Mechanomyography, electromyography, heart rate, and ratings of perceived exertion during incremental cycle ergometry

Background. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationsh ips of mchanomyography (MMG), electromyography (EMG), heart rate (HR), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) versus power output during incremental cycle ergometry. Methods. Nine adult males [mean (+/- SD) age 23 (+/-3) years] volunteered t o perform an incremental test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. The MMG, EMG, HR, and RPE values were recorded at the end of each power output. Results. The normalized (expressed as a percentage of maximal values) relat ionships for MMG, HR, and RPE versus power output were linear, while the EM G versus power output relationship was quadratic. Furthermore, there were n o significant (p > 0.10) differences between slope coefficients for the rel ationships among MMG, HR, and RPE versus power output. Conclusions. The results of this investigation indicated that there were cl ose associations among the mechanical (MMG), cardiac (HR), and perception o f effort (RPE) aspects of cycle ergometry. In addition, there was a dissoci ation between the linear MMG pattern and quadratic EMG pattern with increas ing power outputs.