data were collected simultaneously. Analysis indicated that minimum ankle angle decreased significantly and the amplitude of the ankle angle increased significantly. In addition muscle activation patterns rotate clockwise around the pedal stroke as the test continued. The results found here could be fatigue induced or load induced. More research needs to be conducted to determine the cause of these changes