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The purpose of this study was to identify the mechanical characteristics of the hands-between-the-feet grab starting technique which contribute to a faster start. Twenty-four high school swimmers performed four trials of a grab start followed by a glide to a distance of 9 m. The results suggested that to obtain a faster start, swimmers should (a) move the center of mass fast in the forward direction while the feet are in contact with the starting block, (b) maximize the force exerted through the feet in the backward direction, and (c) maximize the force exerted through the hands against the starting block in the forward and upward direction.

The effective force applied on the crank, the index of pedalling effectiveness, and the economy of movement at 60, 75, 90, and 105 rev/min cadences were examined in nine cyclists and eight triathletes. Tests were performed on two days. Maximal oxygen uptake was measured and the second ventilatory threshold was estimated on day 1 using a stationary bicycle. On day 2, the four different cadences were tested at about 5% below the second ventilatory threshold. A strain gauge instrumented clip-less pedal mounted on the bicycle enabled us to measure the normal and tangential forces exerted on the pedal, while the pedal and crank angles were monitored with the aid of a video system. Based on this information, the effective force and the index of pedalling effectiveness were calculated. Cyclists produced significantly more effective force and a higher index of pedalling effectiveness at 60 and 75 rev/min and were significantly more economic at all cadences than triathletes. The significant and positive correlation between effective force and economy at all cadences suggests that improvement of the effective force would reflect on economy.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavior of electromyographical (EMG) and vibromyographical (VMG) signals in the time and frequency domains during a fatigue protocol. EMG and VMG records were obtained from the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles of 11 adult male subjects during sustained, isometric knee extensor contractions performed at 70% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). The average median frequencies of the power density spectra decreased during the fatigue protocol for the EMG (from 73 to 54 Hz for RF, and from 75 to 57 Hz for VL) and the VMG signals (from 40 to 19 Hz for RF, and from 25 to 12 Hz for VL). Raw EMG signals remained the same qualitatively throughout the fatigue protocol, whereas corresponding VMG records appeared to become "smoother." The results of this study indicate that the pronounced decrease in the high-frequency content of the VMG signal may be observed in the time domain as a "smoothing" of the signal, and thus, that the raw VMG records (which may be displayed readily online) can be used to assess qualitatively the onset and progression of muscular fatigue.

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RESUMONo estudo da biomecânica do ciclismo diversas técnicas têm sido utilizadas para descrever e compreender o movimento da pedalada. O objetivo deste estudo é propor uma metodologia para a avaliação de ciclistas sob o ponto de vista das forças aplicadas no pedal. Um ciclista de elite foi avaliado por meio de um protocolo que consistiu em alterar o selim em quatro diferentes posições (deslocado para cima, para baixo, para frente e para trás) a partir da posição de referência, especificamente, aquela adotada para treinamento pelo ciclista. A mudança no ajuste do selim foi de 1 cm. A bicicleta do atleta foi acoplada a um ciclossimulador magnético. A carga do teste foi normalizada por um critério fisiológico (segundo limiar ventilatório), simulando o ritmo de prova do atleta. O pedal direito foi substituído por um pedal bidimensional instrumentado para registrar as forças normal e tangencial. A média do impulso angular da força efetiva foi calculada a partir de dez ciclos consecutivos de pedalada. As mudanças na posição do selim modificaram o impulso da força efetiva em relação à posição de referência. Sendo assim, o protocolo é eficaz e pode ser aplicado em diferentes situações.Palavras-chave: ciclismo, biomecânica, desempenho. ABSTRACTMany techniques have been used in biomechanics to describe the cycling movement. The purpose of this study is to proposal a specific methodology to evaluation the forces applied on the pedal. An experienced elite cyclist was submitted to a protocol which consisted of four different saddle positions (upward, downward, forward, and backward) assuming as reference position the one used by the cyclist in training and competition. The displacement of the saddle was of 1cm in all tests. The individual's bicycle was connected to a magnetic cycle simulator. The load was normalized by a physiological criterion (ventilatory threshold), to simulate the cyclist's race rhythm. The right regular pedal was replaced by a 2D instrumented pedal to record the force normal and tangential components applied on it. Mean impulse of the angular effective force was calculated from ten consecutive pedaling cycles. The four different saddle positions have modified the effective angular pedaling impulse comparing with the reference position. Relatively small saddle adjustments may affect the effective angular pedaling impulse and supposedly cycling performance. Keywords INTRODUÇÃOPara estudar a biomecânica do ciclismo diversas ferramentas têm sido utilizadas para a melhor compreensão do movimento da pedalada. A grande variedade de procedimentos adotados em estudos envolvendo ciclismo tem levado os pesquisadores a discutir a aplicação dos mesmos (1)(2)(3) . Dentre os protocolos utilizados em avaliações de ciclistas, destaca-se a utilização simultânea de parâmetros fisiológicos e biomecânicos na tentativa de elucidar as variáveis relacionadas ao gesto da pedalada (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8) . Em avaliações fisiológicas de ciclistas de alto rendimento normalmente tem sido utilizado o consumo máximo de oxigênio (VO 2MÁX ...

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