REAL ES 5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Angular Velocity, Dynamometer, Speed
Document Summary
The force-velocity relationship is the observation that muscle force and contraction velocity are inversely related. Where contraction velocity is high, muscle force is low and vice versa. In practical terms, this means that when high levels of force are required (such as during powerlifting), the contraction velocity of the muscles involved is low. Similarly, when high velocities are required (such as during javelin throwing), the muscle force produced is much lower. The force velocity relationship observed when single muscle fibres shorten is hyperbolic, or non-linear. Being hyperbolic means that the rate of change of force alters with changing velocity. At low velocities, the rate of change of force is very high and it drops off quickly with small increments in speed. At higher velocities, the rate of change of force is quite low and alters little with each incremental change in speed.
