SECTION I - KINESIOLOGY / RESEARCH PAPER
Effect of Warm-Up Exercise on Functional Regulation of Motor Unit Activation during Isometric Torque Production
,
 
,
 
,
 
Jaebum Park 1,3,6,7
 
 
 
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Physical Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
 
2
Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
 
3
Advanced Institute of Convergence Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
 
4
Department of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
 
5
Research Institute for Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
 
6
Institute for Sports Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
 
7
Department of AI-Integrated Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
 
 
Submission date: 2023-08-17
 
 
Final revision date: 2024-01-03
 
 
Acceptance date: 2024-02-21
 
 
Publication date: 2024-04-25
 
 
Corresponding author
Jaebum Park   

Physical Education, Seoul National University, Korea (South)
 
 
Journal of Human Kinetics 2024;92:29-41
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
In this study, we tested several hypotheses related to changes in motor unit activation patterns after warm-up exercise. Fifteen healthy young men participated in the experiment and the main task was to produce voluntary torque through the elbow joint under the isometric condition. The experimental conditions consisted of two directions of torque, including flexion and extension, at two joint angles, 10° and 90°. Participants were asked to increase the joint torque to the maximal level at a rate of 10% of the maximum voluntary torque. The warm-up protocol followed the ACSM guidelines, which increased body temperature by approximately 1.5°C. Decomposition electromyography electrodes, capable of extracting multiple motor unit action potentials from surface signals, were placed on the biceps and triceps brachii muscles, and joint torque was measured on the dynamometer. The mean firing rate and the recruitment threshold of the decomposed motor units were quantified. In addition, a single motor unit activity from the spike train was quantified for each of five selected motor units. The magnitude of joint torque increased with the warm-up exercise for all the experimental conditions. The results of the motor unit analyses showed a positive and beneficial effect of the warm-up exercise, with an increase in both the mean firing rate and the recruitment threshold by about 56% and 33%, respectively, particularly in the agonist muscle. Power spectral density in the gamma band, which is thought to be the dominant voluntary activity, was also increased by the warm-up exercise only in the high threshold motor units.
 
REFERENCES (40)
1.
Asmussen, E., & Bøje, O. V. (1945). Body temperature and capacity for work. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 10(1), 1–22.
 
2.
Bergh, U., & Ekblom, B. (1979). Influence of muscle temperature on maximal muscle strength and power output in human skeletal muscles. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 107(1), 33–37.
 
3.
Bishop, D. (2003). Warm-up II. Sports Medicine, 33(7), 483–498.
 
4.
Brown, P., Salenius, S., Rothwell, J. C., & Hari, R. (1998). Cortical correlate of the Piper rhythm in humans. Journal of Neurophysiology, 80(6), 2911–2917.
 
5.
Broman, H., De Luca, C. J., & Mambrito, B. (1985). Motor unit recruitment and firing rates interaction in the control of human muscles. Brain Research, 337(2), 311–319.
 
6.
Buchthal, F., Kaiser, E., & Knappeis, G. G. (1944). Elasticity, viscosity and plasticity in the cross striated muscle fibre. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 8(1), 16–37.
 
7.
Čoh, M., Babić, V., & Maćkała, K. (2010). Biomechanical, neuro-muscular and methodical aspects of running speed development. Journal of Human Kinetics, 26, 73–81.
 
8.
De Luca, C. J., & Erim, Z. (2002). Common drive in motor units of a synergistic muscle pair. Journal of Neurophysiology, 87(4), 2200–2204.
 
9.
De Luca, C. J., & Hostage, E. C. (2010). Relationship between firing rate and recruitment threshold of motoneurons in voluntary isometric contractions. Journal of Neurophysiology, 104(2), 1034–1046.
 
10.
De Luca, C. J., & Nawab, S. H. (2011). Reply to Farina and Enoka: The reconstruct-and-test approach is the most appropriate validation for surface EMG signal decomposition to date. Journal of Neurophysiology, 105(2), 983–984.
 
11.
De Luca, C. J., Chang, S. S., Roy, S. H., Kline, J. C., & Nawab, S. H. (2015). Decomposition of surface EMG signals from cyclic dynamic contractions. Journal of Neurophysiology, 113(6), 1941–1951.
 
12.
De Ruiter, C. J., Jones, D. A., Sargeant, A. J., & De Haan, A. (1999). Temperature effect on the rates of isometric force development and relaxation in the fresh and fatigued human adductor pollicis muscle. Experimental Physiology, 84(6), 1137–1150.
 
13.
Duchateau, J., Semmler, J. G., & Enoka, R. M. (2006). Training adaptations in the behavior of human motor units. Journal of Applied Physiology, 101(6), 1766–1775.
 
14.
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A. G., and Buchner, A. (2007). G* Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral and biomedical sciences. Behavioral Research Methods, 39, 175–191.
 
