Reduced neuromuscular activity and force generation during prolonged cycling

Abstract

We examined neuromuscular activity during stochastic (variable intensity) 100-km cycling time trials (TT) and the effect of dietary carbohydrate manipulation. Seven endurance-trained cyclists performed two 100-km TT that included five 1-km and four 4-km high-intensity epochs (HIE) during which power output, electromyogram (EMG), and muscle glycogen data were analyzed. The mean power output of the 4-km HIE decreased significantly throughout the trial from 319 ± 48 W for the first 4-km HIE to 278 ± 39 W for the last 4-km HIE ( P < 0.01). The mean integrated EMG (IEMG) activity during the first 4-km HIE was 16.4 ± 9.8% of the value attained during the pretrial maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). IEMG decreased significantly throughout the trial, reaching 11.1 ± 5.6% during the last 4-km HIE ( P < 0.01). The study establishes that neuromuscular activity in peripheral skeletal muscle falls parallel with reduction in power output during bouts of high-intensity exercise. These changes occurred when <20% of available muscle was recruited and suggest the presence of a central neural governor that reduces the active muscle recruited during prolonged exercise.