The age-related slowing of voluntary shortening velocity exacerbates power loss during repeated fast knee extensions

Older adults are less fatigable than young during isometric tasks, but this apparent ability to resist fatigue is often abolished when dynamic actions are performed. These findings could indicate that the velocity component of dynamic contractions or the task performed is an important factor in explaining fatigability of older adults. However, it has not been evaluated systematically. The purpose was to investigate the differences in age-related fatigue of the knee extensors in 8 older (73.6 ± 3.5 years) and 8 younger (25.1 ± 2.6 years) men. Neuromuscular measures were collected at baseline, during and immediately following task termination of three different maximal effort knee extension tasks. On three separate days, participants performed either 30 slow (1.05 rad·s− 1, 60°·s− 1) or 30 moderate (3.14 rad·s− 1, 180°·s− 1) isovelocity contractions, or 30 fast unconstrained velocity contractions with a fixed resistance (i.e., 20% maximal voluntary isometric contraction). At baseline, the older men were 25% and 35% less powerful than the younger men for the slow and moderate isovelocity tasks, respectively, but 42% less for the fast unconstrained velocity protocol. At task termination for the slow (old: 53%, young: 53%) and moderate (old: 45%, young: 38%) isovelocity fatigue tasks, power was reduced similarly in both age groups. However, for the fast unconstrained velocity task, power was reduced by a greater extent in older (35%) than the younger men (23%) at task termination. These results highlight that age-related impairments in voluntary shortening velocity exacerbate reductions in power production during repetitive dynamic tasks. Furthermore, the importance of this factor is masked when velocity is constrained (isovelocity) and fatigue is dependent primarily upon slow torque generation.

► Age-related impairments in shortening velocity exacerbate reductions in power production.
► Shortening velocity impairments are masked when velocity is constrained.
► Older adults are more fatigable at faster velocities even when baseline power is equal.