Introduction
Skeletal muscle contractility is an important factor influencing athletic performance since efficient cross-bridge cycling is required to generate optimal force [Examining muscle contractility through TMG provides researchers with insights regarding the athlete’s muscle capacities. The measurements are highly reproducible (ICC = 0.92 to 0.97; CV = 2.7% to 4.7%) and correlate with physiological and performance characteristics [Regarding the individual parameters, there appears to be a relationship between DCollectively, TMG offers a non-invasive assessment of an athlete’s muscle characteristics, as well as a straightforward presentation of the measurement results. Nevertheless, the interpretation of the data and its validity are constrained due to a lack in proficient standardization of the measurement protocols [Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of sensor location and lower leg fixation during TMG measurements on the contractile properties of the m. biceps femoris (BF). The BF was chosen as there is already a large body of work regarding the anterior leg muscles, e.g., m. rectus femoris and m. vastus lateralis. The posterior muscle group of the leg, however, is still underrepresented in this research area.Our hypothesis was that (1) sensor location and (2) lower leg fixation both affect the TMG-derived muscle contractility of the BF. To the best knowledge of the authors, this was the first study to implement TMG measurements at two different measurement sites on the BF. Furthermore, no study to date has investigated the effects of lower leg fixation on the muscle contractility parameters of the BF.