Muscle fatigue during concentric and eccentric contractions

We compared the contribution of central and peripheral processes to muscle fatigue induced in the ankle dorsiflexor muscles by tests performed during concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) conditions. Each fatigue test consisted of five sets of 30 maximum voluntary contractions at a constant speed of 50°/s for a 30° range of motion of the ankle joint. The torque produced by the dorsiflexors and the surface electromyogram (EMG) of the tibialis anterior muscle were recorded during the fatigue tests. Before, during, and after the tests, the compound muscle action potential (M wave) and the contractile properties in response to single and paired electrical stimuli, as well as the interpolated‐twitch method and postactivation potentiation (PAP), were recorded during isometric conditions. Compared with ECC contractions, the CON ones resulted in a greater (P < 0.05) loss of force (−31.6% vs. −23.8%) and a decrease in EMG activity (−26.4% vs. −17.5%). This difference was most pronounced during the first four sets of contractions, but was reduced during the last set. Activation was not altered by the tests because neither the interpolated‐twitch response nor the ratio of the voluntary EMG to the amplitude of the M wave was changed in the two fatigue tests. Although there was no significant difference in M‐wave amplitude between the two tests, changes in the twitch parameters and in the PAP were found to be greater in the CON than ECC contractions. It is concluded that the greater alterations in the contractile properties observed during the CON contractions indicate that intracellular Ca2+‐controlled excitation–contraction (E–C) coupling processes, possibly associated with a higher energy requirement, are affected to a much greater degree than during ECC contractions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 23: 1727–1735, 2000