Muscle activity at varying intensity loads in canoe paddlers

Canoe sprint continues to be an area within sports research that is not thoroughly explored, resulting in a limited number of studies that examine muscle activity across varying intensities and the dynamic changes in peak muscle activation over a distance. This study aims to bridge this gap by providing comprehensive insights into muscle engagement among canoe paddlers, with a specific focus on simultaneously assessing 16 muscles. This study is the first in Latvia to use electromyography to analyze canoe paddlers' muscle activity. The study's main objective is to evaluate muscle electromyographic activity and the sequence of achieving peak activity in canoe paddlers at loads of varying intensity. To accomplish the research objectives of examining the electromyographic activity of the brace and the sequence in which muscles reach their peak activity in canoe paddlers at loads of varying intensity and to evaluate differences in electromyographic muscle activity and the sequence of reaching peak muscle activity at loads of varying intensity, a laboratory study was undertaken at the Healthcare in Sport Research Centre of Latvian Academy of Sports Education (LASE). The study involved five adult canoe paddlers who are masters of the sport, possess extensive experience in international competitions, and have been engaged in canoeing for more than six years. The primary methods employed include electromyography (FreeEMG1000 with 16 wireless surface electrode sensors), video analysis (BTS SMART DX infrared cameras), and ergometry (Dansprint canoe ergometer). Significant differences in a brace's average and peak muscle activity at loads of varying intensity were observed. For example, Participant No. 2 exhibited a mid-trapezius peak activity of 701 units at the start of the 2-min test, which decreased to 421 units by the end of the test. The muscle activity during paddling was asymmetric, with notable differences between the paddling and opposite sides. For instance, in the 200-m test for Participant No. 4, the average gluteus medius peak muscle activity on the opposite side was 722 units, whereas on the paddling side, it was 199. Additionally, by the conclusion of the 200-m test, Participant No. 5 experienced a rapid decline in gluteus muscle activity, coinciding with a reduction in paddling power. Across all participants, the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscles on the opposite side exhibited significantly higher peak activity than those on the paddling side. This finding may explain the observed asymmetry in pelvic musculature among canoe paddlers.