Composite, Inter-, and Intra-Individual Torque and Neuromuscular Responses During Fatiguing Forearm Flexion Tasks are Dependent on Anchor Scheme in Men

Dolores G. Ortega^1, , Robert W. Smith¹, Jocelyn E. Arnett¹, Tyler J. Neltner², Trevor D. Roberts¹, Richard J. Schmidt¹, Glen O. Johnson¹ and Terry J. Housh¹

¹Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68510, USA

²Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Wisconsin – Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA

Cite this paper

Dolores G. Ortega, Robert W. Smith, Jocelyn E. Arnett, Tyler J. Neltner, Trevor D. Roberts, Richard J. Schmidt, Glen O. Johnson and Terry J. Housh. Composite, Inter-, and Intra-Individual Torque and Neuromuscular Responses During Fatiguing Forearm Flexion Tasks are Dependent on Anchor Scheme in Men. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2024; 12(1):7-19. doi: 10.12691/AJSSM-12-1-2

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of anchor scheme (RPE vs. torque) on the composite, inter- and intra-individual torque and neuromuscular patterns of responses (PoR) during fatiguing forearm flexion tasks. Twelve men (mean±SD: age=20.9±2.2 yrs.; height=179.8±5.3 cm; body mass=80.2±9.9 kg) performed maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) before and after sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks to failure anchored to RPE=4 (RPEFT) and the torque (TRQFT) that corresponded to RPE=4. The amplitude (AMP) and mean power frequency (MPF) of the electromyographic and mechanomyographic (MMG) signals were recorded from the biceps brachii. Polynomial regression analyses were used to define the individual and composite relationships for normalized torque and neuromuscular parameters versus normalized time. Dependent t-tests were used to determine mean differences for time to task failure (TTF) and performance fatigability (PF=% decline in MVIC). The RPEFT had a greater TTF (p=0.006), but lower PF (p<0.001) than the TRQFT. During the RPEFT, the composite PoR indicated significant (p≤0.05) linear decreases for torque, EMG MPF, MMG MPF, and NME, a linear increase for MMG AMP, and no relationship for EMG AMP. During the TRQFT, the composite PoR indicated significant (p≤0.05) linear decreases for EMG MPF, MMG MPF, and NME, linear increases in EMG AMP and MMG AMP, and no relationship for torque. The individual PoR indicated substantial variability within and between anchor schemes. These findings indicated that TTF and PF as well as the composite, inter-, and intra-individual PoR were dependent on the anchor scheme of the fatiguing task.

