Horscroft, R. D., Davidson, C. J., McDaniel, J., Hunter, E. L., Grisham, J. D., McNeil, J. M., Gidley, L. D., Carroll, C., Thompson, F. T., & Martin, J. C. (2005). Joint power distribution differs during maximal and submaximal cycling. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37(5), Supplement abstract 625.

Trained cyclists (N = 7) performed maximal and submaximal cycling trials on an ergometer at 90 rpm. Pedal forces and joint powers at the ankle, knee, and hip and across the hips were measured and videoed with a two-camera capture system.

Power produced at the joints were different between the two exercise intensities for the ankle and across the hips but similar between the knee and hips. These data suggest a different neuromuscular organization between the two exercise intensities despite the form of the exercise being regulated consistently by the machinery on the cycle.

Implication. For the same consistent form of exercise, cycling ergometry at a constant rpm, different exercise intensities employ discrete neuromuscular patterns.

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