TORQUE-JOINT ANGLE RELATIONSHIP FOR VASTUS LATERALIS MUSCLE

The aim of this work was to study a single muscle torque contribution during a knsee extension in different knee angles. Six subjects performed three tasks: maximum voluntary knee extension (MVC), supramaximal twitch of relaxed quadriceps femoris muscle, and contraction of relaxed vastus lateralis muscle, activated with a train of submaximal electrical impulses.~A ll contractions were performed at angles of 450, 600, 750, and 900 at the knee joint and in a supine position (hips extended). In both tasks with the electrical stimulation (ES) the same stimulation parameters were used in all angles. Results showed that relative torques (100% at 450) for MVC and the twitch were merely the same, exhibited a maximum (143.6% and 153.1%, respectively) at 750 and fell to 133.3% and 137.4% at 900. Vastus lateralis muscle attain its maximum (1 16.8%) at 600 and fell continuously to its minimum of 602 % at 900. It is possible to see that a single head of the quadriceps muscle behaves in a much different way as the whole quadriceps muscle. Establishing a torque joint angle relationship for single muscles or muscle groups may be interesting for muscles' dynamics modelling, used in a professional work

FATIGUE AFTER WINGATE TESTS OF DIFFERENT DURATION

INTRODUCTION: A comparison among 60 seconds of maximal hopping, dropjumping, and cycling showed the presence of high-frequency fatigue after hopping and drop-jumping and low-frequency fatigue after cycling (Jereb & Strojnik, 1995). It was assumed that a shorter duration of maximal cycling may also produce highfrequency fatigue. METHODS: Nine sport students (age 23.4 + 2.7 years, height 176.9 + 3.3 cm, mass 70.4 + 4.9 kg) gave their formal consent and volunteered for the study. Three Wingate tests were performed: 15 s, 30 s and 45 s test. Fatigue index as a drop in power, blood lactate concentration and tetanus forces at 20 and 100 Hz electrical stimulation for the vastus lateralis muscle were measured. Before all tests and measurements, the subjects warmed-up with the standardized protocol. Measurements were obtained four minutes before and one minute after the workout. RESULTS: Fatigue indexes decreased by 15.5%, 35.77%, and 51.27%, respectively. Blood lactate concentrations were significantly increased after all tests and reached 6.7 ± 0.8 mmol/l, 12.5 ± 1.1 mmol/l, and 12.8 ± 1.7 mmol/l for 15 s, 30 s, and 45 s test, respectively. DISCUSSION: Low-frequency fatigue was dominant after all observed durations of the Wingate test. However, significant differences existed in its magnitude depending on the duration of the test. For practice, this means that the Wingate test is not suitable for highfrequency fatigue assessment. For theory, these results showed that a type of contraction has an important role in the modulation of fatigue appearance. It is possible to assume that during a maximal concentric muscle action low-frequency fatigue will occur, while a maximal stretchshortening cycle exercise may lead to high-frequency fatigue. REFERENCES: Jereb, B., Strojnik, V. (1995). Fatigue Effects of Three Anaerobic Power Tests. Book of Abstracts, XVth Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, 434

Motives for Following Sports Events among Physical Education Students from Bosnia and Hercegovina and Slovenia

A sports result takes on its meaning only when the public reacts to it after attending a sporting event. In order to determine and compare attitudes toward attending such events, students from two different cultural backgrounds were invited to participate in the study: 156 students from the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana and 82 students from the Pedagogical faculty, Department of Physical Education and Sports in Bihać. They were asked to complete a questionnaire containing 25 variables on the motives for attending sporting events. The respondents rated the importance of the motives with scores from 1 to 5 (1—not the reason at all; 2—not the reason; 3—occasionally true for me; 4—true for me; 5—absolutely true). The obtained results were ranked and compared between the students of different faculties and between genders. The results showed that Bosnian and Slovenian students differed in 11 out of 25 motives. Statistically significant gender differences were found for only two out of 25 motives. Differences between Bosnian and Slovenian students were also found in the ranking of the importance of the motives as well as in their evaluation. The results show that cultural, national, and mentality differences between the two groups are reflected in the motives for following sporting events