The influence of intermittent fatigue exercise on early and late phases of relaxation from maximal voluntary contraction

Twenty-two young male subjects were tested to estimate the behavior of the early and late phases of relaxation from a 3-s maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) under the influence of fatigue. Less demanding and more demanding protocols of intermittent hand grip exercise were used to fatigue muscle. Before and after fatigue, the early and late relaxation time, maximal relaxation rate, and half-relaxation time were measured. The results showed that during voluntary movement (a) the early phase of relaxation was independent of the mode of intermittent exercise and did not change significantly after fatigue; (b) the late relaxation time and absolute maximal relaxation rate were slower after both protocols, with the changes more pronounced following the more demanding protocol; and (c) the half-relaxation time and relative maximal relaxation rate were changed only in the more demanding protocol. It is concluded that unlike the relaxation following electrical stimulation of isolated muscle, the early phase of relaxation from voluntary contraction appears to be the most resistant to the type of intermittent fatiguing exercise used in the present study, whereas the late relaxation time was the most sensitive to this type of fatigue.