15.
Gallego, J. A., Dideriksen, J. L., Holobar, A., Ibáñez, J., Pons, J. L., Louis, E. D., Rocon, E., & Farina, D. (2015). Influence of common synaptic input to motor neurons on the neural drive to muscle in essential tremor. Journal of Neurophysiology, 113(1), 182–191.
 
16.
Gray, S. R., Soderlund, K., Watson, M., & Ferguson, R. A. (2011). Skeletal muscle ATP turnover and single fibre ATP and PCr content during intense exercise at different muscle temperatures in humans. Pflügers Archiv-European Journal of Physiology, 462(6), 885–893.
 
17.
Güllich, A., & Schmidtbleicher, D. (1996). MVC-induced short-term potentiation of explosive force. New Studies in Athletics, 11, 67–84.
 
18.
Heckman, C. J., & Enoka, R. M. (2004). Physiology of the motor neuron and the motor unit. In Handbook of Clinical Neurophysiology (Vol. 4, pp. 119–147). Elsevier.
 
19.
Heckman, C. J., & Enoka, R. M. (2012). Motor unit. Comprehensive Physiology, 4, 2629–2682.
 
20.
Hermens, H. J., Freriks, B., Disselhorst-Klug, C., & Rau, G. (2000). Development of recommendations for SEMG sensors and sensor placement procedures. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 10(5), 361–374.
 
21.
Henneman, E. (1957). Relation between size of neurons and their susceptibility to discharge. Science, 126(3287), 1345–1347.
 
22.
Henneman, E., Somjen, G., & Carpenter, D. O. (1965). Functional significance of cell size in spinal motoneurons. Journal of Neurophysiology, 28(3), 560–580.
 
23.
Hill, A. V. (1964). The effect of load on the heat of shortening of muscle. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences, 159(975), 297–318.
 
24.
Hill, A. V. (1949). Work and heat in a muscle twitch. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B-Biological Sciences, 136(883), 220–228.
 
25.
Hu, X., Rymer, W. Z., & Suresh, N. L. (2014). Accuracy assessment of a surface electromyogram decomposition system in human first dorsal interosseus muscle. Journal of Neural Engineering, 11(2), 026007.
 
26.
Hu, X., Rymer, W. Z., & Suresh, N. L. (2013). Assessment of validity of a high-yield surface electromyogram decomposition. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 10(1), 1–2.
 
27.
Madarshahian, S., & Latash, M. L. (2021). Synergies at the level of motor units in single-finger and multi-finger tasks. Experimental Brain Research, 239, 2905–2923.
 
28.
McCrary, J. M., Ackermann, B. J., & Halaki, M. (2015). A systematic review of the effects of upper body warm-up on performance and injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49(14), 935–942.
 
29.
Murphy, S., Durand, M., Negro, F., Farina, D., Hunter, S., Schmit, B., ... & Hyngstrom, A. (2019). The relationship between blood flow and motor unit firing rates in response to fatiguing exercise post-stroke. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 545.
 
30.
Nawab, S. H., Chang, S. S., & De Luca, C. J. (2010). High-yield decomposition of surface EMG signals. Clinical Neurophysiology, 121(10), 1602–1615.
 
31.
Negro, F., & Farina, D. (2011). Decorrelation of cortical inputs and motoneuron output. Journal of Neurophysiology, 106(5), 2688–2697.
 
32.
Park, S. H., Kwon, M., Solis, D., Lodha, N., & Christou, E. A. (2016). Motor control differs for increasing and releasing force. Journal of Neurophysiology, 115(6), 2924–2930.
 
33.
Park, S. H., Wang, Z., McKinney, W., Khemani, P., Lui, S., Christou, E. A., & Mosconi, M. W. (2019). Functional motor control deficits in older FMR1 premutation carriers. Experimental Brain Research, 237, 2269–2278.
 
34.
Pearce, A. J., Rowe, G. S., & Whyte, D. G. (2012). Neural conduction and excitability following a simple warm up. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 15(2), 164–168.
 
35.
Pescatello, L. S., Riebe, D., & Thompson, P. D. (Eds.). (2014). ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
 
36.
Racinais, S., & Oksa, J. (2010). Temperature and neuromuscular function. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20, 1–18.
 
37.
Swain, D. P., & Leutholtz, B. C. (2007). Exercise prescription: A case study approach to the ACSM guidelines. Human Kinetics.
 
38.
Stewart, D., Macaluso, A., & De Vito, G. (2003). The effect of an active warm-up on surface EMG and muscle performance in healthy humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 89, 509–513.
 
39.
Türker, K. S. (1993). Electromyography: some methodological problems and issues. Physical Therapy, 73(10), 698–710.
 
40.
Wiewelhove, T., Döweling, A., Schneider, C., Hottenrott, L., Meyer, T., Kellmann, M., Pfeiffer, M., & Ferrauti, A. (2019). A meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 376.
 
eISSN:1899-7562
ISSN:1640-5544
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top