The lower body muscle activation of intermediate to experienced kayakers when navigating white water

Murtagh, M; Brooks, D; Sinclair, J; Atkins, SJ

Abstract

In white-water kayaking, the legs play a vital part in turning, stabilising and bracing actions. To date, there has been no
reported information on neuromuscular activation of the legs in an authentic white-water environment. The aim of the
current study was to identify lower body muscle activation, using ‘in-boat’ electromyography (EMG), whilst navigating a
white-water run. Ten experienced male kayakers (age 31.5 ± 12.5 yr, intermediate to advanced experience) completed
three successful runs of an international standard white-water course (grade 3 rapids), targeting right and left sides of the
course, in a zigzag formation. Surface EMG (sEMG) outputs were generated, bilaterally, for the rectus femoris (RF),
vastus lateralis, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius, expressed as a percentage of a dynamic maximal voluntary contraction
(dMVC). Only RF showed significantly higher activation than any muscle on the left side of the body, and only on the left
side of the course (P = .004; ETA2 = 0.56). Other results showed no significant difference between muscle activation in
the right and left legs during each run, nor when assessed at either the right or left side of the course (P > .05). These
findings indicate that contralateral symmetry in lower limb muscle activation is evident during white-water kayaking. This
symmetry may provide a stable base to allow more asymmetrical upper body and trunk movements to be fully optimised.
Lower body symmetry development should be considered useful in targeted training programmes for white-water kayakers.
Keywords: Kayaking; electromyography; white water; bilateral; lower body; bracing

Citation

Murtagh, M., Brooks, D., Sinclair, J., & Atkins, S. (2016). The lower body muscle activation of intermediate to experienced kayakers when navigating white water. European Journal of Sport Science, 16(8), 1130-1136. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2016.1188993

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 11, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jun 3, 2016
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 7, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 3, 2017
• Journal: European Journal of Sport Science
• Print ISSN: 1746-1391
• Electronic ISSN: 1536-7290
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 1130-1136
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2016.1188993
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2016.1188993