Muscular strength measurements
knee flexion) muscle
The peak torque (PT) in knee extension and flexion was measured using an isokinetic Biodex System 3 dynamometer (Biodex Medical Systems, NY, USA). Prior to the testing protocol, the participants performed a 5-min warm-up by pedaling on a veloergometer, at a moderate intensity of 60–90 W corresponding approximately to their own body weight. This was followed by 3 min of dynamic activation exercises such as lunges, butt kicks, side step lunges, half-squats, and front and side cross swings. Only the dominant leg’s PT (right in all cases) for quadriceps (knee extension) and hamstrings (knee flexion) muscle groups were measured. The angular velocity was set at 60°/s and 3 repetitions at maximum intensity were performed. The highest PT (N.m) value attained during these 3 consecutive repetitions of knee extension and flexion was manually extracted for each participant for further analysis. The entire peak torque testing protocol was exactly repeated for all participants after 12 weeks.