Comparison of fatigue responses and rapid force characteristics between explosive- and traditional-resistance-trained males

Purpose To compare maximal and rapid force characteristics, as well as fatigability, between traditional (TRT) and explosive (ERT) resistance-trained men. Methods Fourteen TRT (mean age = 25 years) and twelve ERT (mean age = 22 years) men performed rapid maximal contractions followed by an isokinetic fatigue protocol consisting of 50 maximal knee extension (KE) and flexions (KF) at a moderate speed (180° s − ¹). Baseline measures included: isokinetic peak torque (PT), isometric rate of torque development (RTD 0–50 ), peak acceleration (ACC max ), and peak velocity ( V max ). Changes in torque with fatigue were used to calculate a fatigue index (FI%). Results The ERT group (M ± SD; 1199.05 ± 404.12) displayed a significantly higher isometric RTD 0–50 ( p = 0.049) during KE than the TRT group (931.73 ± 244.75). No other significant differences in the dependent variables (PT, FI%, ACC max, V max ; all p ≥ 0.05) were observed between groups (TRT vs. ERT) for either of the muscle groups (KE and KF). Conclusions The results of the present study indicated that only knee extension RTD was able to discriminate between the two groups. These findings suggest that rapid force production may be more sensitive at distinguishing training-specific muscular adaptations than peak acceleration or velocity.