Previous research has demonstrated that the preferred transition speed during human locomotion is the speed at which critical levels of ankle angular velocity and acceleration (in the dorsiflexor direction) are reached, leading to the hypothesis that gait transition occurs to alleviate muscular stress on the dorsiflexors. Furthermore, it has been shown that the metabolic cost of running at the preferred transition speed is greater than that of walking at that speed. This increase in energetic cost at gait transition has been hypothesized to occur due to a greater demand being placed on the larger muscles of the lower extremity when gait changes from a walk to a run. This hypothesis was tested by monitoring electromyographic (EMG) activity of the tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus while participants (6 M, 3 F) walked at speeds of 70, 80, 90, and 100% of their preferred transition speed, and ran at their preferred transition speed. The EMG activity of the tibialis anterior increased as walking speed increased, then decreased when gait changed to a run at the preferred transition speed. Concurrently, the EMG activity of all other muscles that were monitored increased with increasing walking speed, and at a greater rate when gait changed to a run at the preferred transition speed. The results of this study supported the hypothesis presented.

Explosive resistance training (ERT) improves older adults' strength and power, and methods to make this form of training more accessible and useful to older adults are needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale would predict a broad range of ERT intensities on the leg press with older adults. If successful, then a load-RPE relationship could be used to regulate the intensity of training loads for ERT with older adults, allowing the elimination of maximal strength testing. Twenty-one older adults (≥65 years) with resistance training experience took part in 2 testing sessions. Session 1: Subjects performed high-velocity repetitions on the leg press for up to 9 loads (from 60 to 140% body weight) presented in quasi-randomized order, and then reported their RPE for each load. Session 2: A 1 repetition maximum (1RM) strength test was conducted. Regression analysis revealed that the average RPE across subjects for each load strongly predicted the average %1RM across subjects (R2 = 99.5%; p < 0.001). This allows the establishment of a load-RPE relationship for use in selecting ERT loads for older adults on the leg press. For example, high-intensity loads (70-90% 1RM) that would elicit both strength and power gains when used with ERT aligned with an RPE of 14-16. Lighter loads that may be useful for training for power, but not strength (<70% 1RM), were identified with RPE scores of 13 and lower. The load-RPE relationship may simplify the regulation of intensity of ERT with older adults on the leg press, where the exercising older adult could be guided to select loads according to their RPE.

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Exercise science and human anatomy and physiology textbooks commonly report that type IIB muscle fibers have the largest cross-sectional area of the three fiber types. These descriptions of muscle fiber sizes do not match with the research literature examining muscle fibers in young adult nontrained humans. For men, most commonly type IIA fibers were significantly larger than other fiber types (six out of 10 cases across six different muscles). For women, either type I, or both I and IIA muscle fibers were usually significantly the largest (five out of six cases across four different muscles). In none of these reports were type IIB fibers significantly larger than both other fiber types. In 27 studies that did not include statistical comparisons of mean fiber sizes across fiber types, in no cases were type IIB or fast glycolytic fibers larger than both type I and IIA, or slow oxidative and fast oxidative glycolytic fibers. The likely reason for mistakes in textbook descriptions of human muscle fiber sizes is that animal data were presented without being labeled as such, and without any warning that there are interspecies differences in muscle fiber properties. Correct knowledge of muscle fiber sizes may facilitate interpreting training and aging adaptations.

Introduction:The elliptical trainer, developed to simulate running while minimizing joint loads, elicits a unique lower extremity biomechanical response. The purpose of this study was to examine the angular kinematics, peak net joint moments, and peak joint powers at the hip, knee and ankle joints while exercising at three different ramp settings on the elliptical trainer exercise machine (Precor EFX).Methods: Twenty-six healthy individuals with no history of lower extremity injury and with previous experience exercising on an elliptical trainer volunteered for this study. Motion was captured with two cameras as subjects performed exercise at three ramp conditions. The pedal resistance was kept constant at the lowest setting. The pedals of the elliptical were fitted with three orthogonal load cells. Video and force data were synchronized and used to perform a 2D inverse dynamics analysis.Results: As the ramp inclination increased, subjects demonstrated greater amounts of ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion, hip flexion and lesser degrees of plantar flexion and hip extension (p <.000). Mean peak moments at the ankle joint were not significantly different across the ramp settings, but peak knee extensor and hip flexor moments increased while knee flexor and hip extensor at the hip decreased (p <.000). As the ramp inclination increased, peak positive power at both the knee and hip significantly decreased and negative power decreased at the knee joint (p <.000), though the effect size for these changes was small. Conclusions:The hip and knee joints were observed as the primary sources of power during exercise on the elliptical trainer at the lowest resistance setting.