Isometric knee extensor testing
CONTRACTIONS
Participants were seated and restrained on a dynamometer chair (System 4 Pro; BioDex Medical Systems) for isometric assessment of the isolated knee joint. The seat was adjusted so that the right knee aligned with the axis of the dynamometer's lever arm, and the hip was positioned at 90°. Straps were placed and secured across both shoulders, hips, and contralateral leg. Another strap was tightly fastened around the right leg, ~2–3 cm above the ankle, which was attached to the dynamometer for measurement of isometric force. Prior to testing, participants performed a warm‐up set that consisted of three, 10‐s, isometric contractions corresponding to 50%, 70%, and 90% of perceived max. Following the warm‐up, participants performed three, 3‐s maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs), separated by 3 min of rest. The highest MVC recorded was noted and used for subsequent tests. Following determination of the MVC, participants performed two trapezoidal isometric contractions at 80% of the MVC in accordance with a visual template. Participants increased isometric force from 0% to 80% MVC in 8 s, held 80% MVC constant for 10‐s, and decreased force from 80% to 0% MVC in 8 s. Participants were allotted 3 min of rest between tests.