Muscle activation behavior in a swimming exergame: Differences by experience and gaming velocity

Soltani, Pooya and Figueiredo, Pedro and Fernandes, Ricardo J. and Vilas-Boas, João Paulo (2017) Muscle activation behavior in a swimming exergame: Differences by experience and gaming velocity. Physiology & Behavior, 181. pp. 23-28. ISSN 00319384

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Abstract

The effects of playing intensity and prior exergame and sport experience on the activation patterns of upper limb muscles during a swimming exergame were investigated. Surface electromyography of Biceps Brachii, Triceps Brachii, Latissimus Dorsi, Upper Trapezius, and Erector Spinae of twenty participants was recorded, and the game play was divided into normal and fast. Mean muscle activation, normalized to maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), ranged from 4.9 to 95.2%MVIC and differed between normal and fast swimming for all techniques (p < 0.05), except for Latissimus Dorsi during backstroke. After normalizing the %MVIC to playing velocity, selective behaviors were observed between muscles which were sufficient for pragmatic game play. Moreover, prior exergame and real sport experience did not have any effect on the muscle activation changes between normal and fast swimming. These behaviors are likely to happen when players understand the game mechanics, even after a short exposure. Such evaluation might help in adjusting the physical demands of sport exergames, for safe and meaningful experiences.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	swimming, muscle activation, exergames
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Institute of Education and Humanities > Academic Discipline: Psychology and Counselling
Depositing User:	Dr. Pooya Soltani
Date Deposited:	16 Apr 2020 09:57
Last Modified:	05 May 2020 09:52
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/1231

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