Evaluating the Asymmetry of Muscle Activation and Strength in Paralympic Powerlifting Athletes

Background: Strength training is a complex task, as it requires a combination of many variables. In paralympic powerlifting (PP) asymmetries for the evaluation of activation, and static force indicators have been increasingly studied.

Objective: To investigate the asymmetries in the strength and muscle activation indicators, before and after a training session of PP athletes.

Methodology: Twelve elite athletes from the PP participated in the study, and asymmetry was evaluated through surface electromyography (sEMG) and static strength indicators. Evaluations were made before and after a protocol of five series of five repetitions (5 × 5), with 80% of 1-Maximum Repetition (1RM).

Results: In the pectoral muscles, there were differences in the non-dominant limbs between the before and after in the sEMG. There were differences in the pectoralis muscle in the non-dominant limb between moments before (110.75 ± 59.52%) and after (130.53 ± 98.48%, < 0.001), and there was no difference in triceps activation. In the Maximum Isometric Strength (MIF), there was a difference in the non-dominant limb between before (710.36 ± 129.36) and after (620.27 ± 69.73; < 0.030). There was a difference before in the dominant (626.89 ± 120.16; 95% CI 550.55-703.24) and non-dominant (710.36 ± 129.36; = 0.011) limbs. There was no difference in time to MIF.

Conclusion: PP athletes showed small levels of asymmetry before and after training, and adaptation to training tends to promote fewer asymmetries.

Citing Articles

Variability analysis of muscle activation symmetry to identify indicators of individual motor strategy: a case series on elite Paralympic powerlifters.

Rum L, Romagnoli R, Lazich A, Sciarra T, Balletti N, Piacentini M Front Sports Act Living. 2023; 5:1290964.

PMID: 38022778 PMC: 10655026. DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1290964.

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