Effect of temporal patterns of work on lifting and handling capacities

Lifting and handling involve complex movements with concentric, isometric and eccentric muscle contractions. Greatest force deployment is attained in eccentric contractions, and in these the force increases with speed. The elastic energy stored in an eccentrically contracting muscle remains during a short time available for a subsequent concentric contraction. A kinesiological analysis of the centre of gravity and the mass centres of body segments make it possible to define the centres of motion and their movement, and further, the changes of velocity during contacts and the acting forces. The contributions of various' muscle elements can be described with electromyography