The Impact of Range of Motion on Applied Force Characteristics and Electromyographic Activity during Repeated Sets of Bench Press Exercise

Abstract

This study examined the effects of range of motion (ROM) on applied force, power output and surface electromyographic (sEMG) responses during repeated sets of bench press exercise executed as fast as possible. Ten resistance trained men performed three sets to momentary failure with two-min rest intervals under three different ROM conditions: (a) full ROM (FULL), (b) TOP, at the top half of ROM, and (c) BOTTOM, at the bottom half of ROM. Mean and peak force were higher in TOP compared to FULL and BOTTOM (mean force: 817 ± 80 vs. 657 ± 98 vs. 623 ± 122 N, respectively, p < 0.001) with no differences between FULL and BOTTOM. During repeated sets, large decreases were found in peak (by 29.4 to 45.3%) and mean power (by 55.5 to 64.7%) from the first to the last repetitions. However, the decrease in mean force was only 2% (p < 0.01) and decreases in peak force ranged from 6.7 and 8.8% to zero, indicating the velocity loss was the main contributor to fatigue in power output. Although force and power output in set 3 were unchanged in BOTTOM, mean power output decreased significantly, suggesting that lower performance and fatigue may be related to the longer muscle length. Fatigue was accompanied by an increase in sEMG activity and a decrease in median frequency in all muscles, with triceps brachialis sEMG reflecting more the force and power differences among ROMs. In conclusion, fatigue depends on velocity rather than force loss during bench press exercise at different ROMs.