Keywords

ratings of perceived exertion, upper body, electromyography, mechanomyography

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References

[1]	Enoka RM, Stuart DG. Neurobiology of muscle fatigue. J Appl Physiol 1992; 72: 1631–48.
[2]	Kluger BM, Krupp LB, Enoka RM. Fatigue and fatigability in neurologic illnesses: proposal for a unified taxonomy. Neurology 2013; 80: 409–16.
[3]	Enoka RM, Duchateau J. Translating fatigue to human performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 2228–38.
[4]	Arnett JE, Smith RW, Neltner TJ, Anders JPV, Ortega DG, Housh TJ, et al. Effects of joint angle on inter-and intra-individual variability for women during isometric fatiguing tasks anchored to a perceptual intensity. Am J Sports Sci Med 2023; 11: 7–21.
[5]	Keller JL, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Smith CM, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Neuromuscular responses of recreationally active women during a sustained, submaximal isometric leg extension muscle action at a constant perception of effort. Eur J Appl Physiol 2018; 118: 2499–508.
[6]	Keller JL, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Smith CM, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO. Self-regulated force and neuromuscular responses during fatiguing isometric leg extensions anchored to a rating of perceived exertion. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2019; 44: 343–50.
[7]	Smith RW, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Arnett JE, Keller JL, Housh TJ, et al. Perceptual fatigability and neuromuscular responses during a sustained, isometric forearm flexion muscle action anchored to a constant level of perceived exertion. NeuroSports 2021; 1: 2.
[8]	Smith RW, Ortega DG, Arnett JE, Neltner TJ, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO, et al. The effects of sustained, low- and high-intensity isometric tasks on performance fatigability and the perceived responses that contributed to task termination. Eur J Appl Physiol 2024: 1-13.
[9]	Smith RW, Housh TJ, Arnett JE, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Ortega DG, et al. Utilizing the RPE-Clamp model to examine interactions among factors associated with perceived fatigability and performance fatigability in women and men. Eur J Appl Physiol 2023;123: 1397–409.
[10]	Smith RW, Housh TJ, Arnett JE, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Ortega DG, et al. The Effects of Anchor Schemes on Performance Fatigability, Neuromuscular Responses and the Perceived Sensations That Contributed to Task Termination. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 2023;8:49.
[11]	sex on performance fatigability and neuromuscular responses following sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks to failure. J Exerc Physiol Online 2023; 26: 69–92.
[12]	Tucker R. The anticipatory regulation of performance: the physiological basis for pacing strategies and the development of a perception-based model for exercise performance. Br J Sports Med 2009; 43: 392–400.
[13]	Bergstrom HC, Housh TJ, Zuniga JM, Traylor DA, Lewis RW, Camic CL, et al. Responses during exhaustive exercise at critical power determined from the 3-min all-out test. J Sports Sci 2013; 31: 537–45.
[14]	Hunter SK, Enoka RM. Sex differences in the fatigability of arm muscles depends on absolute force during isometric contractions. J Appl Physiol 2001; 91: 2686–94.
[15]	Robertson RJ, Noble BJ. Perception of physical exertion: methods, mediators, and applications. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 1997; 25: 407–52.
[16]	Halperin I, Emanuel A. Rating of Perceived Effort: Methodological Concerns and Future Directions. Sports Med 2020; 50: 679–87.
[17]	Vigotsky AD, Halperin I, Lehman GJ, Trajano GS, Vieira TM. Interpreting signal amplitudes in surface electromyography studies in sport and rehabilitation sciences. Front Physiol 2018: 985.
[18]	Arendt-Nielsen L, Mills KR. The relationship between mean power frequency of the EMG spectrum and muscle fibre conduction velocity. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1985; 60: 130–4.
[19]	Farina D, Merletti R, Enoka RM. The extraction of neural strategies from the surface EMG: an update. J Appl Physiol 2014; 117: 1215–30.
[20]	Deschenes MR, Brewer RE, Bush JA, McCoy RW, Volek JS, Kraemer WJ. Neuromuscular disturbance outlasts other symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. J Neurol Sci 2000; 174: 92–9.
[21]	Jones AA, Power GA, Herzog W. History dependence of the electromyogram: Implications for isometric steady-state EMG parameters following a lengthening or shortening contraction. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2016; 27: 30–8.
[22]	Beck TW, Housh TJ, Johnson GO, Weir JP, Cramer JT, Coburn JW, et al. Mechanomyographic amplitude and mean power frequency versus torque relationships during isokinetic and isometric muscle actions of the biceps brachii. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2004; 14: 555–64.
[23]	Orizio C, Gobbo M, Diemont B, Esposito F, Veicsteinas A. The surface mechanomyogram as a tool to describe the influence of fatigue on biceps brachii motor unit activation strategy. Historical basis and novel evidence. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003; 90: 326–36.
