Is muscle coordination affected by loading condition in ballistic movements?

This study aimed to investigate the effect of loading on lower limb muscle coordination involved during ballistic squat jumps. Twenty athletes performed ballistic squat jumps on a force platform. Vertical force, velocity, power and electromyographic (EMG) activity of lower limb muscles were recorded during the push-off phase and compared between seven loading conditions (0-60% of the concentric-only maximal repetition). The increase in external load increased vertical force (from 1962 N to 2559 N; P = 0.0001), while movement velocity decreased (from 2.5 to 1.6 m s−1; P = 0.0001). EMG activity of tibialis anterior first peaked at 5% of the push-off phase, followed by gluteus maximus (35%), vastus lateralis and soleus (45%), rectus femoris (55%), gastrocnemius lateralis (65%) and semitendinosus (75%). This sequence of activation (P = 0.67) and the amplitude of muscle activity (P = 0.41) of each muscle were not affected by loading condition. However, a main effect of muscle was observed on these parameters (peak value: P < 0.001; peak occurrence: P = 0.02) illustrating the specific role of each muscle during the push-off phase. Our findings suggest that muscle coordination is not influenced by external load during a ballistic squat jump.