Effects of microgravity on maximal power of lower limbs during very short efforts in humans

Abstract

The maximal power of the lower limbs was determined in four astronauts (age 37–53 yr) 1) during maximal pushes of ∼250 ms on force platforms [“maximal explosive power” (MEP)] or 2) during all-out bouts of 6–7 s on an isokinetic cycloergometer [pedal frequency 1 Hz: maximal cycling power (MCP)]. The measurements were done before and immediately after spaceflights of 31–180 days. Before flight, peak and mean values were 3.18 ± 0.38 and 1.5 ± 0.13 (SD) kW for MEP and 1.17 ± 0.12 and 0.68 ± 0.08 kW for MCP, respectively. After reentry, MEP was reduced to 67% after 31 days and to 45% after 180 days. MCP decreased less, attaining ∼75% of preflight level, regardless of the flight duration. The recovery of MCP was essentially complete 2 wk after reentry, whereas that of MEP was slower, a complete recovery occurring after an estimated time close to that spent in flight. In the same subjects, the muscle mass of the lower limbs, as assessed by NMR, decreased by 9–13%, irrespective of flight duration (J. Zange, K. Müller, M. Schuber, H. Wackerhage, U. Hoffmann, R. W. Günther, G. Adam, J. M. Neuerburg, V. E. Sinitsyn, A. O. Bacharev, and O. I. Belichenko. Int. J. Sports Med. 18, Suppl. 4: S308–S309, 1997). The larger fall in maximal power, compared with that in muscle mass, suggests that a fraction of the former (especially relevant for MEP) is due to the effects of weightlessness on the motor unit recruitment pattern.