[24]	Farina D, Merletti R, Enoka RM. The extraction of neural strategies from the surface EMG. J Appl Physiol 2004; 96: 1486–95.
[25]	Smith CM, Housh TJ, Herda TJ, Zuniga JM, Camic CL, Bergstrom HC, et al. Time course of changes in neuromuscular parameters during sustained isometric muscle actions. J Strength Cond Res 2016; 30: 2697–702.
[26]	McKay AK, Stellingwerff T, Smith ES, Martin DT, Mujika I, Goosey-Tolfrey VL, et al. Defining training and performance caliber: a participant classification framework. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2022; 17: 317–31.
[27]	Walker EHE, Perreault EJ. Arm dominance affects feedforward strategy more than feedback sensitivity during a postural task. Exp Brain Res 2015; 233: 2001–11.
[28]	Robertson RJ, Goss FL, Rutkowski J, Lenz B, Dixon C, Timmer J, et al. Concurrent validation of the OMNI perceived exertion scale for resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003; 35: 333–41.
[29]	Kulig K, Andrews JG, Hay JG. Human strength curves. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 1984;12:417–66.
[30]	Gearhart Jr RF, Goss FL, Lagally KM, Jakicic JM, Gallagher J, Robertson RJ. Standardized scaling procedures for rating perceived exertion during resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 2001; 15: 320–5.
[31]	Hermens HJ, Freriks B, Disselhorst-Klug C, Rau G. Development of recommendations for SEMG sensors and sensor placement procedures. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2000; 10: 361–74.
[32]	Kwatny E, Thomas DH, Kwatny HG. An application of signal processing techniques to the study of myoelectric signals. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 1970: 303–13.
[33]	Weir JP. Quantifying test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the SEM. J Strength Cond Res 2005; 19: 231–40.
[34]	Cicchetti DV. Guidelines, criteria, and rules of thumb for evaluating normed and standardized assessment instruments in psychology. Psychol Assess 1994; 6: 284–90.
[35]	Koo TK, Li MY. A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. J Chiropr Med 2016; 15: 155–63.
[36]	Halaki M, Ginn K. Normalization of EMG signals: to normalize or not to normalize and what to normalize to. Computational Intelligence in Electromyography Analysis-a Perspective on Current Applications and Future Challenges 2012; 10: 49957.
[37]	Smith RW, Housh TJ, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Arnett JE, Ortega DG, et al. Torque and Neuromuscular Responses are not Joint Angle Dependent During a Sustained, Isometric Task Anchored to a High Perceptual Intensity. Am J Sports Sci Med 2022; 10: 29–39.
[38]	Thomas K, Goodall S, Howatson G. Performance fatigability is not regulated to a peripheral critical threshold. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2018; 46: 240–6.
[39]	Amann M, Venturelli M, Ives SJ, McDaniel J, Layec G, Rossman MJ, et al. Peripheral fatigue limits endurance exercise via a sensory feedback-mediated reduction in spinal motoneuronal output. J Appl Physiol 2013; 115: 355–64.
[40]	Hureau TJ, Romer LM, Amann M. The ‘sensory tolerance limit’: A hypothetical construct determining exercise performance? Eur J Sport Sc 2018; 18: 13–24.
[41]	Gandevia SC. Spinal and supraspinal factors in human muscle fatigue. Physiol Rev 2001; 81: 1725-89
[42]	Smith RW, Housh TJ, Anders JPV, Neltner TJ, Arnett JE, Schmidt RJ, et al. Application of the ratings of perceived exertion-clamp model to examine the effects of joint angle on the time course of torque and neuromuscular responses during a sustained, isometric forearm flexion to task failure. J Strength Cond Res 2023; 37: 1023–33.
[43]	Miller RG, Giannini D, Milner-Brown HS, Layzer RB, Koretsky AP, Hooper D, et al. Effects of fatiguing exercise on high-energy phosphates, force, and EMG: evidence for three phases of recovery. Muscle Nerve 1987; 10: 810–21.
[44]	Bigland-Ritchie B, Woods JJ. Changes in muscle contractile properties and neural control during human muscular fatigue. Muscle Nerve 1984; 7: 691–9.
[45]	Strojnik V, Komi PV. Neuromuscular fatigue after maximal stretch-shortening cycle exercise. J Appl Physiol 1998; 84: 344–50.
[46]	Hureau TJ, Broxterman RM, Weavil JC, Lewis MT, Layec G, Amann M. On the role of skeletal muscle acidosis and inorganic phosphates as determinants of central and peripheral fatigue: a 31P-MRS study. J Physiol 2022; 600: 3069-81.
[47]	Taylor JL, Amann M, Duchateau J, Meeusen R, Rice CL. Neural contributions to muscle fatigue: from the brain to the muscle and back again. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 2294–306.
[48]	Ortega DG, Housh TJ, Smith RW, Arnett JE, Neltner TJ, Anders JPV, et al. Fatiguing joint angle does not influence torque and neuromuscular responses following sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks anchored to perceptual intensity in men. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 2023; 8: 114.
[49]	De Luca CJ, Erim Z. Common drive of motor units in regulation of muscle force. Trends in Neurosciences 1994; 17: 299–305.
[50]	Neyroud D, Rüttimann J, Mannion AF, Millet GY, Maffiuletti NA, Kayser B, et al. Comparison of neuromuscular adjustments associated with sustained isometric contractions of four different muscle groups. J Appl Physiol 2013; 114: 1426–34.