Can shaking your arm make your muscles work harder?
Does vibration superimposed on low-level isometric contraction alter motor unit recruitment strategy?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When you shake your arm gently while holding it still, your muscles might turn on more of their strongest fibers — like switching from slow walkers to sprinters.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When you shake your arm gently while holding it still, your muscles might turn on more of their strongest fibers — like switching from slow walkers to sprinters.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 533 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Xu L, Negro F, Xu Y, Rabotti C, Schep G, Farina D, Mischi M
Related Content
Claims (6)
To stimulate muscle growth, resistance exercises must be performed with adequate duration and precision to activate most of the motor units within the muscle.
When vibration is applied to the biceps muscle during a mild, sustained contraction, some vibration frequencies between 20 and 55 Hz increase the electrical signal measured on the skin surface, while others do not.
When vibrating muscles during low-force static contractions, the electrical signals from muscles do not consistently change compared to when no vibration is applied, suggesting that changes in muscle activation are not mainly due to altered timing of nerve signals.
When vibration is applied during gentle muscle contractions, the effect on muscle activation varies depending on the specific vibration settings; only some combinations of frequency and amplitude increase activation, while others do not.
During low-force muscle contractions with vibration, the speed at which electrical signals travel along muscle fibers increases compared to contractions without vibration, suggesting that larger and faster muscle fibers are being recruited more intensely.