On the feasibility of obtaining multiple muscular maximal voluntary excitation levels from test exertions: A shoulder example

Currently, contrasting views exist regarding which body and arm postures are most effective for eliciting maximal voluntary exertions in the shoulder muscles. Informed exertion standardization may improve comparisons between subjects and muscle groups for normalized electromyography values. Additionally, identifying exertions that can produce equivalent maximal electrical activity values can reduce experimental setup time and reduce the likelihood of fatigue development. This research study examined twelve posture and force direction defined test exertions to identify those that elicited maximal electrical activity from the deltoid (anterior and middle fibres) and pectoralis major (clavicular and sternal heads). Further, the question of whether a single test exertion could obtain maximal electrical activity from multiple muscle fascicles was explored. Maximal activation was demonstrated for the deltoid during several exertions that incorporated an upward force exertion and the pectoralis major for multiple exertions that included an inward force direction. Finally, two test exertions produced maximal electrical activity from both muscles of interest. This research supports the notion that a range of exertions can elicit maximal electrical activity from a muscle, rather than one specific exertion. This suggests that researchers may be able to leverage a smaller set of test exertions to evaluate multiple muscles simultaneously without loss of data quality, and thereby decrease overall experimental data collection time while maintaining high fidelity data.