ANTAGONIST CONDITIONING CONTRACTIONS IMPAIR AGONIST FUNCTIONING

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This study assessed the effect of antagonist conditioning contractions (ACC) on the subsequent force and electromyography of an agonist. Twelve subjects performed isokinetic elbow flexion on a dynamometer in 4 test conditions including a baseline condition without, and 1, 3 and 6 seconds after, isometric triceps extension. Average peak torque (T), peak torque/body weight (T:BW), average power (P), and rate of torque development (RTD) were assessed. Electromyographic data were obtained from elbow extensors and flexors. A repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc analysis demonstrated that T, T:BW, P, and RTD were higher in the baseline, compared to the post ACC conditions (P ≤ 0.05), and appears to be due to higher brachioradialis activation in the baseline condition in compared to some post ACC conditions (P ≤ 0.05).