| Title | Muscle strength and contractile kinetics of isometric elbow flexion in girls and women. | | Author(s) | Falk B, Brunton L, Dotan R, Usselman C, Klentrou P, Gabriel D | | Institution | Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. | | Source | Pediatr Exerc Sci 2009 Aug; 21(3):354-64. | | Abstract | Ten prepubertal girls and 15 young women were tested for maximal torque, peak rate of torque development, electro-mechanical delay (EMD), and time to peak rate of torque development during isometric elbow flexion. Absolute peak torque (17.0 +/- 7.7 vs. 40.5 +/- 8.3 Nm) and peak rate of torque development (105.9 +/- 58.6 vs. 297.2 +/- 113.0 Nm s(-1)) were lower in the girls (p < .05). Normalized to muscle cross sectional area, torque was similar (8.27 +/- 2.74 vs. 8.44 +/- 1.65 Nm cm(-2)), as was peak rate of torque development, normalized to peak torque (6.21 +/- 1.94 vs. 7.30 +/- 2.26 Nm s(-1)/ Nm). Both, time to peak rate of torque development (123.8 +/- 36.0 vs. 110.5 +/- 52.6 ms) and EMD (73.2 +/- 28.6 vs. 51.9 +/- 25.6 ms), were longer in the girls, although EMD's difference only approached statistical significance (p = .06). Age-related isometric strength differences in females appear to be mainly muscle-size dependent. However, the time to peak torque and EMD findings suggest differential motor-unit activation which may functionally manifest itself in fast dynamic contractions. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 19827458 |
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